Rupali Ganguly demands National Awards for TV artists: We work very hard, it'll be nice to have some validation

TV actress Rupali Ganguly, known for her popular show Anupamaa, has raised questions about why Indian television is still overlooked at the National Awards. The 71st National Film Awards were announced last week, where Shah Rukh Khan, Virkant Massey, Rani Mukerji, and others were announced as winners. Amid all the buzz around the awards, Ganguly has raised questions about why Indian TV actors do not receive the same level of validation at the national level.

Rupali Ganguly demands National Awards for the television industry

In a conversation with paparazzi account Viral Bhayani, Ganguly said, "There are National Awards for everyone from film stars to content creators. But there’s nothing for TV artistes. Even during the COVID-19 pandemic, others had the advantage of delaying their shooting schedules, but we kept working. When a film star works continuously, it makes headlines. But no one talked about how we, the TV artists, worked non-stop from 6 am to 6 pm during the pandemic. I request the government to consider us also. We work very hard; it'll be nice to have some validation."

Rupali Ganguly is one of the top TV stars of the country, with her show Anupamaa consistently topping the charts every month.

Rupali Ganguly welcomes Smriti Irani's comeback

The Anupamaa star hoped that Smriti Irani's comeback might take the TV industry towards that direction and added, "Smriti Irani returned to TV with the new version of Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi, and it’s airing on the same channel as my show. I am very proud that Smriti ji returned to TV. It's such a big validation. Her comeback will make a lot of difference, and it will bring all the eyes back to television.

Former Union Minister and TV actress Smriti Irani has recently returned to the screen with a reboot of the iconic show Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi —the show that originally catapulted Irani to superstardom.

The comeback has left fans nostalgic, and the new version is already receiving considerable love from viewers. The show also stars Hiten Tejwani, Amar Upadhyay, Gauri Pradhan, and Kamalika Guha Thakurta, among others.

Meanwhile, Anupamaa continues to dominate the TRP charts for the fifth consecutive year. When the reboot of Kyunki was announced, there were speculations of a rift between the teams of Anupamaa and Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi. However, Rupali and Kyunki producer Ektaa Kapoor have dismissed the speculation and urged fans not to compare the two shows.