Rupali Ganguly is an Indian television and film actress best known for her portrayal of Monisha Sarabhai in the satirical sitcom Sarabhai vs Sarabhai and the title role of Anupamaa in the long-running Star Plus drama Anupamaa. She has worked predominantly in Hindi television since the early 2000s and has emerged as one of the most prominent leading actresses on Indian primetime television.
| Full name | Rupali Ganguly |
|---|---|
| Born | 5 April 1977 |
| Birthplace | Kolkata, West Bengal, India |
| Father | Anil Ganguly (film director) |
| Spouse | Ashwin K. Verma |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Languages of work | Hindi |
| Notable works | Sarabhai vs Sarabhai, Anupamaa, Bigg Boss 1 |
| Active years | 1990s – present |
Rupali Ganguly was born in Kolkata into a Bengali family. Her father, Anil Ganguly, was a Hindi film director known for films such as Kora Kagaz (1974) and Tapasya (1976). Her exposure to the film industry through her father shaped her early interest in acting. She was raised in Mumbai, where she pursued her education before entering the entertainment industry.
Ganguly began her career as a child artiste, appearing in films directed by her father. She made her adult debut in supporting roles in Hindi films during the late 1990s and early 2000s, including Sangharsh (1999). She gradually shifted focus to television, which proved to be the more sustained arena of her career.
Her breakthrough came with Sarabhai vs Sarabhai, which originally aired on Star One from 2004 to 2006. She played Monisha Sarabhai, the middle-class daughter-in-law in an upper-class Mumbai family, opposite Sumeet Raghavan, with Ratna Pathak Shah and Satish Shah as the in-laws. The show developed a cult following and is regarded as a landmark Indian sitcom. She reprised the role in the digital sequel Sarabhai vs Sarabhai: Take 2 on Hotstar in 2017.
Ganguly was a contestant on the first season of Bigg Boss on Sony TV in 2006–07, hosted by Arshad Warsi, where she finished as the second runner-up.
In July 2020, she began playing the title role in Anupamaa on Star Plus, produced by Rajan Shahi's Director's Kut Productions. The show, an adaptation of the Bengali serial Sreemoyee, depicts the life of a homemaker who rebuilds her identity after personal upheavals. Anupamaa became one of the highest-rated Hindi general entertainment shows on Indian television and turned Ganguly into a household name. The role brought her several industry awards.
Her other notable television appearances include Sukanya, Sanjivani, and Parvarrish – Kuchh Khattee Kuchh Meethi.
Rupali Ganguly married marine engineer-turned-producer Ashwin K. Verma in 2013. The couple has a son, Rudransh.
In March 2024, Ganguly formally joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in New Delhi, signalling her entry into public political life. She has also been associated with several brand endorsements and public-interest campaigns linked to women's issues, drawing on the themes of her best-known role.
Ganguly is regarded as a significant figure in Indian television for two distinct phases of work: her comic role in Sarabhai vs Sarabhai, which helped expand the audience for urban satire on Indian TV, and her dramatic lead in Anupamaa, which has been credited with reshaping primetime narratives around middle-aged female protagonists. Her career trajectory illustrates the long-tail visibility that Indian television can offer actors outside the film mainstream.