Sanjjanaa Galrani is an Indian model and actress who made her film debut in the Tamil movieOru Kadhal Seiveer, and soon known for her controversial role in the Kannada filmGanda Hendathi. Her supporting role in the 2008 Telugu filmBujjigadu. In 2017, she played Chandri in the Kannada crime dramaDandupalya 2.
Brought up in Bengaluru, Sanjjanaa is of Sindhi origin. When she was doing her PUC, she received her first modelling offer. She continued her studies while working as a part-time model. She appeared in over 60 television advertisements, the most notable being a Fastrack advertisement with John Abraham. She has a sister, Nikki Galrani, who is also an actress.
Career
Debut (2005)
After appearing in advertisements and as child artist in roles in the films Soggadu and Panduranga Vittala, she got her first starring role in Ganda Hendathi. Her first release, however, was the Tamil documentary feature film, Oru Kadhal Seiveer. S R Ashok Kumar of The Hindu noted that Sanjjanaa, then credited under her birth name, was "very beautiful but has to work on her acting". Ganda Hendathi, a Kannada remake of the Hindi filmMurder, itself an adaptation of the Hollywood film Unfaithful. The film was released in Telugu as Mogudu Pellam O Boy Friend. A reviewer from nowrunning.com criticised her performance in emotional sequences, while Sify wrote, "Sanjjanaa has made a decent debut and she is extremely daring and does justice to her role". In 2008, she made her official Telugu film debut in Puri Jagannadh's Bujjigadu, in which she played the role of Kangana alongside Prabhas and Trisha Krishnan. Although this was a supporting role, it gained her considerable attention and popularity. In 2010, she was seen in the Telugu film Police Police, which was followed by a cameo role in Huduga Hudugi. Her final release of that year was Mylari with Shivrajkumar, in which she played a journalist and was featured in a special song opposite Shivrajkumar. The film's success gained her offers in Kannada cinema. She won the Bangalore Times Award for Best Actor in a Negative Role Female in 2012 for I Am Sorry Mathe Banni Preethsona. In January 2012, she played one of the lead female roles in Casanovva, her maiden Malayalam venture. Reportedly the costliest Malayalam production of all time, and co-starring Mohanlal and Shriya Saran, the film saw Sanjjanaa portray a salsa dancer. Director Rosshan Andrrews signed her for the particular role, since she was trained in salsa. Her last release is her second Malayalam film, the Shaji Kailas directed The King & the Commissioner, co-starring Mammooty and Suresh Gopi. Later in 2012 she appeared in films including Narasimha, Ondu Kshanadalli, Sagar, all of which being Kannada projects, and Yamaho Yama. In 2013 she appeared in Jagan Nirdoshi in Telugu which was made under Padmalaya Films and in Mahanadhi in Kannada, which was her first heroine-centric film. She was then seen in Nenem…Chinna Pillana? She is currently filming for a Telugu film, Saradha, directed by RP Patnaik.
Filmography
Films
Television
Sanjana was a contestant on Bigg Boss Kannada in its debut season.
Swarna Khadgam/Illayathalapathy as Queen Mahadatri. Produced by Arka Media Works and directed by Yata Satya Narayana.
Sanjana is a contestant of the reality tv show Mujhse Shaadi karoge.
Awards
Best Actor in a Negative Role Female for Mathe Banni Preethsona – The Bangalore Times Film Awards 2011