Pooja Gandhi
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Pooja Gandhi (born Sanjana Gandhi in 1983) is an Indian actress, who mainly works in
Kannada Kannada (; ಕನ್ನಡ, ), originally romanised Canarese, is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by the people of Karnataka in southwestern India, with minorities in all neighbouring states. It has around 47 million native s ...
,
Hindi Hindi (Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of northern, central, eastern, and western India. Hindi has been de ...
and
Tamil Tamil may refer to: * Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia ** Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils **Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia * Tamil language, nati ...
films. Pooja Gandhi after starring in the commercially successful 2006 film ''
Mungaru Male ''Mungaru Male'' () is a 2006 Indian Kannada-language romantic drama film co-written and directed by Yogaraj Bhat, and produced by E. Krishnappa. It stars Ganesh, Pooja Gandhi and Anant Nag. The film is believed to have shaped and strengthened t ...
'', became one of the most popular and highest paid actresses in
Kannada cinema Kannada cinema, also known as Sandalwood, or Chandanavana, is the segment of Indian cinema dedicated to the production of motion pictures in the Kannada language widely spoken in the state of Karnataka. The 1934 film ''Sati Sulochana'' directed ...
and also the recipient of several awards, including an honorary
Doctorate A doctorate (from Latin ''docere'', "to teach"), doctor's degree (from Latin ''doctor'', "teacher"), or doctoral degree is an academic degree awarded by universities and some other educational institutions, derived from the ancient formalism ''l ...
. Gandhi is popularly referred as ''Male Hudugi'' (Rain Girl) in the media and
Kannada film industry Kannada cinema, also known as Sandalwood, or Chandanavana, is the segment of Indian cinema dedicated to the production of motion pictures in the Kannada language widely spoken in the state of Karnataka. The 1934 film '' Sati Sulochana'' directe ...
. Gandhi has acted in over five languages and 50 films in a decade. The '' Banglore Times'' placed her in the list of "25 Most Desirable Women of 2012". Gandhi made her acting debut in 2001 with the Hindi film '' Khatron Ke Khiladi'' opposite
Raj Babbar Raj Babbar (born 23 June 1952) is an Indian Hindi and Punjabi film actor and politician belonging to Indian National Congress. three-time member of the Lok Sabha and a two-time member of the Upper House of the Indian Parliament. He was the Pr ...
. Since then, she has played lead roles in commercially successful films such as ''
Mungaru Male ''Mungaru Male'' () is a 2006 Indian Kannada-language romantic drama film co-written and directed by Yogaraj Bhat, and produced by E. Krishnappa. It stars Ganesh, Pooja Gandhi and Anant Nag. The film is believed to have shaped and strengthened t ...
'' (2006), '' Milana'' (2007), ''
Krishna Krishna (; sa, कृष्ण ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the eighth avatar of Vishnu and also as the Supreme god in his own right. He is the god of protection, compassion, tenderness, and love; and is one ...
'' (2007), ''
Taj Mahal The Taj Mahal (; ) is an Islamic ivory-white marble mausoleum on the right bank of the river Yamuna in the Indian city of Agra. It was commissioned in 1631 by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan () to house the tomb of his favourite wife, Mu ...
'' (2008), ''
Budhivanta ''Buddhivantha'' ( ''Genius'') is a 2008 Indian Kannada-language film directed by Ramnath Rigvedhi. starring Upendra in the lead role, while Pooja Gandhi, Brinda Parekh, Saloni Aswani, Natanya Singh, and Suman Ranganathan play the female leads. ...
'' (2008), ''
Anu Anu ( akk, , from wikt:𒀭#Sumerian, 𒀭 ''an'' “Sky”, “Heaven”) or Anum, originally An ( sux, ), was the sky father, divine personification of the sky, king of the gods, and ancestor of many of the list of Mesopotamian deities, dei ...
'' (2009), ''
Gokula Gokula Singh (also known as Veer Gokula, or Gokal or Gokul Singh Jat; died on 1 January 1670 AD) was a Jat zamindar of Tilpat, belonging to Haga(Agre/Agha) gotra, in what is now the state of Haryana, India. The second of four sons born to Madu, ...
'' (2009), '' Dandupalya'' (2012), ''
Dandupalya 2 ''Dandupalya 2'' is a 2017 Indian Kannada-language crime thriller directed by Srinivas Raju and produced by Venkat. Based on the infamous dacoit gang from Dandupalya, the film is a sequel to the 2012 film '' Dandupalya''. The film stars Pooja ...
'' (2017) and ''
Dandupalya 3 ''Dandupalya 3'' or ''3'' is a 2018 Indian Kannada-language crime thriller film directed by Srinivasa Raju and produced by Ram Talluri. Based on the infamous dacoit gang from Dandupalya, the film is a sequel to the 2017 critically acclaimed fil ...
'' (2018). Following the success of a series of films, she established herself as one of the leading actresses of
Kannada cinema Kannada cinema, also known as Sandalwood, or Chandanavana, is the segment of Indian cinema dedicated to the production of motion pictures in the Kannada language widely spoken in the state of Karnataka. The 1934 film ''Sati Sulochana'' directed ...
. In 2016, Gandhi received an honorary
doctorate A doctorate (from Latin ''docere'', "to teach"), doctor's degree (from Latin ''doctor'', "teacher"), or doctoral degree is an academic degree awarded by universities and some other educational institutions, derived from the ancient formalism ''l ...
award by the Governing Council of Confederation of International Accreditation Commission - CIAC in affiliation with KEISIE International University - South Korea, for her contribution to Kannada film industry. She joined the
Janata Dal (Secular) The Janata Dal (Secular) is an Indian political party led by former prime minister of India, H. D. Deve Gowda. The party is recognized as a State Party in the states of Karnataka, Kerala and Arunachal Pradesh. It was formed in July 1999 by the ...
party in 2012 by taking the membership of the party. She soon hopped onto KJP party and later to the
BSR Congress The Badavara Shramikara Raithara (BSR) Congress was a political party based in Karnataka state. It was founded in 2011 by B. Sriramulu, a former minister in the Karnataka State Government. In the 2013 Karnataka Legislative Assembly elections, t ...
party and contested the Karnataka assembly elections from
Raichur Raichur (formerly Raichore) is a city and municipality in the district of Raichur in the Indian state of Karnataka. Raichur, located between Krishna and Tungabhadra rivers, is the headquarters of Raichur district. It is located 409 km fr ...
constituency. However, she was defeated in the elections and did not win any seat from the constituency.


