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Rupali Ganguly to Sriti Jha: TV Actresses Delivering Powerful Performances
In a television landscape crowded with content, these five women are giving audiences genuine reasons to stay invested — week after week.
MUMBAI: Across StarPlus and Zee TV's prime-time schedules, a set of leading actresses is drawing sustained viewership not through spectacle but through the quieter, harder work of building characters audiences genuinely care about. From a show already past 1,800 episodes to a romantic drama barely eight weeks old, their performances span different genres, networks, and career stages — but share a common quality: they hold attention.
Rupali Ganguly: Six Years, One Character, No Shortcuts
Rupali Ganguly, 49, has been synonymous with Anupamaa since the show's launch, and in 2026 that association shows no sign of weakening. The StarPlus series, produced by Rajan Shahi's Director's Kut Productions, has crossed episode 1,887 — an audience retention figure that puts it among the longest-running prime-time dramas in recent Hindi television. At the Indian Telly Awards 2025, she won the Fan Favorite Actress and Best Television Personality of the Year honours, adding to a consistent awards run across the show's run. The character of Anupama — a woman reclaiming identity after years of personal erasure — has, across those years, become one of the more discussed portrayals of women in mainstream Hindi television.
Adrija Roy: Earning Her Space on a High-Stakes Stage
Adrija Roy stepped into Anupamaa in December 2024, replacing the previous actress as Rahi — a transition that drew immediate audience scrutiny. Six months on, the actress says viewer connection with her character has deepened to the point where fans approach her in public, identifying her as Rahi before recognising her as Adrija. In a February 2025 interview, Roy described the role as "a dream come true," noting similarities between herself and her character that made the transition feel natural. The Kolkata-born actress, who began her career in Bengali television in 2016, made her Hindi TV debut with Durga Aur Charu in 2023 before arriving at the most-watched show on StarPlus.
Priya Thakur: A Chart-Topper With Quiet Conviction
Priya Thakur leads Vasudha, Zee TV's family drama that premiered in September 2024 as an official Hindi remake of the Telugu series Muddha Mandaram. The show has since accumulated over 550 episodes. In a recent interview, Thakur said the first half of 2026 has been "one of the best times" of her life, noting that Vasudha topped the weekly charts for five consecutive weeks — a measure that, in Hindi GEC (General Entertainment Channel) terms, indicates consistent mass viewership. She plays Vasudha, a character navigating the layered emotional terrain of a joint family setup, and has done so without the benefit of a pre-existing fan base from another franchise.
