Thread that binds Ragini, Sanjana

Bengaluru: As fate would have it, both sizzling actresses Sanjana Galrani and Ragini Dwivedi who are big names in the Malayalam and Kannada film industries started off as models in Bengaluru fashion circles around the same time and have ended up being accused in an alleged drug supply case unearthed by the Bengaluru police last week.

Besides this, they have also come under the political glare, thanks to hobnobbing with politicos during poll campaigns and in happier times. Dwivedi campaigning for K. R. Pete BJP candidate Narayan Gowda became a target for the Congress party in the state to criticise the ruling BJP. Now the cine actresses have become pawns in the hands of political parties to settle scores against each other.

The BJP too has released pics of Sanjana sharing a hearty laugh with Leader of the Opposition, Siddaramaiah, on its Twitter handle to drive home the point that the tainted actress too has links in the Congress.

Coming out openly about Dwivedi campaigning for him, Municipal Administration Minister Narayan Gowda told reporters that Dwivedi campaigned for every political party and not just for him. "She did campaign for me, but I know nothing about other relations. She is a noted star, I called her to campaign for me, like she did it for others. Apart from this, I do not know anything about her nor have I met her thereafter."

Speaking about this on the condition of anonymity to IANS, a senior leader from the BJP quipped that be it Dwivedi or Sanjana they have closer links with Congress and JD(S) party leaders than the BJP. "Narayan Gowda, for whom Dwivedi campaigned, is not an original BJP leader. He joined after resigning from JD(S). Therefore, it is clear that Congress and JD(S) both share close relations with film actors, more than the BJP does," the source remarked.

Even during her modelling days, Ragini Dwivedi seemed to enjoy an edge over Sanjana in Bengaluru fashion circles. Dwivedi was groomed by none other than Karnataka's very own Fashion Guru, Prasada Biddappa, while Sanjana was a part-time model who went on to bag high-profile assignments like Fastrac model with Bengaluru's fashion icon John Abraham.

Both these actresses have come under severe criticism for their alleged link-up in a drug mafia case unearthed by the Bengaluru police last week.

As per Wikipedia, Sanjana is a Limca record book holder for cycling 104 hours continuously along with other cyclists, while Dwivedi has not lost a single opportunity to align with causes like spreading awareness about animals, participating in distribution of masks during COVID-19, building nests for birds campaign, she has always remained the hot choice for organisers.

During the pandemic, Dwivedi did everything from providing food to the poor, helping migrant workers, distributing masks and helping her film fraternity.

Dwivedi made her debut in the Kannada film Veera Madakari, starring opposite Kannada superstar, Kiccha Sudeep, while Sanjana debuted in Tamil cinema.

Although Sanjana has acted in a number of Kannada movies, she could not achieve the desired results here but she has tasted a fair amount of success in Malayalam movies, as she has starred opposite Malayalam superstars like Mohanlal,, Mammooty and Suresh Gopi. She is a sought after actress in the Malayalam rather than the Kannada industry.

In the case of Dwivedi, Sandalwood embraced her with open arms as her debut film Veera Madakari was a hit. Subsequently she again paired with Kichha Sudeep in Kempe Gowda which gave her a firm footing in the Kannada industry. She also paired opposite several Kannada biggies like Upendra and others. In the span of 10 years, she has acted in 25 Kannada movies and she is considered to be a glamour star.

Prior to Veera Madakari, she was a super model on the Bengaluru fashion circuit as she was doing a number of shows with Rohit Bal, Tarun Tahiliani and Manish Malhotra.

Dwivedi also acted in Malayalam movie Kandahar in which she was paired with Mohanlal and Amitabh Bachchan.