Shubha Poonja

Shubha Poonja is of Mangalorean descent from the Tuluva community.[1] She was raised in Bangalore and studied in Carmel Convent School, Jayanagar, Bangalore, before she started modelling, appearing in various television ads.[2][3]

Meanwhile, she won the "Miss Chennai-Top Model 2003" title.[4] Subsequently, she entered the Tamil film industry, 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.[5]

After starring in the Tamil films Thirudiya Idhayathai and Shanmuga in the following months, she entered the Kannada film industry with the 2006 film Jackpot. She immediately rose to fame with back to back hits having appeared in several Kannada films, including Chanda, Moggina Manasu 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 impeeded her career. Up until 2016, her films underperfomed and with Jai Maruthi 800 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). 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 Poonja at IMDb