Early years and personal life

Gandhi was born in
Meerut Meerut (, IAST: ''Meraṭh'') is a city in Meerut district of the western part of the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. The city lies northeast of the national capital New Delhi, within the National Capital Region and west of the state capital ...
and brought up in
Delhi Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, primarily its western or right bank, Delhi shares borders w ...
into a traditional
Punjabi Punjabi, or Panjabi, most often refers to: * Something of, from, or related to Punjab, a region in India and Pakistan * Punjabi language * Punjabi people * Punjabi dialects and languages Punjabi may also refer to: * Punjabi (horse), a British Th ...
family. Her father, Pawan Gandhi, is a businessman and her mother, Jyothi Gandhi, is a housewife. She studied at Sophia Convent and Dewan Public School in Meerut,
Uttar Pradesh Uttar Pradesh (; , 'Northern Province') is a state in northern India. With over 200 million inhabitants, it is the most populated state in India as well as the most populous country subdivision in the world. It was established in 1950 ...
. She has two younger sisters – Radhika Gandhi, who is also an actress in Kannada films, and Suhani Gandhi, a tennis player. Gandhi started her career as a
model A model is an informative representation of an object, person or system. The term originally denoted the Plan_(drawing), plans of a building in late 16th-century English, and derived via French and Italian ultimately from Latin ''modulus'', a mea ...
by acting in advertisements and television series with ''Awaz'' (a remake of ''
Lost Lost may refer to getting lost, or to: Geography *Lost, Aberdeenshire, a hamlet in Scotland * Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail, or LOST, a hiking and cycling trail in Florida, US History *Abbreviation of lost work, any work which is known to have bee ...
'' in
Hindi Hindi (Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of northern, central, eastern, and western India. Hindi has been de ...
language) and a serial ''
Zameen Se Aassman Tak ''Zameen Se Aassman Tak'' is a Hindi-language television series on Sahara One. The series follow the story of a family who gets separated by a natural disaster, Earthquake. The series was produced by Aruna Irani. Premise The story is of the mai ...
'', directed by
Aruna Irani Aruna Irani (born 3 May 1946) is an Indian actress, who has acted in over 500 films throughout Hindi, Kannada, Marathi and Gujarati cinema, playing mostly supporting and character roles. She has won two Filmfare Awards for Best Supporting Act ...
. Gandhi got engaged in November 2012 with industrialist Anand Gowda but ended the relationship the following month.


