‘Middle class chhap gaya hai mere saath’
Actor Rupali Ganguly, who people still know as Monisha, talks about the tag, and coming to Delhi for her new play
Sassy, fun and vivacious — television actor Rupali Ganguly is all this and more. And the real life person is not far from her TV show avatar Monisha, the middleclass homemaker of Sarabhai vs Sarabhai’s (2004-06).
“Middle class [stamp] chhap gaya hain mere saath. Main marungi toh mere epitaph pe likha jaayega — Yeh hai Monisha middle class,” laughs Rupali, who is excited for her upcoming play Patte Khul Gaye to be staged in Delhi.
The Hindi comedy written and directed by actor Rakesh Bedi, dwells upon hypocrisies in a middle-class society. It stars Anant Mahadevan, Kishwer Merchant, Avijit Dutt, Jyoti Singhal, and Rakesh Bedi, among others. “My character Manju is the epitome of a modern middleclass girl. Her life revolves around her family...ki bache padai nahin karte. She has guests for dinner and as they play a game, the masks start falling off. I didn’t have to prepare much for it,” she says.
For the “Mumbai girl at heart”, Delhi is second home, where she is not a “tourist”, says Rupali. From Pandara Road to all the hip places, the actor knows Delhi at its best. And when she is performing in the Capital, she says, “Main ghumungi, phirungi, aur time pass karungi.Delhi emanates a lot of love and warmth. That is visible on how the audiences react. They are receptive, especially to known faces. A lot of love comes from here.”
Recalling the good old memories, she adds: “I have spent almost every vacation in Delhi. Wahan se phir hum nikal jaate thhe Dhanaulti, Rishikesh, Haridwar. Delhi was the base. Gaadiyan leke we used to drive around.”
The seasoned actor still feels like a “newcomer” when working with new lot. “There are a lot of raw newcomers in theatre, too. Watching their diction,body language, I feel like a newcomer, and learn so much from them. Then, there is Rakesh (Bedi) who knew my dad (director Anil Ganguly) since Trishna (1978). It’s so emotional. I still haven’t gotten over my dad’s death,” she says. The 42-year-old actor is a mother and also runs a production house.“I have done everything that makes me proud. My ambition was to be married, and have a child. Acting just happened by chance,” she says, adding, “As far as acting is concerned, you have to be at the beck and call of your producer and show’s demands. Abhi itne dinon se nahin ho paya because my child was young. I keep saying no to a lot of stuff. Usually, I go through scripts. Acha yeh nahin pasand hai, ‘It’s the same, ismein kya naya karoon’,” she says.