In celebration of International Women’s Day, a leading entertainment house hosted a thought-provoking round table discussion featuring prominent women from various fields, including business, entertainment, and politics. Season 5 of “Woman Up” brought together distinguished guests such as Indian Test cricketer and Padma Shri Awardee Diana Edulji, Rajya Sabha MP Priyanka Chaturvedi, CEO & Shark Tank India judge Radhika Gupta, along with renowned personalities Rupali Ganguly, Sushant Divgikar (Rani KoHEnur), Malaika Arora, and Manisha Koirala.
During the engaging conversation, Rupali Ganguly, known for her role in the popular TV show “Anupamaa,” shared her experiences dealing with the challenges of motherhood while working long hours on set.
Addressing the demands of daily telecasts and the pressure to meet deadlines, Rupali reflected on the difficulty of balancing her professional commitments with her role as a mother. She expressed the heartache of not being able to spend quality time with her six-and-a-half-year-old son due to the demanding schedule of television shoots, often spanning twelve hours a day.
Rupali candidly spoke about the emotional toll of being away from her son, describing the constant battle with working mother’s guilt. She shared, “So leaving your son at home and him not having a mother who has stuck with you always. And suddenly, the child goes ‘Bapu, I want this, I want that’. At times, it gets like Arey, yeh mujhe puchta hi nahi hai (He doesn’t need me anymore). It feels like I don’t exist in his life.”
Despite the challenges, Rupali acknowledged the considerate approach of the production house, which provides leaves on important occasions such as Halloween, Christmas, and Diwali, allowing her to celebrate these events with her son. However, she emphasized that the guilt of not being there for her son daily remains a constant struggle, despite efforts to overcompensate.
Rupali Ganguly’s heartfelt reflections offer a glimpse into the complexities of balancing career aspirations with the responsibilities of motherhood, resonating with many working mothers striving to find harmony between their professional and personal lives.