Roopa Ganguly

Not to be confused with Rupali Ganguly.

Roopa Ganguly
Ganguly at a Swearing-in Ceremony, at Parliament House, in New Delhi, in 2016.
Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha
In office
4 October 2016 – 24 April 2022
Nominated byPranab Mukherjee
Preceded byNavjot Singh Sidhu
ConstituencyNominated [1] (Arts)
President of BJP Mahila Morcha,
West Bengal
In office
2015–2017
Preceded byJyotsna Banerjee
Succeeded byLocket Chatterjee
Personal details
Born (1966-11-25) 25 November 1966 (age 57)[a]
Kolkata, West Bengal, India
Political partyBharatiya Janata Party
Occupations
  • Politician
  • Actress
Years active1986 – Present[4]
WorksFilmography
Spouse
Dhrubo Mukherjee
​
​
(m. 1992; div. 2007)​
[5]
Children1
Awards
Signature

Roopa Ganguly (born 25 November 1966) is an Indian actress, playback singer and politician.[6] She is best known for her portrayal of Draupadi in B R Chopra's hit television series Mahabharat.[7] Often promoted as the Tollywood's answer to Bollywood's Shabana Azmi, she is known for her versatility and accent adaptation.[8][9][10] She has worked with directors such as Mrinal Sen, Aparna Sen, Goutam Ghose and Rituparno Ghosh. She is a trained Rabindra Sangeet vocalist and a classical dancer.[11] She received several awards including a National Award and two BFJA Awards.[12] In October 2016, she was nominated as a Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha, by the President of India.[13] She served as the President of BJP Mahila Morcha in West Bengal.[14] She served as the General Secretary[15][16] and the Vice-President[17] for the West Bengal Motion Picture Artistes' Forum, a body representing cine artistes.[11] Her films have commulatively grossed more than US$100 million worldwide.[18]

Her first acting assignment was Bijoy Chatterjee's Hindi short film Nirupama (1986) based on Rabindranath Tagore's Bengali short story Dena Paona and broadcast on DD National.[4] Her breakthrough role came with the Bengali TV series Muktabandha (1987) directed by Ramaprasad Banik.[19] She made her big screen debut opposite Chiranjeet in Prabhat Roy's Bengali film Prateek (1988). In 1988, she achieved national recognition for her role in the Hindi TV series Ganadevta and shot to wider fame and popularity after she played Draupadi in B. R. Chopra's Mahabharat (1988–90).[20] Her performance in this TV series earned her several awards including Smita Patil Memorial Award.[21] She reprised the role of Draupadi in Chopra's Mahabharat Katha. She acted in popular Hindi TV series such as Kanoon (1993), Chandrakanta (1994), Karam Apnaa Apnaa (2007), Kasturi (2009), Agle Janam Mohe Bitiya Hi Kijo (2009). Popular Bengali TV series, she acted in, include Janmabhoomi (1997), Draupadi (2000), Ingeet (2001), Tithir Atithi to name a few.[22]

She achieved critical acclaim for her performance in National Award winning Bengali films such as Padma Nadir Majhi (1992) by Goutam Ghose,[23][24][25] Janani (1993) by Sanat Dasgupta[26][27] and Yugant (1995) by Aparna Sen.[28] She received BFJA Award for Best Supporting Actress twice for her roles in Amal Ray Ghatak's Ujan (1995) and Rituparno Ghosh's Antarmahal (2005).[29] In the same year, she acted in the role of a conceited actress in Anjan Dutt's Tarpor Bhalobasa, which once again earned her critical acclaim.[30] She was conferred with Osian's Cinefan Festival Special Jury Mention for her role in Antarmahal (2005).[31] She was awarded in the Best Actress in a Leading Role category for her role in Sekhar Das's National Award winning Bengali film Krantikaal (2005)[32][33] at the 9th Dhaka International Film Festival.[34] In January 2006, she was named by The Indian Express in the list of the five most powerful actresses of 2005.[35] She was further acclaimed for her roles in films such as Kaaler Rakhal (2009), Chowrasta - The Crossroads of Love (2009), Chaurahen (2012), Na Hannyate (2012), Dutta Vs Dutta (2012) and Punascha (2014). In 2011, she received the National Film Award for Best Female Playback Singer for rendering her voice in Aditi Roy's Bengali film Abosheshey (2012).[36][37] Goutam Ghose said that "she has that skill to transform herself into any character she plays."[10] Rituparno Ghosh described her as "a roisterer of pathos and exuberance through the portrayal of her characters."[10]

