Anusha Rai is an Indian actress and model born on 4 May 1998 in Tumkur, Karnataka, raised in Bengaluru. Her parents are Hanumanth Raj and Bhagya; she has a brother Gopi Roy and a sister Suchitra Venugopal. She completed a Bachelor of Engineering in Electronics and Communication from Acharya Institute of Technology, Bengaluru - making her an engineer-turned-actress. She received music training at the Hansalekha Music School in Bengaluru. She began her career as a fashion model before entering television with the Kasthuri TV serial Annayya (2016). Her film debut came with Mahanubhavaru (2017, directed by Sandeep Nagalikar). TV credits include Rajakumari (Kasthuri TV, 2018, as Poorvi) and Radha Kalyana (Zee Kannada, 2019, as Nakshatra). Film credits include Karshanam (2018), Gosi Gang (2018), Damayanthi (2019), Khadak (2022, as Priya), Dhairyam Sarvatra Sadhanam, Pentagon (2023), and Abbabba (2024, as Sharmila). She won the Most Promising Actor award at the Chitra Santhe Film Awards (2024) and the Rising Star Award at Chittara Star Awards (2024). On 29 September 2024, she entered Bigg Boss Kannada Season 11 on Day 1 and was evicted in Week 6 (Day 48), finishing 15th. Host Kiccha Sudeep wiped away her tears on the day of her eviction in a widely noted gesture.

Kannada film debut Mahanubhavaru (2017, directed by Sandeep Nagalikar); Karshanam (2018); Khadak (2022) as Priya; Abbabba (2024) as Sharmila; Kannada TV serials Rajakumari (Kasthuri TV, 2018) and Radha Kalyana (Zee Kannada, 2019); trained at Hansalekha Music School; Most Promising Actor at Chitra Santhe Film Awards (2024); Rising Star Award at Chittara Star Awards (2024); Bigg Boss Kannada Season 11 contestant (2024, 15th place).

Frequently Asked