Career


Debut (2001)

Gandhi started her career by acting in TV
soaps Soap is a surfactant cleaning compound used for personal or other cleaning. Soap may also refer to: Education * Supplemental Offer and Acceptance Program, for medical students who were not initially matched with U.S. residencies by the Nationa ...
, starting with
Zameen Se Aassman Tak ''Zameen Se Aassman Tak'' is a Hindi-language television series on Sahara One. The series follow the story of a family who gets separated by a natural disaster, Earthquake. The series was produced by Aruna Irani. Premise The story is of the mai ...
directed by
Aruna Irani Aruna Irani (born 3 May 1946) is an Indian actress, who has acted in over 500 films throughout Hindi, Kannada, Marathi and Gujarati cinema, playing mostly supporting and character roles. She has won two Filmfare Awards for Best Supporting Act ...
. She made her acting debut at the age of 18 in the
Hindi Hindi (Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of northern, central, eastern, and western India. Hindi has been de ...
film '' Khatron Ke Khiladi'' released in 2001. Later appeared in
Bengali Bengali or Bengalee, or Bengalese may refer to: *something of, from, or related to Bengal, a large region in South Asia * Bengalis, an ethnic and linguistic group of the region * Bengali language, the language they speak ** Bengali alphabet, the w ...
film ''Tomake Salam'' in 2003, she moved to the South Indian film industry with the
Tamil Tamil may refer to: * Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia ** Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils **Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia * Tamil language, nati ...
film ''
Kokki , alternatively known as ''Kuni tsu Fumi'' meaning "National Record", is a Japanese historical text purported to have been written in 620 by Shōtoku Taishi and Soga no Umako. It is recorded in the '' Nihon Shoki'', but there are no known extant c ...
'' (2006). The film earned moderate reviews and had a successful run at the box office.


Initial success and fame in Kannada (2006–08)