  1. ^ "BJP's Roopa Ganguly nominated for Sidhu's post in Rajya Sabha". The Economic Times. 4 October 2016. Retrieved 13 December 2019.
  2. ^ "রূপার রৌপ্য জয়ন্তী". anandabazar.com. 15 September 2012. Retrieved 29 December 2019.
  3. ^ "Actress Roopa Ganguly on Modern Bangla Film". 17 May 2010. Archived from the original on 15 December 2021. Retrieved 21 May 2021 – via YouTube.
  4. ^ a b "What troubles me most is how unsafe Bengal has become for women under Trinamul". The Telegraph (India). 16 October 2016. Retrieved 1 May 2020.
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference I fhfbf attempted suicide thrice: was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ "Roopa Ganguly movies, filmography, biography and songs". Cinestaan. Archived from the original on 18 August 2018. Retrieved 18 August 2018.
  7. ^ "Netizens applaud Mahabharat's Roopa Ganguly and Nitish Bharadwaj after watching Draupadi's 'cheer-haran'". The Times of India. 21 April 2020. Retrieved 29 April 2020.
  8. ^ "'I can't help acting like Abhishek's mother'". Rediff. Retrieved 10 March 2017.
  9. ^ "Tollywood movies that prove Roopa Ganguly is a treasure to Bengali cinema | The Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 18 August 2018.
  10. ^ a b c "Has Roopa Ganguly been exploited to the full brim of her talent!". filmsack.jimdo.com. Archived from the original on 31 July 2017. Retrieved 27 May 2017.
  11. ^ a b "Directorate of Film Festival". iffi.nic.in. Archived from the original on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 10 March 2017.
  12. ^ "Directorate of Film Festival". iffi.nic.in. Archived from the original on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 27 May 2017.
  13. ^ "Actor Roopa Ganguly nominated to Rajya Sabha". The Indian Express. 4 October 2016. Retrieved 27 May 2017.
  14. ^ "'Mahabharat' Actress Rupa Ganguly To Head BJP's West Bengal Women's Wing". Huffington Post India. 31 December 2015. Retrieved 27 May 2017.
  15. ^ "West Bengal Motion Picture Artists' Forum". wbmpaf.com. Archived from the original on 22 July 2017. Retrieved 7 May 2017.
  16. ^ "West Bengal Motion Picture Artists' Forum". wbmpaf.com. Archived from the original on 22 July 2017. Retrieved 7 May 2017.
  17. ^ "West Bengal Motion Picture Artists' Forum". wbmpaf.com. Archived from the original on 22 July 2017. Retrieved 7 May 2017.
  18. ^ "Roopa Ganguly Filmography". boxofficeindia.com. Retrieved 20 August 2022.
  19. ^ "10 Bengali Actresses Who Made It Big From The Small Screen To Cinema". pyckers. Archived from the original on 19 August 2018. Retrieved 19 August 2018.
  20. ^ "I feel sad for the new Draupadi". Screen India. Retrieved 26 March 2020.
  21. ^ Cite error: The named reference SPMA was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  22. ^ "'তেরো পার্বণ'র হাত ধরে বিনোদনে ভিন্নতার ছোঁয়া, হঠাৎই হল এক স্বাদবদল". Asianet News Network Pvt Ltd (in Bengali). Retrieved 21 May 2021.
  23. ^ "Directorate of Film Festival". iffi.nic.in. Archived from the original on 2 June 2016. Retrieved 12 March 2017.
  24. ^ "Padma Nadir Majhi | La Quinzaine des Réalisateurs". www.quinzaine-realisateurs.com (in French). Archived from the original on 31 July 2017. Retrieved 7 May 2017.
  25. ^ "Boloji". Retrieved 7 May 2017.
  26. ^ "Directorate of Film Festival" (PDF). iffi.nic.in. Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 September 2011. Retrieved 29 May 2017.
  27. ^ "Awards & Achievements -". sanatdasgupta.weebly.com. Retrieved 29 May 2017.
  28. ^ "Directorate of Film Festival". iffi.nic.in. Archived from the original on 15 December 2013. Retrieved 7 May 2017.
  29. ^ "Antarmahal: Must watch!". Rediff. Retrieved 7 May 2017.
  30. ^ "EK MUTHO CHHABI MOVIE - Review, Trailer, Movie, Actress, Wallpapers, The Moral Choice". m.mouthshut.com. Retrieved 28 May 2017.
  31. ^ "Bengali filmmakers dominate Cinefan film awards". outlookindia.com. 24 July 2005. Retrieved 19 April 2020.
  32. ^ "Directorate of Film Festival". iffi.nic.in. Archived from the original on 5 May 2014. Retrieved 12 March 2017.
  33. ^ "KRANTIKAAL MOVIE - Review | Movie Reviews | Trailer | Songs | Ratings". m.mouthshut.com. Retrieved 7 May 2017.
  34. ^ "Roopa Ganguly bags Dhaka award". Hindustan Times. 27 January 2006. Retrieved 17 July 2019.
  35. ^ "Five Finest Actresses of 2005".[dead link]
  36. ^ "Directorate of Film Festival". iffi.nic.in. Archived from the original on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 7 May 2017.
  37. ^ "'I can't help acting like Abhishek's mother'". Rediff. Retrieved 28 May 2017.


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