Small screen Bengali actresses who made it big in Tollywood

Being a TV personality makes you a household name, but it’s always big-screen dreams that have drawn many actors. As films have a global reach, they offer more fame and money. Bengali industry is not an exception. Most of the actors see TV shows as the first step towards getting a break in Tollywood. Many TV stars appear in films but are rarely seen in important roles. However, there are actresses who have achieves superstardom on the silver screen. Here’s a list of Bengali beauties who made successful transitions from the silver screen to the big screen.

Mimi Chakraborty made her debut with the 2009 TV serial ‘Champion’, but her major breakthrough came in Rituparno Ghosh's ‘Gaaner Opare’. It had as many as 4 big debutantes including Gaurav Chakrabarty, Arjun Chakrabarty and Indrasish Dey along with Mimi. The show still remains a hit among people of different age groups. Mimi’s first film was ‘Bapi Bari Jaa’ opposite Arjun Chakraborty and has since matured over time.

For a star kid like Swastika Mukherjee, it was not easy to make it big in the industry. The beautiful actress got her first break in a TV serial called ‘Devdasi’. Since then, she appeared in some hit shows like ‘Ek Akasher Niche’ and ‘Pratibimba’, before being roped in for her first Bengali feature film ‘Hemanter Pakhi’, where she was given a supporting role. Her first lead role came in Ravi Kinagi's ‘Mastan’ opposite Jeet. Post that, there was no looking back for the actress. Despite being controversy’s favourite child, Swastika still remains one of the most sought-after actors in Tollywood.

Before making it big in Bengali cinema and taking a step further in Bollywood, Paoli acted in several TV serials. Her first breakthrough was ‘Jiban Niye Khela’. However, it was ‘Tithir Atithi’ opposite Abir Chatterjee that won her recognition. Another popular TV serial ‘Sonar Horin’ gave Paoli more acclaim. After 'Agnipariksha', her first lead role came in the 2007 hit 'Tulkalam'. Her huge popularity on the big screen didn't stop her from returning to the small screen for Birsa Dasgupta directed ‘Mahanayak’ opposite Prosenjit Chatterjee.

Before making a name for herself in Tollywood, Parno polished her acting skills in several TV serials. Her small screen debut came in ‘Khela’ which also had Arunima Ghosh as a newcomer. Parno received her next major role in ‘Mohona’ along with Choiti Goswami and Samrat Mukherjee. She even appeared in ‘Shomoy’ opposite Abir Chatterjee. After 'Shomoy', Parno played a key role in ‘Bou Kotha Kou’ before stepping into cinema. Her first Bengali film was Anjan Dutt's ‘Ranjana Ami Aar Ashbo Na’ that went on to receive three National Awards. She starred opposite Parambrata Chattopadhyay as Ashima in director Kaushik Ganguly's Apur Panchali.

Indrani Haldar made her debut as a child artist in 'Tero Parbon', and starred in several Hindi serials like 'Maa Shakti', 'Maryada: Lekin Kab Tak', 'Sujata' and Bengali sitcoms such as 'Tithir Atithi'. Indrani started her film career at an early age, but 'Biyer Phool' starring Rani Mukerji and Prosenjit Chatterjee became the film to give her career a boost.

Touted to be the ‘Shabana Azmi of Tollywood’, actor-turned-politician Roopa Ganguly started her career with TV serial ‘Muktabandha’ followed by the Bengali TV series ‘Streer Patra’. The character Mrinal became a household name, all thanks to Roopa’s brilliant acting. Her first leap into the national arena was the famous Doordarshan TV series ‘Ganadevta’, after which she bagged the character Draupadi in B.R. Chopra's 'Mahabharat' that made her a star overnight. She was consecutively paired with Chiranjit Chakraborty in Bengali films like ‘Pratik’ (1988), ‘Tufan’ (1989) and ‘Agnitrishna’ (1989). She acted in Mrinal Sen’s Hindi film ‘Ek Din Achanak’ (1989) and Basu Chatterjee’s ‘Kamla Ki Maut’ (1989).

Gargi Roy Chowdhury has been in the industry for more than 20 years. However, success didn't come to her on a platter. She was initially a radio newscaster before stepping into acting. She first tasted success in the soap opera ‘Sisirer Sabdo Sona Jai’ and later worked in many TV serials including ‘Pratibimba’ that also featured Swastika Mukherjee. Over the past years, Gargi's performance in films like ‘Khaad’, ‘Ramdhanu’ and ‘Lorai’ have been well received.

Churni Ganguly, being a successful actor and noted director, has made a mark in the industry, be it for television or film. However, Ganguly’s success came with small steps. She appeared in many TV serials such as ‘Devi’, and also featured in popular telefilms made by Anjan Dutt and Kaushik Ganguly before pursuing her film direction dreams.