Gandhi debut in the
Kannada film industry Kannada cinema, also known as Sandalwood, or Chandanavana, is the segment of Indian cinema dedicated to the production of motion pictures in the Kannada language widely spoken in the state of Karnataka. The 1934 film '' Sati Sulochana'' directe ...
was with ''
Mungaru Male ''Mungaru Male'' () is a 2006 Indian Kannada-language romantic drama film co-written and directed by Yogaraj Bhat, and produced by E. Krishnappa. It stars Ganesh, Pooja Gandhi and Anant Nag. The film is believed to have shaped and strengthened t ...
'', The film was the first in India for any language to be screened for continuously one year in a multiplex, and ultimately ran over 865-days in
Karnataka Karnataka (; ISO: , , also known as Karunāḍu) is a state in the southwestern region of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act. Originally known as Mysore State , it was renamed ''Karnat ...
.Imran, Ranbir in "Mungaru Male" Bolly remake
Movies.indiatimes.com. Retrieved 15 February 2016.
And it was collected over ₹75 crore in its lifetime theatrical run at
India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
n box office. It went to become highest grossing South Indian film during its time of release. Gandhi has received applause for her character in the film as Nandini. ''Indicine.com's'' critic states that "Sanjana makes a confident debut". She then acted in the movie '' Milana'' with
Puneeth Rajkumar Puneeth Rajkumar (17 March 1975 – 29 October 2021), colloquially known as Appu, was an Indian actor, playback singer, television presenter, and producer, who worked in Kannada cinema. He was the youngest son of actor and matinee idol Dr. Rajk ...
, upon theatrical release on 14 September 2007, the film saw commercial success and completed a 500-day run in theatres. Later the film was dubbed into
Malayalam Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry (Mahé district) by the Malayali people. It is one of 22 scheduled languages of India. Malayalam was des ...
as '' Ishtam Enikkishtam''. In the same year Gandhi acted in ''
Krishna Krishna (; sa, कृष्ण ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the eighth avatar of Vishnu and also as the Supreme god in his own right. He is the god of protection, compassion, tenderness, and love; and is one ...
'' film with her ''
Mungaru male ''Mungaru Male'' () is a 2006 Indian Kannada-language romantic drama film co-written and directed by Yogaraj Bhat, and produced by E. Krishnappa. It stars Ganesh, Pooja Gandhi and Anant Nag. The film is believed to have shaped and strengthened t ...
'' co-star
Ganesh Ganesha ( sa, गणेश, ), also known as Ganapati, Vinayaka, and Pillaiyar, is one of the best-known and most worshipped Deva_(Hinduism), deities in the Hindu deities, Hindu pantheon and is the Supreme God in Ganapatya sect. His image is ...
, it was the financial hit at the box office by completing 100-days. It marked as the second consecutive hit of the Ganesh and Gandhi pair after ''Mungaru Male''. The ''
Krishna Krishna (; sa, कृष्ण ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the eighth avatar of Vishnu and also as the Supreme god in his own right. He is the god of protection, compassion, tenderness, and love; and is one ...
'' marked her hat-trick 100-days film in her career in
Kannada film industry Kannada cinema, also known as Sandalwood, or Chandanavana, is the segment of Indian cinema dedicated to the production of motion pictures in the Kannada language widely spoken in the state of Karnataka. The 1934 film '' Sati Sulochana'' directe ...
. In 2008, she starred in the financially successful
Kannada language Kannada (; ಕನ್ನಡ, ), originally romanised Canarese, is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by the people of Karnataka in southwestern India, with minorities in all neighbouring states. It has around 47 million native sp ...
film ''
Taj Mahal The Taj Mahal (; ) is an Islamic ivory-white marble mausoleum on the right bank of the river Yamuna in the Indian city of Agra. It was commissioned in 1631 by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan () to house the tomb of his favourite wife, Mu ...
'' with
Ajay Rao Ajay Rao (also credited as Krishna Ajay Rao) is an Indian actor who works primarily in Kannada film industry. He rose to fame with 2003 blockbuster movie '' Excuse Me''. Career Ajay Rao debuted as a lead with the film '' Excuse Me'' (2003) and ...
, which ran over 200 days in couple of centers of
Karnataka Karnataka (; ISO: , , also known as Karunāḍu) is a state in the southwestern region of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act. Originally known as Mysore State , it was renamed ''Karnat ...
. She was nominated for a
Filmfare Best Actress Award The Filmfare Award for Best Actress is given by ''Filmfare'' as part of its annual Filmfare Awards for Hindi films, to recognise the female actor who has delivered an outstanding performance in a leading role. The award was first given in 1954 ...
, while
Sify Sify Technologies Limited (formerly Satyam Infoway) is an Indian information and communications technology company providing end-to-end ICT solutions including telecom services, data center services, cloud & managed services, transformation in ...
's critic wrote that "Pooja Gandhi looks pretty and has done a good job. ''
rediff.com Rediff.com (stylized as ''rediff.com'') is an Indian news, information, entertainment and shopping web portal. It was founded in 1996. It is headquartered in Mumbai, with offices in Bangalore, New Delhi and New York City. , it had more than 300 e ...
'' editor Vijaysarathy claims that "Pooja Gandhi looks stunning and has worked hard to give a strong performance". Her next movie was ''
Budhivanta ''Buddhivantha'' ( ''Genius'') is a 2008 Indian Kannada-language film directed by Ramnath Rigvedhi. starring Upendra in the lead role, while Pooja Gandhi, Brinda Parekh, Saloni Aswani, Natanya Singh, and Suman Ranganathan play the female leads. ...
'' alongside
Upendra Upendra (Devanagari: उपेन्द्र) is an Indian masculine given name. The meaning of the Sanskrit word ' is "younger brother of Indra" and refers to either Krishna or Vishnu, who as a son of Aditi (or in the Vamana avatar) was born subs ...
. It became the highest grossing Kannada film of 2008 and completed 100-days in main centres of
Karnataka Karnataka (; ISO: , , also known as Karunāḍu) is a state in the southwestern region of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act. Originally known as Mysore State , it was renamed ''Karnat ...
.


