From child artiste to BJP's newest member, Rupali Ganguly's 'long journey'

Mumbai, May 1 (IANS) Best known for her portrayal of soap characters such as 'Monisha Sarabhai' and 'Anupamaa', popular TV actress Rupali Ganguly became the latest entertainment world celebrity to take the plunge into politics.

Daughter of a successful filmmaker who started acting as a child artiiste, the 47-year-old TV star's entry into the BJP on Wednesday is a new milestone in her crowded life.

Ganguly, who was born and raised in Mumbai, started her acting career with her father's 1985 film 'Saaheb'. The film featured Anil Kapoor, Amrita Singh and Raakhee in the lead roles.

She made her TV debut with the show 'Sukanya', which was aired in the year 2000, but Ganguly got her big break when she played Dr Simran Chopra in the 2003 medical drama 'Sanjivani: A Medical Boon'.

She then gained wider recognition with her portrayal of Monisha in the 2004 sitcom 'Sarabhai vs Sarabhai'.

Thereafter, she has been cast in 'Kahaani Ghar Ghar Kii', 'Kkavyanjali', 'Ek Packet Umeed', 'Sapna Babul Ka...Bidaai', and 'Baa Bahoo Aur Baby'. The actress also participated in the first season of the controversial reality show 'Bigg Boss', which was won by actor Rahul Roy.

Ganguly has also acted in the Telugu film 'Premante Inte' and the Bengali movie 'Eti'.

The soap star owes her huge popularity today to the titular character in the long-running family drama 'Anupamaa', who she's been playing since 2020. The show, which is now in its episode No. 1,272, also stars Sudhanshu Pandey as Vanraj, Madalsa Sharma and Gaurav Khanna.

She is married to the insurance executive-turned-businessman and filmmaker Ashwin Verma, who moved from New York to become her life partner. The couple tied the knot in February 2013 and have a son named Rudransh.

On Wednesday, after joining the BJP in the presence of the party's national general secretary Vinod Tawde, Ganguly shared her excitement and said: "I cannot express how I am feeling sitting on this stage. I am feeling like it was destined to happen, and that's why I have taken that long journey of art and came here."

She added: "We are fans of our Prime Minister Narendra Modi. I am grateful that I meet a lot of new people because of my acting career. I now want to move on the path of Mr Modi, and do service of the nation."

Ganguly's fans will be watching her next moves closely, even as those in the entertainment world will be seeing what course 'Anupamaa', the soap, now takes.