Rupali Ganguly

Rupali Ganguly (; born 5 April 1977) is an Indian actress who primarily works in Hindi television. Known for pioneering a change in the portrayal of women in Hindi television. One of the highest-paid television actresses in India, Ganguly is best known for portraying Monisha Singh Sarabhai in the sitcom Sarabhai vs Sarabhai (2004–2006) and Anupamaa Joshi in the drama Anupamaa (2020–present). She is a recipient of several accolades including two ITA Awards and four Indian Telly Awards.

Born to Anil Ganguly, Ganguly made her acting debut at the age of seven, in her father's directorial venture Saaheb (1985). She featured opposite Tapas Paul in her father's Bengali film Balidan (1990) which was a massive commercial success. Despite the success of the film, she no longer had any further feat in Bengali cinema. Ganguly, later had her breakthrough with her portrayal of Dr. Simran Chopra in the medical drama series Sanjivani: A Medical Boon (2003–2005). In 2006, she participated in Bigg Boss 1. Ganguly continued to appear in numerous successful television series, portraying Sujata in Ek Packet Umeed (2008) and Pinky Khanna Ahuja in Parvarrish – Kuchh Khattee Kuchh Meethi (2011–2013), following which she took a sabbatical from acting for seven years, and returned with Anupamaa.

Early life and family Ganguly was born on 5 April 1977 in Bombay, Maharashtra into a Bengali Hindu family. Ganguly's father, Anil Ganguly, was a director and screenwriter and her brother Vijay Ganguly is a choreographer. She studied hotel management and theatre.

Career Ganguly made her acting debut at the age of seven with her father's film Saaheb in 1985 in her childhood. She appeared opposite Tapas Paul in Balidan (1990) a Bengali Film, directed by her father.

Ganguly received widespread recognition and critical acclaim for her portrayal of Monisha Sarabhai, a middle-class young woman married in a high society, Cuffe Parade-living socialite family in the cult sitcom Sarabhai vs Sarabhai from 2004 to 2006. Later in November 2006, Ganguly participated in the reality show Bigg Boss 1. She got evicted in its tenth week.

She is also a part of many Hindi theatre plays in her career, Some of her plays are Oye Ki Girl Hain, Selfie, "All the very best", and Patte Khul Gaye. In 2009, she participated in Colors TV's stunt based reality show, Fear Factor: Khatron Ke Khiladi 2. She also gave voice over in an animation film Dashavatar in 2008. In 2000, she established an advertising agency in Mumbai.

Rupali Ganguly went viral for her intense dialogue “ghuma ghumake marungi” in the TV show Anupamaa. Fans compared her delivery to Sunny Deol, dubbing her “Sunny Deol Pro Max”, and widely shared clips on social media, highlighting her impactful screen presence.

Political career Ganguly started her political career in 2024, by joining Bharatiya Janta Party at the party headquarters in Delhi, on 1 May 2024. On joining BJP, she said, "The one personality that attracts everyone towards BJP is PM Narendra Modi. When I see this 'Mahayagya' of development, I feel that I should also take part in this."

In the media A report from Times Of India marked her as the highest earning Indian television actor in 2023. Ganguly is known for portraying powerful roles on-screen. In the Eastern Eyes "Top 50 Asian Stars" list, she was placed 29th in 2022 and 16th in 2024. In 2023, Ganguly featured in an ad for the Vocal for Local campaign, along with her 'Anupamaa co-actor Gaurav Khanna. In 2023, she ranked 5th in Times Now "Popular Television Actresses" list.

Controversies In November 2024, Rupali filed a defamation lawsuit for 50 crore against her stepdaughter Esha Verma on purported allegations. Esha Verma posted a video on her social media account, alleging that her father, Ashwin K Verma, harassed her mother. After the defamation suit, Esha deleted the post from her social media handles.

In 2026, Ganguly sparked widespread backlash for tweeting that she wished the "Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi was a dictator".

Personal life Ganguly married businessman Ashwin K. Verma on 6 February 2013. The couple has a son born 25 August 2013.

Filmography Films All films are in Hindi unless otherwise noted.

Television Year Title RoleNotesRef. 2000 Dil Hai Ki Manta Nahi Priya / Anjali double role 2000–2001 Sukanya Sukanya Bengali-language series 2002 Suraag – The Clue Shweta 2003–2004 Zindagi...Teri Meri Kahani Riya main role 2003–2005 Sanjivani: A Medical Boon Dr. Simran Chopra main role 2004 Bhabhi Roshni Khanna 2004–2006 Sarabhai vs Sarabhai Manisha "Monisha" Singh Sarabhai main role 2005–2007 Kahaani Ghar Ghar Kii Gayatri Agarwal 2005 Kkavyanjali Mona Mittal 2005 CID: Special Bureau Meera 2006 Yes Boss Sharmili 2006–2007 Bigg Boss 1 Contestant 6th place 2007 Sapna Babul Ka... Bidaai Roopa 2008 Ek Packet Umeed Sujata Dharamraj 2010 Kitchen Champion 2 Meethi Choori No 1 Baa Bahoo Aur Baby Rekha Sharma 2011 Adaalat Public Prosecutor Rohini Malik Mujhe Meri Family Se Bachao Sweetie Avasthi 2011–2013 Parvarrish – Kuchh Khattee Kuchh Meethi Pinky Kaur Khanna Ahuja Main role 2013 Bioscope Host 2017 Sarabhai vs Sarabhai: Take 2 Manisha "Monisha" Singh Sarabhai 2020–present Anupamaa Anupamaa "Anu" Joshi Main role 2022 Ravivaar With Star Parivaar 2022 Anupama: Namaste America

Awards and nominations

For Anupamaa, Ganguly has won two ITA Award, among ten nominations.