Rupali Ganguly says she faced casting couch when she was trying to make it in films: ‘Decided to not make that choice’

Rupali Ganguly shared that casting couch was a common practice in the film industry at that time and she also faced it.

New Delhi | October 18, 2023 05:20 PM IST

2 min read

Rupali Ganguly in a still from Anupamaa.

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Rupali Ganguly has been working in the television industry since the early 2000s but it wasn’t until Star Plus’ Anupamaa that she became a household name. Rupali, who is the daughter of yesteryear filmmaker Anil Ganguly, comes from a film family but had to face the casting couch during her early years. In a recent conversation, Rupali was asked about the discrimination between film and television actors and if she ever faced it. The actor recalled that it was her choice to step away from films after she faced casting couch.

Rupali shared with Pinkvilla that back in her struggling days, casting couch was a common practice, and she did face such unsavoury incidents, which deterred her from the film industry. The actor said, “Predominantly, the casting couch existed in the industry at that point of time. It did. Maybe some people did not come across it but people like me, we did come across it and we decided not to make that choice.”

Rupali Ganguly shared that when she started working in television, she was seen as a “failure” by family and friends because she came from a film family and was working in television, which was seen as a lesser medium at that time. She said, “At that time, I did feel small but today I feel very proud. My Anupamaa has given me that stature and position that I always dreamt of and hoped for.”

Rupali first gained fame back in the early 2000s when she appeared in a negative role in the Star Plus medical drama Sanjivani. Her work as Monisha Sarabhai in Sarabhai vs Sarabhai also found a place in pop culture. Anupamaa, which premiered in 2020, recently completed 1000 episodes and is one of the most successful shows on television at the moment.

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