Picked PM Modi's Gujarati accent for 'Anupamaa': Actor Rupali Ganguly

Famous for her TV show ‘Anupamaa’, actor Rupali Ganguly recently revealed that she picked up the Gujarati accent for her role from Prime Minister Narendra Modi. However, a bit of it also came from her Gujarati neighbour whom she often visited as she loved Gujarati cuisine.

When asked how she prepared for the character, Rupali told CNBC, “Life is about observing people and imbibing things from them. For me, when I saw Anupamaa, I saw her not speaking English. I saw her speaking Hindi with a Gujarati accent. So, I wanted to do that. A lot of stuff I picked up from the honourable prime minister.”

“When you hear his speeches, there are certain words he speaks in Hindi which have a pre-dominant Gujarati accent and he does not shy away from that. He owns it. The way he holds his roots is what I picked for Anupamaa,” she added.

The actor also disclosed that she replicated her Gujarati neighbour’s pronunciation of Hindi words for ‘Anupamaa’. “I had a Gujarati neighbour and I used to frequent her house to have their food. So, I caught my accent for ‘Anupamaa’ from her.”

'Anupamaa' is one of the most-watched shows on Indian television currently. The show narrates the story of a middle-aged woman, who charts her path in life after divorce.

Rupali Ganguly met PM Modi recently at the National Creators Awards. Earlier this year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi shared a 'vocal for local' ad campaign featuring Rupali on his social media page. The 'Sarabhai vs Sarabhai' actor was overwhelmed by his gesture and said that it was 'surreal and unreal' for her.