Series of commercial failures (2009–2011)

Gandhi went on to act in more than dozen of films in several languages including
Kannada film industry Kannada cinema, also known as Sandalwood, or Chandanavana, is the segment of Indian cinema dedicated to the production of motion pictures in the Kannada language widely spoken in the state of Karnataka. The 1934 film '' Sati Sulochana'' directe ...
, most of them went on to become commercially un-successful at the box office. In 2010, Gandhi made her
Telugu Telugu may refer to: * Telugu language, a major Dravidian language of India *Telugu people, an ethno-linguistic group of India * Telugu script, used to write the Telugu language ** Telugu (Unicode block), a block of Telugu characters in Unicode S ...
debut through the ''Mukkanti'' film opposite Nandamuri Taraka Ratna, along with Poorna. Which went on to become a financial failure at the box office. In 2011, she acted her second film in
Hindi Hindi (Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of northern, central, eastern, and western India. Hindi has been de ...
with ''
I Am I Am or I'm may refer to: Language and literature * "I Am that I Am", a common English translation of the response God used in the Hebrew Bible when Moses asked for His name ** I am (biblical term), a Christian term used in the Bible * "I Am" (po ...
'', together with
Juhi Chawla Juhi Chawla (born 13 November 1967) is an Indian actress, film producer and entrepreneur. She established herself as one of the leading actresses of Hindi cinema from the late 1980s through the early 2000s. Recognised for her comic timing and v ...
. "I Am" received mainly positive reviews from critics and audience upon the theatrical release. ''The Times of India'' called it "an important and intelligent film" and ''The Film Street Journal'' named it "a must watch". In 2012 ''I Am'' won the
National Award The National Film Awards is the most prominent film award ceremony in India. Established in 1954, it has been administered, along with the International Film Festival of India and the Indian Panorama, by the Indian government's Directorate ...
for Best Hindi Film and
Best Lyrics Best or The Best may refer to: People * Best (surname), people with the surname Best * Best (footballer, born 1968), retired Portuguese footballer Companies and organizations * Best & Co., an 1879–1971 clothing chain * Best Lock Corporation ...
.


Critical acclaim and box office success (2012–18)

