Roopa Ganguly
Roopa Ganguly (born 25 November 1966) is an Indian actress, playback singer, and former politician best known for her portrayal of Draupadi in B. R. Chopra's television series Mahabharat, which aired from 1988 to 1990 and became a cultural landmark in Indian television history.[2]
Her acting career spans Bengali and Hindi films, television, and theater, with notable roles in productions like the National Film Award-winning Bengali film Krantikaal (2005), for which she received acclaim as a leading actress.[3] Ganguly also distinguished herself as a singer, earning the National Film Award for Best Female Playback Singer in 2012 for her rendition in a Bengali film.[5]
Transitioning to politics, she joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in 2015 ahead of the West Bengal Assembly elections, contested unsuccessfully from Howrah North in 2016, and was nominated to the Rajya Sabha by the President of India later that year, serving until 2022 while holding positions such as President of the BJP Mahila Morcha in West Bengal.[6][5] Ganguly's political tenure involved active participation in protests and advocacy, leading to incidents including her arrest in October 2024 during a demonstration in Kolkata over a schoolboy's death, reflecting her confrontational style against perceived local governance failures.[7][8]