Anupamaa producer Rajan Shahi slams actors criticising Rupali Ganguly, calls her a ‘soft target’: ‘When people badmouth her, they get covered in the media’

Also Read: Rupali Ganguly stopped looking in the mirror due to weight gain after son’s birth: ’24 se aapki waist jab 40 ki ho jaati hai…’

‘Before Anupamaa, Rupali was personally going through a lot’

Rajan Shahi went on to share how he cast Rupali Ganguly in Anupamaa. The TV producer said, “Rupali and I fought during Dil Hai ki Maanta Nahi. It wasn’t a typical fight, but we had our differences. During Bidaai’s success party, I had invited Rupali. We were not in touch. She had gotten married by then, Rudransh was born, so we had lost contact. When discussions for Anupamaa began, Rupali’s name came up, but I wasn’t sure if she would do it. I had heard that she had taken a sabbatical. When she got to know about this, she was in Goa. Later she came to meet me and said, ‘You have to cast me.’ And I said, ‘Rupali, this is perfect for you. ‘ The beauty of it was that we sat and had a long conversation about how we both had evolved since 1999. She had a certain balance to herself, having the journey she had, but her energy was high even then.”

He added, “That time Rupali was personally going through a lot. She had put on weight and she was a full-time devoted mother. But hats off to her, to date, she has childlike energy on set. I even applaud Ashwin and Rudransh; if the husband and child didn’t support her, it would be tough. Rupali sacrificed a lot of her time for Anupamaa. She would wake up at 4 am, handle the house, reach the shoot, handle everything, then rush back. She had told me that Rajan, I have changed a lot, and I will not trouble you on this. Initially, the channel was divided on having her; they had spoken to another actor, but I took a stand.”

Rajan Shahi further shared how Rupali Ganguly embodied the essence of Anupamaa by portraying a simple, relatable mother rather than a glamorous character and praised her for elevating the show with her dedication, calling her comeback one of the most remarkable in Indian television. He said, “Rupali was very conscious in the first episode. During the dance sequence, she kept adjusting her saree. She was trying to be very proper, with touch-up, hair and everything. Once, I shouted at her and told her I wanted a mother who had been busy looking after her kids for 25 years. She is tired; she hasn’t had time to take care of herself. I told her I didn’t want a glamorous woman; many were doing that in the industry, I wanted someone who smelled of oil and spices, was sweaty, and whose hair was messy. That was the story, slowly she understood.”

Further praising Rupali, Rajan said, “Rupali has taken Anupamaa to another level. Rupali had that hunger to give her best. She was sitting at home for 10 years, and look at the comeback she got. Very few TV actors see this kind of success in their lifetime. Smriti Irani, Sakshi Tanwar, and Mona Singh have been among those who have sustained this kind of success.”

‘Rupali is a very soft target’

Rupali Ganguly has received a lot of flak from her Anupamaa co-stars. Sharing how he felt when actors from the show badmouthed their co-star, Rajan Shahi said, “When people badmouth Rupali Ganguly, they will get covered in the media. I know an actor who used to invite journalists home to badmouth about Anupamaa. I had thrown him out of the set at 2:30 pm. There was an incident, and nobody knows about this, so I don’t want to talk much about this. After which, he ran a smear campaign against the show. Why didn’t you speak when you were a part of the show? Rupali is a very soft target; you will get attention if you talk about her.”

“Nobody is perfect, even Rupali might be at fault in places. When you work together, issues are bound to happen. I always keep telling her not to get affected and focus on her work. People derive pleasure from talking ill of her. 5-6 actors who have spoken against Rupali, what will they do once their articles die down in a few days? Some actors behave so immaturely, Rupali, I, and the team laugh at them sometimes when they make faces, when they have no professional achievements to talk about,” Rajan added.