In 2012, Gandhi made a comeback through the female oriented film '' Dandupalya'', which went on to become one of the highest-grossing films of Kannada industry and completed 100 days theatrical run in both
Karnataka Karnataka (; ISO: , , also known as Karunāḍu) is a state in the southwestern region of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act. Originally known as Mysore State , it was renamed ''Karnat ...
and
Andhra Pradesh Andhra Pradesh (, abbr. AP) is a state in the south-eastern coastal region of India. It is the seventh-largest state by area covering an area of and tenth-most populous state with 49,386,799 inhabitants. It is bordered by Telangana to the ...
. * And it collected over ₹40
crore A crore (; abbreviated cr) denotes ten million (10,000,000 or 107 in scientific notation) and is equal to 100 lakh in the Indian numbering system. It is written as 1,00,00,000 with the local 2,2,3 style of digit group separators (one lakh is e ...
against budget of ₹3 crore. Gandhi received
Filmfare Award for Best Kannada Actress ''Filmfare'' is an Indian English-language fortnightly magazine published by Worldwide Media. Acknowledged as one of Indian most popular entertainment magazines, it publishes pieces involving news, interviews, photos, videos, reviews, events, an ...
and Suvarna Fimfare Award for Best Actress for her performance in '' Dandupalya''. The film was dubbed in
Telugu Telugu may refer to: * Telugu language, a major Dravidian language of India *Telugu people, an ethno-linguistic group of India * Telugu script, used to write the Telugu language ** Telugu (Unicode block), a block of Telugu characters in Unicode S ...
and released as ''Dandupalyam''. It was well received in Andhra Pradesh. A
Tamil Tamil may refer to: * Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia ** Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils **Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia * Tamil language, nati ...
dub titled '' Karimedu'' was produced by
Rama Narayanan Rama Narayanan (3 April 1949 – 22 June 2014) was an Indian film director and producer. In the 1980s, he was known as a director who specialized in shooting commercial films in which animals played vital roles, while in the 1990s, several of h ...
's Sri Thenandal Films and released on 24 May 2013 to critical acclaim. it was hit in Tamil Nadu. The film was dubbed in Malayalam and was titled as ''
Kuruthikalam ''Kuruthykkalam'' is a 1969 Indian Malayalam film, directed by A. K. Sahadevan. The film stars Sathyan, Madhu, Sheela and Shobha in the lead roles. The film had musical score by Jaya Vijaya. Cast * Sathyan * Madhu *Sheela *Shobha *Abbas *Amb ...
''. Critics heaped praise on Gandhi for her performance. ''
Rediff.com Rediff.com (stylized as ''rediff.com'') is an Indian news, information, entertainment and shopping web portal. It was founded in 1996. It is headquartered in Mumbai, with offices in Bangalore, New Delhi and New York City. , it had more than 300 e ...
'' claimed that she was "walks away with acting honours. She is a stunner with her vain looks sans makeup throughout the movie and she has lived her role exceptionally well." while '' DNA's'' critic wrote that "viewers should not miss out on Pooja's performance." ''
Business Standard ''Business Standard'' is an Indian English-language daily edition newspaper published by Business Standard Private Limited, also available in Hindi. Founded in 1975, the newspaper covers the Indian economy, infrastructure, international busine ...
's'' critic stated that "Pooja Gandhi as the leader of the gang is brilliant and extremely confident in her role. While some may typecast her performance as cheap and unwelcoming, I believe it takes guts for a regular heroine to shed her image and agree to play such a gritty part. She definitely deserves special mention for proving cliches wrong." ''
The Times of India ''The Times of India'', also known by its abbreviation ''TOI'', is an Indian English-language daily newspaper and digital news media owned and managed by The Times Group. It is the third-largest newspaper in India by circulation and largest ...
's'' critic stated that "Pooja Gandhi walks away with full honours." In 2013, Gandhi made her debut in
Malayalam Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry (Mahé district) by the Malayali people. It is one of 22 scheduled languages of India. Malayalam was des ...
film with ''
Maad Dad ''Maad Dad'' is a 2013 Malayalam film, directed by Revathy S Varmha, starring Lal, Nazriya Nazim, Meghana Raj, Lalu Alex, Padmapriya and Pooja Gandhi. It marked Nazriya’s debut film as a leading actress. Cast * Lal as Palachottil Geevargees ...
'' (2013) together with
Lal Lal ( fa, لعل, hi, लाल, bn, লাল, ur, لال, ps, Lāl) is an Indo-Iranian surname and given name, which means "darling", "precious", or "beloved", from the Sanskrit ''lala'' ("cajoling").''Dictionary of American Family Names''F ...
and
Meghana Raj Meghana Sunder Raj Sarja (born 3 May 1990) is an Indian actress who primarily works in Malayalam and Kannada films along with a few Telugu language, Telugu and Tamil language, Tamil films. She made her acting debut in the 2009 Telugu film ''B ...
. Then she becomes Item number for the '' Mata'' fame
Guruprasad Guruprasad is an Indian actor and director in the Kannada film industry. His debut as a director was the 2006 film ''Mata (2006 film), Mata'' which became a cult hit and his second movie as a director is ''Eddelu Manjunatha''. Both the films we ...
's directed Kannada film '' Director's Special'' (2013). According to sources said that Gandhi had rejected a request to do a special song in ''Devarane'' film, following days Pooja accepted this offer only because director
Guruprasad Guruprasad is an Indian actor and director in the Kannada film industry. His debut as a director was the 2006 film ''Mata (2006 film), Mata'' which became a cult hit and his second movie as a director is ''Eddelu Manjunatha''. Both the films we ...
wrote this song keeping me in mind. That makes it special, she appears in the song as ''Chanchal Champakali''. In 2015, she starred and produced a film '' Abhinetri'', also she introduced as Producer. In 2017, she starred in the ''
Dandupalya 2 ''Dandupalya 2'' is a 2017 Indian Kannada-language crime thriller directed by Srinivas Raju and produced by Venkat. Based on the infamous dacoit gang from Dandupalya, the film is a sequel to the 2012 film '' Dandupalya''. The film stars Pooja ...
'', which was the sequel of her previous film '' Dandupalya''. In 2018 her next film was ''
Dandupalya 3 ''Dandupalya 3'' or ''3'' is a 2018 Indian Kannada-language crime thriller film directed by Srinivasa Raju and produced by Ram Talluri. Based on the infamous dacoit gang from Dandupalya, the film is a sequel to the 2017 critically acclaimed fil ...
'' or
III III or iii may refer to: Companies * Information International, Inc., a computer technology company * Innovative Interfaces, Inc., a library-software company * 3i, formerly Investors in Industry, a British investment company Other uses * Ins ...
, which was simultaneously released in
Kannada Kannada (; ಕನ್ನಡ, ), originally romanised Canarese, is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by the people of Karnataka in southwestern India, with minorities in all neighbouring states. It has around 47 million native s ...
,
Telugu Telugu may refer to: * Telugu language, a major Dravidian language of India *Telugu people, an ethno-linguistic group of India * Telugu script, used to write the Telugu language ** Telugu (Unicode block), a block of Telugu characters in Unicode S ...
and
Tamil Tamil may refer to: * Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia ** Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils **Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia * Tamil language, nati ...
languages. acts along with almost same cast and crew. Gandhi received critical acclaim from critics and audience for her performance in the film. The writer Sunayana Suresh of The ''
Times of India ''The Times of India'', also known by its abbreviation ''TOI'', is an Indian English language, English-language daily newspaper and digital news media owned and managed by The Times Group. It is the List of newspapers in India by circulation, t ...
'', stated "Pooja Gandhi in her uninhibited avatar is another person who deserves applause." The writer Sharadha of ''
New Indian Express ''The New Indian Express'' is an Indian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper published by the Chennai-based Express Publications. It was founded in 1932 as ''The Indian Express'', under the ownership of Chennai-based P. Varadarajulu Naid ...
'', stated that "Pooja Gandhi wins over the audience with her powerful performance."


