Bigg Boss Kannada 8: Complete Profiles with Photos of the 17 Contestants

The eighth season of Bigg Boss Kannada is launched on Sunday, 28 February. A total of 17 contestants have entered the Kiccha Sudeep-hosted show which took off with a grand opening. It was a close to five-hour show packed with performances. 

The contestants are predominantly from the television industry. However, contestants have been handpicked from Bengaluru, Malnad, South Kanara and Uttara Karnataka which makes it an interesting show. Check out their profiles:

Dhanushree: Tik Tok changed the lives of many people and Dhanushree is one among them. She earned a huge following on her Instagram through her video clips during the Covid-19 lockdown which has helped her get the Bigg Boss Kannada ticket. This show could possibly help her to define her future.

Shubha Poonja: She is a well-known Kannada actress who has worked in films like Chanda, Slum Bala, and Moggina Manasu to name a few. She had won the Filmfare's Best Actress Award for her performance in Moggina Manasu. She got engaged last year and her entry to the show took the audience by surprise as she is prepping up for her marriage.

Shankar Ashwath: He is the son of late legendary Kannada actor Ashwath. He has worked in many movies, but due to lack of offers, he is now working as a driver in an app-based cab company. He has no regrets to be a driver despite being a celebrity as he thinks that any job is a big job. He is the most senior contestant in the house this season.

Vaishnavi Gowda: Vaishnavi Gowda is an actress who shot to fame with the Kannada serial Agni Sakshi which ran for over 1500 episodes. Initially, she was hesitant to take up the Bigg Boss offer, but she agreed after rounds of discussions with the channel. She has worked in films like
Dress Code and Girgitle.

Vishwanath Haveri: As the name indicates he is from the Haveri district. A singer who had earlier participated in Haadu Karnataka aired on Colors Kannada.

Aravind KP: Aravind KP is a biker who has participated in national and international competitions. The Udupi-based person has suffered lots of life-threatening injuries in his career, yet he has not given up on his passion. Since sports is still not considered a serious profession, he wants to educate the people about racing using the Bigg Boss platform.

Nidhi Subbaiah: Who doesn't know Niddhi Subbaiah! She came to light with the Yogaraj Bhat-directorial film Pancharangi. Puneeth Rajkumar's Anna Bond and Ajai Rao's Krishnan Marriage Story are her notable movies. She had also done a small role in Akshay Kumar's Oh My God. However, the girl from the Kodagu is not seen much in films these days.

Bro Gowda aka Shamanth Gowda: Bro Gowda is a social media enthusiast who has worked as an actor, director and singer. He has independently worked on web series.

Geetha Bharathi Bhat: Actress Geetha Bharathi Bhat earned popularity with Brahmagantu. She has also worked in many films that include Kiccha Sudeep's Ambi Ning Vayassaytho and Love Mocktail. She hails from Karkala, but brought up in Bengaluru.

Manju Pavagada aka Lag Manju: He is an artist who has become a popular name with Colors Kannada's Majaa Bharatha.

Divya Suresh
Divya Suresh is a TV actress and a kabbadi player. She has been part of Saptapadi serial.

Chandrakala Mohan: She is popularly known as 'Ajjamma' among the Kannada TV audience. She became a household name with her TV serial Puttagowri Maduve. She hails from Mandya and started her career in theatre in the mid-90s. After much struggle, she tasted success on small screen. Apart from TV serials, she worked in movies that include Naa Raani Nee Maharaani, Bhakta Shankara, Chandrika, Melkote Manja and Tulu film Pilibail Yamunakka.

Raghu Gowda aka Vine Store: He is a popular YouTuber who has close to 1.7 lakh subscribers on YouTube. His father died by suicide when he was 10. At the age of 25, his mother too died by suicide in the same home. Having seen struggles and depressions at a very young age, he decided to bring smile on people's face through humour. So, he quit his IT job and became YouTuber.

Prashanth Sambargi: He has become a familiar face who watch Kannada news channels. He is a realtor-turned-activist who had made lots of allegations against celebrities when the drug scandal broke out in Sandalwood, last year. He had engaged in war-of-words with actress Sanjjanna Galrani.

He was earlier in the news when he had slammed Sruthi Hariharan after she made sexual harassment allegations.

Divya Urduga: The Bengaluru-born actress Divya Urduga started her journey in films with Huliraya. She has worked in the films like Dhwaja and Face 2 Face.

Rajeev: Anybody who has watched Celebrity Cricket League is familiar with Rajeev's face. He was a start cricketer in the team captained by Kiccha Sudeep. This apart, he is an actor who has been part of movies like Amavase, RX Soori, Bangalore 560023 and Zindagi.

Nirmala Chennappa: She is a multifaceted talent. She has been recognised in the film industry as a dubbing artist. She had won a State Award for her film Thallanna.