Rupali Ganguly got emotional while speaking about her late father, filmmaker Anil Ganguly, at FICCI Frames 2026 on Wednesday. He died on January 15, 2016, aged 82. The Anupamaa actor was discussing women, independence and the impact of television when the conversation turned to her family’s past and her father’s long-standing wish to own a house in Mumbai. Anil Ganguly directed the National Award-winning Kora Kagaz and also made films such as Tapasya and Saaheb.
His dream of having a home in Mumbai remained unfulfilled, according to Rupali.
The show that changed her life
The show premiered in July 2020, during the pandemic, and marked her return to television after a six-year break. There was a point when we lost it all. So that is her struggle and I am very proud of her”. Because she could not afford the bus fare, Rupali became emotional on stage, while Shahi spoke about the time Rupali would walk from Worli.
At the FICCI Frames session, she acknowledged that background but explained why her father’s dream mattered so much to her. “In those times, those who were not into corporate filmmaking business, they sold homes and made films. My father’s only dream was to make a house in Mumbai 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”, she added. For Rupali, Anupamaa became a major turning point. She had stepped away from acting to raise her son. The success of the show eventually allowed her to buy her first home in Mumbai. Rajan Shahi , the producer of Anupamaa, was also part of the FICCI Frames session. He has known Rupali since their first project together, Dil Hai Ki Manta Nahi, which was also his directorial debut. She auditioned three times for the project. Rajan rejected her after her first audition, but she kept asking for another opportunity. He remembered how she would travel for auditions despite not having enough money for the bus. “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. The show’s success meant something beyond ratings and popularity as it helped her achieve something her father had wanted for years. Her journey in television had taken her from repeatedly asking for another audition to becoming the lead of one of the country’s biggest TV shows.
Rupali has spoken about being a filmmaker’s daughter and has also been called a “nepo kid”. “My father was a filmmaker,” she said, becoming emotional. “For the first show we did together, Rupali had given three auditions and I had rejected her,” Rajan recalled. “Anupamaa hua,” she had said. “And I bought my first home.”
