Pooja Hegde's diverse body of work has been recognized at the South Indian International Movie Awards ceremony - 2022. On Sunday, at the Bengaluru event, the multi-lingual actress was given the Youth Icon of South Indian cinema honour by SIIMA.

Thanking SIIMA for the honour, Pooja gave a message to one and all. "Keep doing the work," was her word. The pan-India superstar also thanked those who voted for her for the honour. "Best Actor (for the film 'Most Eligible Bachelor') and Youth Icon are two awards I will cherish," she added.

Elaborating on the Akhil-starrer that fetched her the award, the 'Maharshi' beauty thanked its producers and director. "Thank you Geetha Arts for seeing me as Vibha and Bhaskar sir (director) for writing such a strong female role (and all those pages of long stand-up monologues). As for Youth Icon, I guess if you continue being your authentic self, it pays off eventually," the actress, known for big-ticket films like 'Radhe Shyam', added.

SIIMA described Pooja as having an impeccable screen presence. The devotional 'Gopikamma' from 'Mukunda', her character from 'Aravindha Sametha', Nilambari from 'Acharya', 'Butta Bomma' from 'Ala Vaikunthapurramuloo' and the 'Beast' dance move in the song 'Arabic Kuthu' were referred by SIIMA. "The biggest compliment I ever get is that I am known by the characters I play or my songs. 'Youth Icon' is an intense honour. If you are unapologetically and authentically yourself, somewhere down the line people are going to recognize you," Pooja said, speaking on the occasion.

https://t.co/9y1sYWPSLC. ?? Thank you @siimawards and all those who voted for me for this honour. Best Actor and Youth Icon are two awards I will cherish. (1/3) pic.twitter.com/MrCFMiUZ7T

— Pooja Hegde (@hegdepooja) September 11, 2022