Actress Rupali Ganguly got emotional while remembering her late father, filmmaker Anil Ganguly, and the dream he had of owning a house in Mumbai. Speaking at FICCI Frames 2026 in Mumbai on Wednesday (September 30), the actress opened up about her family's difficult financial phase and how her popular television show Anupamaa eventually helped her fulfil her father's long-standing wish.
Rupali recalled that her father had to make difficult financial choices while pursuing his career as a filmmaker. She said that filmmakers outside the corporate system often had to sell their homes to fund their movies. Her family eventually lost everything, but her father's dream of owning a home in Mumbai remained.
Rupali Ganguly gets emotional
"My father was a filmmaker. In those times, those who were not into corporate filmmaking business, they sold homes and made films. There was a point when we lost it all. My father's only dream was to make a house in Mumbai," Rupali recalled, becoming emotional.
She then spoke about being the daughter of a successful filmmaker and how, despite what people might assume about her being a "nepo kid", she wanted to create something of her own while also fulfilling her father's dream.
"I was a typical nepo kid, a big filmmaker's daughter. But that was the only dream of my dad that I wanted to fulfil. Anupamaa hua and maine apna pehla ghar khareeda (Anupamaa happened and I finally bought my first home)."
Anupamaa's success became a major turning point in her career.
Rajan Shahi Recalls Rupali's Struggle
Anupamaa producer Rajan Shahi, who was also present at the event, recalled Rupali's early struggles in the industry. He revealed that she had auditioned multiple times for their first show together and that he had initially rejected her.
"For the first show we did together, Rupali had given three auditions and I had rejected her. She asked me to give her another chance. That time, she used to walk all the way from Worli as she didn't have money to travel by bus. So that is her struggle and I am very proud of her," Rajan said.
Rupali was visibly emotional as Rajan spoke about those years, wiping away tears on stage.
