Rupali Ganguly, who had a breakthrough in her career as a teenager with her vamp role in the Hindi television series Sanjeevani (2002-2005), is widely known today for her role as the lead character in the series Anupamaa (2020-present). Ganguly plays the role of a middle-aged woman, Anupamaa, who decides to live life on her own terms after she gets no credit from her family for the sacrifices she made to help them.
In a recent interview with Pinkvilla, the actress opened up about her six years long break from acting, the influence her father has had on her life and decisions, and more!
The break before Anupamaa
Ganguly shared that her life was more “hectic” and “stressful” before Anupamaa as she did tasks that “women are conditioned to do” even though nobody in her family asked her to do them. “Like waking up before everyone else – no one told me to, my husband really pampers me”, the actress said.
She added that taking care of everyone’s meals and her house took up all her time and was tiring. Now, as an actress, she gets ready and leaves while her husband is the homemaker. “I am so blessed”, the actress said, as her husband now takes care of her house.
Role offers before Anupamaa
Ganguly shared that during her six years long break from acting, she got many offers to be on television. She shared that these roles were always playing the mother for heroes who were in their 20’s. The actress decided to decline these offers as she did not want to miss out on the joys of being a new parent.
Rupali Ganguly’s father and his influence on her life
Ganguly shared that her father, Anil Ganguly, was “the biggest influence” in her life. Anil Ganguly is well-known for directing award-winning, nationally-recognized films such as Kora Kagaz (1974) and Tapasya (1976). His career started with making literary adaptations which had strong female roles and themes of marital discord.
The actress shared that her father never treated her and her brother differently. “I was more pampered than my brother”, she said. This helped her to never see men and women as unequal. She sees women as the stronger sex and compared them to Wonderwoman. Indian homemakers “wear capes, but the cotton sari wali capes”, the actress said.
Although her father had connections in the industry, he never offered help to his children. He wanted them to make it on their own, much like he did. He had wanted his daughter to become a singer, and only saw her capacity to be an actress after he saw her in Sarabhai vs Sarabhai as Monisha.
Rupali shared that she sees Anupamaa as the kind of role that her father would have written, given the character’s strong demeanor and the theme of marital discord. “My Anupamaa has given me the stature that I always dreamt and hoped for”, the actress said.
On playing Sarabhai vs Sarabhai’s Monisha
The actress shared that today’s younger generations know her because of her role as Monisha in Sarabhai vs Sarabhai, and she appreciates how the role has helped her stay relevant to this day.
“I am Monisha in real life, but I strive to be Anupamaa”, the actress said. She shared that she is unorganized much like Monisha and her husband, just like Sahil Sarabhai, complains about her messiness.
