Not Gauri Pradhan but Rupali Ganguly was first roped in for Kutumb opposite Hiten Tejwani. On Tuesday Trivia

Actress Rupali Ganguly was replaced by Gauri Pradhan in Kutumb. On Tuesday Trivia, we will tell you why the Anupamaa star had to leave the show despite being the first choice for the role.

Rupali Ganguly has become a household name as Anupamaa. The show, which premiered on Star Plus in 2020, is still going strong and has been reigning the rating charts. Rupali made her television debut with Sukanya in 2000 and was later seen on the show, Dil Hai Ki Manta Nahi, in 2002. But, did you know that the actress was roped in as the female lead for Ekta Kapoor's Kutumb opposite Hiten Tejwani?

Hiten Tejwani and Gauri Pradhan as Kutumb's Pratham and Gauri became one of the most popular TV jodis in 2001. However, before they caught everyone's attention on Kutumb, their crackling on-screen chemistry was first noticed in a TV commercial for a soap brand. Remember the song Chupke Chukpe Chupke Se from the ad? However, not just Hiten and Gauri's fans, but the ad also caught the gaze of TV czarina Ekta Kapoor.

Here's the soap ad that Hiten and Gauri did together:

Kutumb was set to launch on Sony TV and Hiten Tejwani and Rupali Ganguly were finalised to play the lead roles in the romantic drama. But, seeing Hiten and Gauri's amazing chemistry in the ad, Ekta Kapoor changed her mind. She asked her team to approach Gauri Pradhan to play the lead role in Kutumb. Gauri, who was not keen on doing television at the time, accepted Ekta's offer and, as they say, the rest is history. Kutumb got the prime time slot on Sony TV. It soon became a fan-favourite and garnered good TRPs.

Here's the title song of Kutumb:

Later, Rupali Ganguly was seen on Sanjivani in a negative role, but her role as Monisha in Sarabhai vs Sarabhai got her a lot of praise and popularity. However, it was nothing in comparison to what she has been receiving for Anupamaa.

Interestingly, Rupali Ganguly was not the first choice to play Anupamaa. The show was offered to many popular TV actresses and they turned it down. One among them was Gauri Pradhan. The other actresses who were approached for the role were Mona Singh, Juhi Parmar, Sakshi Tanwar, and Shveta Salve.