The opening night of Bigg Boss Kannada season eight premiered on Sunday, February 28, with a grand event comprising of various dance and music performances. Actor Kichcha Sudeep, the host of the show, introduced the contestants of the current season. Before they were introduced by Sudeep, the director of the show, Parameshwar Gundkal revealed that around 17 contestants have been shortlisted for this season.
Similar to the Hindi show, Bigg Boss Kannada season eight will be streaming on Voot Select for 24 hours from Monday to Friday. Viewers can download Voot Select app or log on to Voot.com to watch the show. It will also be aired on Colours TV Kannada throughout the week.
Here’s all you need to know about Bigg Boss Kannada season eight contestants:
Niddhi Subbaiah
Kannada actor Niddhi Subbaiah is popular for her roles in Kannada movies such as Pancharangi and romantic-drama Krishnan Marriage story. She has appeared in several advertisements and films. Niddhi has been nominated for South Filmfare Awards and has also bagged the SIIMA Special Appreciation Award- Kannada for her role as Divya in Kannada action movie Anna Bond. She made her Bollywood debut with romantic- comedy Ajab Gazabb Love.
Dhanushree
Dhanushree was a popular TikToker who currently shares content related to hair and skincare on Instagram. Several of her reels related to film dialogues and music clips, have gone viral. She has around 242k followers on Instagram. According to her Instagram bio, she is a native of Bangalore.
Shubha Poonja
Fans have been eager for actor Shubha Poonja to enter Bigg Boss Kannada for a long time. According to reports, the showrunners have been approaching the actor over the past seven seasons and she finally agreed to participate in the eighth season. Shubha mentioned at the launch event that her fiancé persuaded her to take up the offer. She predominantly works in Tamil and Kannada movies. She is popularly known for her role in Kannada movie Moggina Manasu.
Shankar Ashwath
Actor Shankar Ashwath, the son of renowned Kannada actor KS Ashwath, is the senior-most contestant of the show. He is popular for his work in Kannada movies such as Mundina Nildana,
Vishwanath Haveri
Vishwanath Haveri, the youngest contestant of the show, is a native of Dharwad. Prior to Bigg Boss Kannada eight, he entered the reality show Hadu Karnataka as a singer. The 19-year-old contestant aspires to be a playback singer.
Vaishnavi Gowda
Vaishnavi Gowda is an actor by profession. She has predominantly worked in Sandalwood. She has appeared in popular Kannada movies like Girgitle and Dress Code among others. She rose to fame with her role in popular television serial Agnisakshi. During the premiere of the show, she vowed that she would not lose her smile in the next 100 days during her time in the Bigg Boss house.
KP Aravind
Off-road motorcycle racer KP Aravind made an impressive entry on the show with his bike. He has taken part in international racing competitions. He has also worked as the stunt double for many celebrities in popular movies. Examples include his cameo in Dulquer Salmaan’s Bangalore Days. According to reports, he finished at overall 39th position in Dakar Rally in Peru in the year 2019 and became the second Indian to complete the rally.
Shamanth
Shamanth Gowda or popularly known as Bro Gowda, is a social media enthusiast who is known for his funny videos on Instagram. His videos went viral on social media platforms within a short period of time. Celebrities from Kannada film industry have starred in his videos. He has expressed that he is interested in music. He shot to fame with a web series called Virgin Boys. He has been vocal about his love for his mother tongue and motherland.
Geetha Bharathi Bhat
Geetha Bharathi Bhat is popular for her role in Kannada movie Love Mocktail. She has appeared in Kannada TV shows such as Brahmagantu and Namma
Manju Pavagada
Manju Pavagada got his break on the talent show Majaa Bharatha. He was popularly known as Lag Manju. He has appeared in the Kannada movie Love U 2. He shifted to Bengaluru wanting to become an actor. According to reports, before entering the world of entertainment, he was working in a petrol bunk.
Divya Suresh
Divya Suresh is an upcoming model and aspiring actor. According to reports, she was offered to play the role of Kichcha Sudeep’s sister in Kannada movie Hebbuli but she turned down the offer. She has been waiting for the right role to come along. She expressed that she was taken by surprise when she got the offer from Bigg Boss Kannada.
Chandrakala Mohan
Chandrakala Mohan is a theatre actor who has appeared in many popular movies such as Kannada movie Naa Rani Nee Maharani, 2012 movie Bhaktha Shankara, Aantha
Raghu Gowda
Raghu Gowda, who is also known as Raghu Vine Store became popular through the comic videos he made during lockdown and uploaded on social media. He rose to fame during the lockdown since many users found his content to be relatable. Raghu expressed that he has always had a passion for filmmaking and has been interested in entering the Kannada film industry.
Prashanth Sambargi
Prashanth Sambargi is an entrepreneur who is interested in becoming a politician. He made headlines a few months back when he was summoned by the Central Crime Branch for investigation related to the Sandalwood drugs scandal. While entering the Bigg Boss house, he claimed that he was ready for the mind games.
Divya Uruduga
Divya Uruduga is an actor who has appeared in Kannada movies like Chitte Hejje. She has also appeared in a number of Kannada serials such as Ambari, Khushi and Om Shakti Om Shakti amongst others. She rose to fame with her social media presence. She hails from the village of Uruduga, located in Thirthahalli from Shimoga district. She played the lead role in romantic thriller Face 2 Face, which was directed by Sandeep Janardhan.
Rajeev
Rajeev is an actor by profession. He rose to fame with his performance in the Celebrity Cricket League (CCL). He is an active part of Team Karnataka Bulldozers in CCL, the team which is led by the host Kichcha Sudeep. Rajeev also secured the ‘Man of the match’ title for his performance in CCL last year.
Nirmala Chanappa
Actor Nirmala Chanappa bagged a Karnataka State Film Award for the movie Thallana directed by Sudarshan Narayana. She also owns and runs a production house along with her husband.