Pooja Gandhi
**Pooja Gandhi** (born October 7, 1983) is an Indian actress, producer, and politician who works predominantly in Kannada cinema, alongside appearances in Tamil, Telugu, Hindi, and Malayalam films. Popularly dubbed the *"Male Hudugi"* (Rain Girl) across Karnataka, she emerged as one of Sandalwood's most recognizable leading ladies of the mid-2000s and 2010s.
Born into a Punjabi family in Meerut, she began her acting career in television before debuting in South Indian cinema with the Tamil film
*Kokki* (2006). Her career-defining breakthrough arrived later that year with Yogaraj Bhat’s romantic blockbuster *Mungaru Male* (2006). Playing Nandini opposite Ganesh, the film’s historic box office run catapulted her into top stardom and established her as a major draw in Sandalwood.
Following *Mungaru Male*, Gandhi headlined a succession of commercial and critical hits, including *Milana* (2007) opposite Puneeth Rajkumar, *Krishna* (2007), *Taj Mahal* (2008), Upendra’s *Budhivanta* (2008), and *Accident* (2008).
In 2012, she shed her mainstream romantic heroine image with a raw, hard-hitting performance as Lakshmi in Srinivasa Raju's crime thriller *Dandupalya*. Her depiction of the infamous gang member earned her widespread critical acclaim, along with the SIIMA Award for Best Actress in a Negative Role and a Suvarna Film Award, prompting her to reprise the role across the franchise's sequels in 2017 and 2018. She also ventured into film production with the biographical drama *Abhinetri* (2015).
Beyond feature films, Gandhi was a top-five finalist in Season 3 of *Bigg Boss Kannada* (2016) and has been actively involved in regional politics, contesting elections and working across civic and political platforms in Karnataka.
Following *Mungaru Male*, Gandhi headlined a succession of commercial and critical hits, including *Milana* (2007) opposite Puneeth Rajkumar, *Krishna* (2007), *Taj Mahal* (2008), Upendra’s *Budhivanta* (2008), and *Accident* (2008).
In 2012, she shed her mainstream romantic heroine image with a raw, hard-hitting performance as Lakshmi in Srinivasa Raju's crime thriller *Dandupalya*. Her depiction of the infamous gang member earned her widespread critical acclaim, along with the SIIMA Award for Best Actress in a Negative Role and a Suvarna Film Award, prompting her to reprise the role across the franchise's sequels in 2017 and 2018. She also ventured into film production with the biographical drama *Abhinetri* (2015).
Beyond feature films, Gandhi was a top-five finalist in Season 3 of *Bigg Boss Kannada* (2016) and has been actively involved in regional politics, contesting elections and working across civic and political platforms in Karnataka.
Born
Oct 07, 1983
Meerut, Uttar Pradesh, India
Known For
Acting
Movies
26 acting
0 crew
Popularity
0.4
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