Rupali felt too ‘plump’ for Anupamaa, here’s what show producer told her

Rupali Ganguly, who plays the lead role of a Gujarati homemaker on TV show Anupamaa, has revealed that she was apprehensive about taking up the role. On the show, the actress is seen as a devoted mother and daughter-in-law who is often looked down upon for not completing her education. Rupali has said that she didn’t have high expectations about returning to the screen after a gap of seven long years. She also felt she was overweight for the role.

In an interview with ETimes, she said, “When I joined Anupamaa, I was a little plump and I told our producer Rajan Shahi that you want a heroine and at this age, let me lose some weight. But the producer told me that he didn’t want a heroine but a mother instead. ‘I want a mother and you are perfect for the role because mothers are like this. Mother’s don’t get time to hit the gym and have a perfect figure and have a flat stomach. Maa maa hoti hai, she will first think about her kids, family, house and later maybe she will think about herself if she gets time’.”

She also said, “I was a housewife for seven years and was at home. So there was a self doubt when I joined the show. Will I look good on-screen, will I look fat? Especially when you were once known for having a good figure. So to accept yourself onscreen and what people will think of me like why has she put on so much weight, how will look, will my show be accepted because maybe I will be so bad, will I be able to act well after seven years gap, there were so many self doubts.”