Harshika Poonacha is an Indian actress who mainly works inKannada films. She rose to fame with the 2008 Kannada filmPUC.

Harshika Poonacha started her career at the age of 15 by acting inPUC (2008 Kannada film) while she was doing her 12th Standard atChrist Junior College,Bangalore.^[1] After completing 12th standard, Harshika spent the next two months working as a television anchor by hosting^[2] shows likeNimmindha Nimagaagi,Hrudayadinda^[3] andSarigamapa before beginning a professional course.^{[citation needed]} Harshika then joined Cambridge Institute of Technology,Bangalore^[4] and completed her Bachelor of Engineering in Electrical.^[5][6] In 2012, she joinedMaxpro Software Company and agreed to work for five days a month while working 21 days in films.^{[citation needed]} She saidGetting into films was an accident. I never dreamt of becoming an actress.^[7]

AfterPUC (2008 Kannada film), she acted in aKodava language filmPonnamma,^[8]aKonkani filmKazar^[9] and aTelugu filmEdukondalavada Venkataramana Andaru Bagundali.^[10] In 2010, Harshika acted in an important role inJackie withPuneeth Rajkumar, which catapulted her to an instant celebrity status. She later appeared inThamassu withShiva Rajkumar^[11] for which she won theKarnataka State Film Award for Best Supporting Actress,^[12] and played Ramya inNariya Seere Kadha,^[13] in whichRavichandran played the lead role. She also acted in a film namedCycle opposite Shivarjun.^[14] She played the daughter of a crorepati who gets kidnapped for ransom in the comedy film5 Idiots.^[2] In 2013, she first had two releases in a row,Cycle andAle and her third releaseManagana Kaili Maanikya oppositeRamesh Aravind, which was her first comedy film,^[15] in July.^[16] Her two films,B3 a love story directed by Gana Shyam with Srikanth andAdwaitha an action-based film directed by MB Giriraj which hasAjay Rao in the lead, released both on 6 December.^[17]

She has signed her first Tamil filmAnandha Thollai.^[18][4] She also has a Telugu film titledPanipuri coming up.^[19]

She also appeared in a video albumHoo Manase.^{[citation needed]} She and her cousin Bhuvaan Ponannaa own a company called Glamgod Fashion and Events and conduct fashion shows and fashion weeks.^[19] She made herBhojpuri debut from the filmHum Hai Raahi Pyar Ke withPawan Singh in 2021.

Harshika was born inAmmathi,Kodagu district ofKarnataka^[3] and is the only daughter to Uddappanda Poonacha and Shambhavi.^[5][20] She married actorBhuvann Ponnannaa in 2023.^[20] In April 2024, the couple were victims of mob violence in Bengaluru. The incident was reported to the Commissioner of Police.^[21]

• Harshika Poonacha atIMDb
• Harshika Poonacha onInstagram

• Living people
• 21st-century Indian actresses
• Actresses from Karnataka
• Actresses in Kannada cinema
• Actresses in Konkani cinema
• Actresses in Malayalam cinema
• Actresses in Tamil cinema
• Actresses in Telugu cinema
• Bigg Boss Kannada contestants
• Christ University alumni
• Indian film actresses
• Kodava people
• People from Kodagu district

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• Articles with unsourced statements from November 2024
• Year of birth missing (living people)