Pooja Gandhi (born Sanjana Gandhi in 1983)[1] is an Indian actress and model, who mainly works in Kannada and Tamil language films.[2][3] After starring in the commercially successful 2006 film Mungaru Male, she became one of the most popular and highest paid actresses in Kannada language films and also the recipient of several awards, including an honorary doctorate.[4][5][6][7] Gandhi is popularly referred to as Male Hudugi (Rain Girl) in the media and Kannada film industry.[8][9] Gandhi has acted in over five languages and 50 films in a decade.[10][11][12][2] The Banglore Times placed her in the list of "25 Most Desirable Women of 2012".[13][14]
Gandhi made her acting debut in 2001 with the Hindi film Khatron Ke Khiladi opposite Raj Babbar.[15] Since then, she has played lead roles in commercially successful films such as Mungaru Male (2006), Milana (2007), Krishna (2007), Taj Mahal (2008), Budhivanta (2008), Anu (2009), Gokula (2009), Dandupalya (2012), Dandupalya 2 (2017) and Dandupalya 3 (2018).[16] Following the success of a series of films, she established herself as one of the leading actresses of Kannada cinema.[17][18]
In 2016, Gandhi received an honorary doctorate award by the Governing Council of Confederation of International Accreditation Commission (CIAC) in affiliation with KEISIE International University - South Korea, for her contribution to the Kannada film industry.[4][19]
She became a member of the Janata Dal (Secular) party in 2012,[20] before joining the KJP party, and later, the BSR Congress party. She contested the Karnataka assembly elections from Raichur constituency,[21] but failed to win a seat.[22]
^"Sanjana rechristened as Pooja Gandhi". IndiaGlitz. 10 April 2007.
^ ab"Veerappan's wife Mutthulakshmi to narrate her hubby's tale on celluloid".
^"8 Outstanding Films to Celebrate Sandalwood Actress Pooja Gandhi's 36th Birthday - Zee5 News". 7 October 2019.
^ ab"She is Dr Pooja Gandhi now". The New Indian Express. 12 November 2016.
^"Gandhi is one of the highest paid actresses". sify.com. Archived from the original on 2 April 2019. Retrieved 2 March 2018.
^"Raining troubles for male girl". Deccan Chronicle. July 2015.
^"Yeddyurappa ropes in Kannada filmstars to add to KJP's populist appeal". India Today.
^"Pooja Gandhi known to her fans as "Male Hudugi" (Rain Girl)". Sify. www.sify.com. Archived from the original on 20 October 2017.
^"Actress Pooja Gandhi to marry as per 'Mantra Mangalya' today".
^"Sriramulu steals star power from Yeddyurappa as Pooja Gandhi joins BSR Congress". India Today.
^"Kannada actress Pooja Gandhi runs away from posh Bengaluru hotel without paying bills". International Business Times. 19 March 2019.
^"Bigg Boss: Pooja Gandhi, Master Anand enter finale". The Times of India. 19 January 2016.
^"Bangalore Times Top 25 Most Desirable Women 2012". The Times of India. 20 May 2013.
^"Bangalore Times Most Desirable Women 2012 Pics | Bangalore Times Most Desirable Women 2012 Personal Photos - ETimes Photogallery".
^Cite error: The named reference Kh was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^"Top five Sandalwood superhit sequel movies". The Times of India. 20 December 2018.
^"No makeup looks of Kannada actresses that will make your eyes pop". 27 April 2021.
^"Srinivas Raju, Pooja Gandhi team up for a mystery thriller". Cinema Express.
^"Pooja Gandhi conferred with honorary doctorate". 15 November 2016.
^"Pooja Gandhi, Kannada actress, joins JD(S)". The Times of India. PTI. 12 January 2012. Retrieved 16 December 2022.
^"Pooja Gandhi to fight elections". The Times of India.
^"Pooja Gandhi loses election". The Times of India.
PoojaGandhi (born Sanjana Gandhi in 1983) is an Indian actress and model, who mainly works in Kannada and Tamil language films. After starring in the...
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Magadi. The film has an ensemble cast including V. Ravichandran, Jaggesh, PoojaGandhi, Jennifer Kotwal, Nikita Thukral and Keerthi Chawla in the leading roles...
film directed by Dayal Padmanabhan. The film stars Sri Murali, PoojaGandhi, Radhika Gandhi and Naveen Krishna in pivotal roles. The film is jointly produced...
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Indian Kannada thriller film directed by Sanjeev Kumar and starring PoojaGandhi and Neeraj Sham in the lead roles. The film was released on 25 February...