Politics

Gandhi joined the
Janata Dal (Secular) The Janata Dal (Secular) is an Indian political party led by former prime minister of India, H. D. Deve Gowda. The party is recognized as a State Party in the states of Karnataka, Kerala and Arunachal Pradesh. It was formed in July 1999 by the ...
(JDS) party on 18 January 2012. She then joined briefly the KJP, but she finally contested the 2013
Karnataka Legislative Assembly The Karnataka Legislative Assembly is the lower house of the bicameral legislature of the Indian state of Karnataka. Karnataka is one of the six states in India where the state legislature is bicameral, comprising two houses. The two houses ar ...
elections from
Raichur Raichur (formerly Raichore) is a city and municipality in the district of Raichur in the Indian state of Karnataka. Raichur, located between Krishna and Tungabhadra rivers, is the headquarters of Raichur district. It is located 409 km fr ...
on a
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ticket. This first attempt at public office proved unsuccessful.


Controversy

Gandhi and Gandhi's film '' Dandupalya'', criticised by social group Bahujan Samaj Horata Samiti for her controversial scene in this film, who claimed that its content was offensive. They objected specifically to the film's portrayal of women. Further controversy followed when it was revealed that actress Pooja Gandhi would appear topless in the film. After the release of the movie, Ambedkar Kranthi Sena activists demonstrated in
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against the film's "glorification of anti-social activities".
"According to the dictionary, nudity means that you are not covered with a single item of clothing from head to toe. But in this scene, I have worn a sari and I am trying to cover my body, except for my back".
says Gandhi about her controversial scene in the film


Filmography


As producer


Awards and nominations


Awards


Television shows

* She was one of the
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finalist of the ''
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'' which was aired on
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during 2016.


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Gandhi, Pooja Living people 1983 births 21st-century Indian actresses Actresses in Malayalam cinema Actresses in Hindi cinema Indian film actresses Actresses in Kannada cinema Actresses in Bengali cinema Actresses in Tamil cinema Indian women film producers Punjabi people People from Meerut Janata Dal (Secular) politicians Karnataka Janata Paksha politicians BSR Congress politicians 21st-century Indian women politicians 21st-century Indian politicians Film producers from Karnataka Kannada film producers Film producers from Uttar Pradesh Female models from Uttar Pradesh Female models from Karnataka Women members of the Karnataka Legislative Assembly