|
"I
am Monisha. Completely. I am a dimwit, I bargain even at
Shopper's Stop, I am a terrible cook, and, yes, I am very
Rupali
Ganguli: Making an impression! |
clumsy,"
laughs Rupali Ganguli, who plays Monisha in Star One's Sarabhai
vs Sarabhai.
This,
from a lady who has done such a wide array of roles that
could easily make other actors on the telly, green with
envy!
Sample
this --- a double role in Dil Hai Ki Manta Nahi,
a negative character in Star Plus' Sanjivani, a mentally
unbalanced girl in Sahara's Zindagi Teri Meri Kahani,
a prostitute in Bhabhi, a politician in Star Plus'
Kahaani Ghar Ghar Kii and her favourite, Monisha, a
stingy middle-class housewife in an upper middle class household,
in Star One's Sarabhai vs Sarabhai. All these characters
being as different from one another as chalk from cheese.
Surprisingly,
Rupali has also managed to act in one of the saas-bahu serials,
without being typecast as a long suffering bahu! "I
have done enough of that in Sanjivani, heavy make-up
and the jewellery. I want to do something different every
time, otherwise, however big the banner, I am not interested,"
says Rupali vehemently.
With
co-star Sumeet Raghavan |
Suddenly
the media cannot have enough of her, it seems. People have
started to see her as a serious actress and she has realized
that her hard work has paid off. She still finds it a little
disconcerting that people recognize her on the streets and
she tells us that her mother constantly reprimands her for
not dressing up properly, when outdoors, saying," Ab
log dekhte hai." ( Now people recognize you!).
Daughter
of acclaimed film director Anil Ganguli, who has made films
like Kora Kagaz, Rupali has carved a niche for herself
on the telly. She started acting when she was seven years
old with a bit role in the film, Saheb, following
it up with an award winning performance in her father's
film, Bolidaan. But after doing a couple of forgettable
films, she decided that this was "rubbish" and
gave it all up. She did not even give screen tests, but
concentrated on theatre and gave a commendable performance
in Papa Don't Preach.
Fortunately
for telly viewers, God had other things planned for this
lovely lady! Soon after, she got calls to audition for roles
in different serials, and then there was no looking back.
We ask her about her dream role and she tells us that she
would like to play a schizophrenic character, and 20 years
down the line she would just love to play Maya, Ratna
Pathak's
character in Sarabhai vs Sarabhai. She
is hoping that one day she will be offered a role similar
to the character that Jaya Bachchan played in Kora Kagaz.
Talk
about Sarabhai vs Sarabhai and we hear Monisha, not
Rupali, pour her heart out. She tells us how the rest of
the cast are forever on her case and how Ratna Pathak (
her mother-in-law in the comedy) comes to her rescue ----
"but there are times when even she joins in,"
says Rupali, who says that initially she was in awe of this
great actor but warmed upto to her once they started sharing
a room while working on the show.
Whatever
else Rupali might well be, she is certainly not a dimwit.
She is an artiste who has made her presence felt in shows
that had senior actors in them. A versatile actress, she
plays out her characters with an ease that makes us wonder
if she was acting out parts of her own life!
|
