Shubha Poonja is an Indian actress and former

model A model is an informative representation of an object, person, or system. The term originally denoted the plans of a building in late 16th-century English, and derived via French and Italian ultimately from Latin , . Models can be divided in ...

, who has mostly appeared in

Kannada film 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. Kannada cinema is based in Gandhi Nagar ...

s. She is best known for essaying the leading role alongside

Radhika Pandit Radhika Pandit (born 7 March 1984) is an Indian actress who predominantly works in Kannada films. Among the most popular and highest paid Kannada actresses, she is a recipient of several accolades including three Filmfare Awards South, one Kar ...

in the movie ''

Moggina Manasu ''Moggina Manasu'' () is a 2008 Indian Kannada-language romantic drama film directed by Shashank and produced by E. Krishnappa under the banner E. K. Entertainers. It stars Radhika Pandit and Shuba Punja in lead roles. The supporting cast feat ...

'' for which she received

Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress – Kannada The Filmfare Best Supporting Actress Award is and award presented annually by the ''Filmfare'' magazine as part of its annual Filmfare Awards South for Kannada films. It is given in honor of an actress who has delivered an outstanding performanc ...

. Shubha started her career in 2003-04 and has completed 2 decades (20 years) in the film industry working in nearly 50 movies. She established herself as one of the leading actresses in Kannada Cinema from 2008 to 2012. She still remains one of the most known faces with her regular appearances on T.V. shows and now with her YouTube channel.

Career

Shubha Poonja is of

Mangalorean Mangaloreans ( Tulu: ''Kudladaklu''; Kannada: ''Mangaloorinavaruu''; Konkani: ''Kodialkar''; Beary: ''Maikaltanga''; Urdu: ''Kaudalvale'') are a collection of diverse ethnic groups that hail from the historical locales of South Canara ( Tuluna ...

descent from the

Tuluva The Tulu people or Tuluvas are an ethno-linguistic and ethno-cultural group from Southern India. They are native speakers of the Tulu language and the region they traditionally inhabit is known as Tulu Nadu. This region comprises the districts ...

community. She was raised in

Bangalore Bengaluru, also known as Bangalore (List of renamed places in India#Karnataka, its official name until 1 November 2014), is the Capital city, capital and largest city of the southern States and union territories of India, Indian state of Kar ...

and studied in Carmel Convent School, Jayanagar,

, before she started modelling, appearing in various television ads. Meanwhile, she won the "Miss Chennai-Top Model 2003" title. Subsequently, she entered the

Tamil film industry Tamil cinema is the segment of cinema of India, Indian cinema dedicated to the production of Film, motion pictures in the Tamil language, the main spoken language in the state of Tamil Nadu. It is nicknamed Kollywood, a portmanteau of the nam ...

, after K. S. Vasanthakumar, director of the Tamil film '' Machi'' approached her to enact the lead female role in the film, having seen her photos. After starring in the Tamil films ''Thirudiya Idhayathai'' in the following months, she entered the

Kannada film industry Kannada cinema, also known as Sandalwood, or Chandanavana, is the segment of Cinema of India, Indian cinema dedicated to the production of motion pictures in the Kannada language widely spoken in the state of Karnataka. Kannada cinema is based ...

with the 2006 film ''Jackpot''. She immediately rose to fame with back to back hits having appeared in several Kannada films, including ''Chanda'', ''

'' which won her a filmfare award and ''Slum Bala, Thaakath'' and more. After becoming a household name, Shubha stuck with similar kind of stereotypical roles and choices that impeded her career. Up until 2016, her films underperformed and with

Jai Maruthi 800 ''Jai Maruthi 800'' is a 2016 Indian Kannada action comedy film written and directed by A. Harsha and produced by Jayanna. It stars Sharan, Shruthi Hariharan and Shubha Poonja in the lead roles. The music is composed by Arjun Janya and cinema ...

becoming a commercial success, she made a positive comeback. She also was one of the mentors and led a team for Super Kabbadi - a sports reality show for women in the Kannada Film Industry. Following this, she participated in the Kannada reality show,

Bigg Boss Kannada (season 8) The eighth season of the Indian Kannada-language version of the '' Big Brother'' reality television franchise, known as ''Bigg Boss,'' premiered on 28 February 2021. It is produced by Endemol Shine India under the control of Banijay and broadca ...

. She was one of the most anticipated celebrities since season 1 to be in the house. Shubha stayed in the house almost till the finale, her glamorous perception took a turn with her becoming fan favourite among kids and women. After Shubha's stint with Bigg Boss, she married her boyfriend Sumanth and went on a promotional drive for her recently released movies like Naragunda Bandaya, Rhymes and Ambuja. While none of them performed to expectations, her latest film 3Devi is all set to release. This is also Shubha's first movie as a producer and has already made waves across several International Film Festivals worldwide winning many awards. Shubha also stepped in as a guest host for Bigg Boss Kannada season 10 alongside Shine Shetty to conduct the weekend elimination replacing Sudeep while he was sick. She started her 2025 with a special appearance in Bigg Boss Kannada season 11 to promote and lead the team of Girls in Colors Kannada's new T.V. show - Boys Vs Girls.

Filmography

Kannada films

Tamil films

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Poonja, Shubha Actresses from Mangalore Indian film actresses Living people Actresses in Kannada cinema Mangaloreans Tulu actresses Actresses in Tamil cinema Filmfare Awards South winners 21st-century Indian actresses Female models from Karnataka Year of birth missing (living people)