Acting

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.