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Anupamaa actress Rupali Ganguly recently paid a tribute to her very first on-air television show ‘Dil Hai Ki Manti Nahi’, 22 years ago.
From playing a double role in the show to making it one of the most memorable OG weekly soaps even in recent times, Rupali’s debut show and character continues to be loved by all!
Going down memory lane Rupali talks about her fondest memories of the show. She even talks about her unbreakable bond with Anupamaa producer Rajan Shahi, who back then was the director of ‘Dil Hai Ki Manta Nahi’.
“Rajan had first shot the pilot of dil hai ki manta nahi with another actress in 1999. That actress then got into films, so he was on the lookout for the girl’s replacement. I had already started shooting for Sukanya at that time, but I still went for the show’s audition. I managed to perform the scene they wanted me to perform, but it was not convincing enough the first time. Rajan was a first time director back then. I remember how he left my audition mid way, but as aspiring actors we were used to rejections. After the audition I came outside and heard Rajan and his assistant talking about a double role. I went and enquired about it and he explained me the story. I loved the story and just knew I had to be a part of it. I was so persistent for a second audition that I refused to leave till Rajan gave me another shot. I performed the first scene again and this time Rajan noticed me. He then gave me another scene to perform. I eventually ended up performing nine scenes, after which Rajan gave me a big smile. The next day I was actually selected for.the role!”, shares Rupali.
“Rajan being Rajan was a diligent director. He made sure the first few episodes were shot absolutely perfect. On the other hand, at that time I was not very well versed with how shooting for television soap functioned. One of the days I went out without informing the unit as I assumed there was no shoot. But Rajan was waiting for me on lokhandwala bridge to shoot an episode. After a dozen phone calls by the production, I made it to set,but Rajan was so angry that he packed up the unit. It was after that day that I started taking my shoots seriously. The sad part though was that Rajan left the show midway, and the other directors and writers who came in after him were not as good storytellers as he was. The show went on well, but the charm that Rajan had initially brought to it was not there. But DHKMN was and will always by most special debut on the small screen”, concludes Rupali.
