From Saanya Iyer being called Karnataka's Urfi Javed to Chandan Shetty-Niveditha criticised for underwater kiss; Top news of the week

This week, Kannada TV witnessed quite a few celebs making their acting comebacks. On the other hand, the week also witnessed the celebs being criticised for their eye-grabbing social media posts as well. Here's a quick look at the top TV news of the week.

The actor, who is back in action with the extended version of the show Muddumanigalu (earlier aired as Muddulakshmi in season one), has been roped in to essay the character, Manas, in O Muddumanase. Speaking about his comeback, Dhruvanth shared, "Well, I had taken a break from acting. It's been a year now. I was working with the immigration department in the UAE. So, when I was offered a chance to return to acting, I quit my lucrative job in the UAE and decided to make my comeback on O Muddumanase. It's all the love and affection of the viewers and fans that served as a motivation for me. I feel this is where I belong to. When I got to know that viewers were rooting for my character in Muddumanigalu, I was filled with overwhelming emotions. I just could not hold myself there."

Despite being seen in one of the ongoing daily soaps, actress Rajini avers that people still recognise her as Amrutha from Amruthavarshini, which went off-air nearly a decade ago. Speaking about it, the actress shared, "Shedding Amrutha's character has not been an easy journey for me. People still recognize me as Amrutha from Amruthavarshini. I don't want to forget Amrutha as well. I really lived up to every bit of playing Amrutha back then. Nevertheless, now, in the past few days, quite some are recognising me as Antara of Hitler Kalyana."

Manedevru fame Archana Sharma took to her Instagram handle to announce her pregnancy. The actress, who is away from the limelight for a long time now, will soon be a proud mamma. Archana is expecting her first baby with hubby Vignesh Sharma. The actress shared the news on her social media by sharing a picture where she is seen flaunting her baby bump. "We” has a new meaning! @vignesh.sharma.7 and Baby Sharma." (sic)

Kannada devotional daily soap ' Yediyuru Sri Siddhalingeshwara' is likely to witness a major twist in the storyline. The daily soap will be seeing a leap of nearly ten years in terms of story. The upcoming episodes of the devotional show are gearing up to feature the middle-aged stories of the saint. Actor Vallab Suri, who is seen playing the titular role in the show, will be seen in a brand new avatar. He will be seen sporting a long beard look in the show post the leap.

Puttakkana Makkalu's Murali aka Pavan Kumar seems to be sharing a hearty bond with his reel mom-in-law. The actor shared an adorable picture on his Instagram that features himself sharing a special candid moment with veteran actress Umashree on the sets of the show. Addressing the ace actress as 'Atthe' (Mother-in-law) on his Instagram post, Pavan wrote, "My dear Atte... It's amazing to see how @umashree_offical acts effortlessly. Sharing screen space with her has always been a learning experience. Super fun to work with this amazingly versatile legend."

Celebrity couple Niveditha Gowda and Chandan Shetty has yet again made headlines for showcasing their 'too-much-in-love video' on their official Instagram handle. Chanvi, as they are fondly known on social media, shared a video of them stealing a kiss underwater. In the video, Chandan and Niveditha are seen giving a peck to each other on their lips. What grabs the attention is that the couple has sealed a kiss underwater. While they look all mushy-mushy in the video, the celebrity couple did receive flak on Instagram from the netizens. Netizens asked them to maintain a low profile regarding their personal moments.

Actor Kiran Raj, who is best known for his works in the small screens and the silver screens, is also a philanthropist. The actor has always put his foot in front when it comes to doing his bit for the needy. However, this time, the actor has extended his horizons and is set to help construct a destitute orphanage. Kiran Raj has reportedly donated 100 sacks of cement to the construction of an orphanage recently. According to reports, the actor personally visited the construction site and handed over the cement sacks. A video regarding the same has been surfacing online on social media platforms.

Saanya shared a new series of pictures on her official Instagram handle that are all about her bold looks from a recent photoshoot. In the new pictures, Saanya has seemingly opted for a topless look. She is seen wearing an open blazer as an overlay. She completed the look by teaming the blazer with a mini skirt. The actress looks beautiful in her rustic makeover. While the young actress looked stunning as always in the pictures, she did receive backlash from netizens for going bold in her latest photoshoot. In fact, some even called her as Karnataka's Urfi Javed.

Months after playing the character Thapsee in the daily soap Kannadati, Deepashree is back on-screen with a new project. The actress has joined the cast of Puttakkana Makkalu as the new Vasu in the show. Deepashree has replaced actress Sowmya, who was essaying the character Vasu earlier.

Kannada celebrity couple Chandan Kumar and Kavitha Gowda are head over heels in love with each other and never miss a chance to spend time together and the latest post shared by the actress is proof of it. Chandan recently took to his Instagram handle to share a special picture that features his new gym partner. Well, if you are wondering who the new gym partner is, it's none other than the former's beloved wife, actress Kavitha Gowda.

Chandan shared a picture straight from his workout session at the gym. The actor is seen posing with his wifey, Kavitha, and captioned it as, "Gym partner is back" (sic)