Ke Apon Ke Por’s Koel aka Simran Upadhyay on Mumbai dreams, working with Anurag Basu, Jackie Shroff and more

2022 has been a game changer for many artists and actress Simran Upadhyay also had a delightful journey this year. The young actress from Kolkata is living her Mumbai dreams. Simran, who was last seen in Bengali TV’s one of the popular family-dramas ‘Ke Apon Ke Por’, is living her dreams out loud in Mumbai. The city girl has done a commercial directed by none other than Anurag Basu and shared the screen with Jackie Shroff as well in yet another commercial. Besides this, she is doing Hindi shows and other projects, too.“It has been a dream come true moment for me. I always wanted to work in Mumbai and my parents have encouraged me to pursue my dreams throughout my journey,” said the actress, who is also pursuing her Post Graduation in International Relationship at a reputed college. She was supposed to go abroad for higher studies but destiny had something else stored for Simran. “Yes, I wanted to pursue higher education in a prime university in New York. But destiny had some other plans (laughs),” said the actress. She stepped into showbiz at a tender age and did many popular Bengali shows till now.“I was very young when I made my debut. I was always interested in extracurricular activities besides studying. My mom used to take me for the rehearsals and help me in studies. I used to stay awake till late to study. I never missed my classes in school and always concentrated on studies. My teachers have been really supportive, so were my friends,” Simran shared.‘Dance Bangla Dance’, ‘Sobinoy Nibedon’, ‘Care Korina’, ‘Raage Anuraage’ are some of the shows in which Simran appeared as a child artist. She became very popular after the success of daily soap ‘Ke Apon Ke Por’. She used to play Koel’s character in the TV drama, which ran for more than four and a half years. “Ke Apon Ke Por has been a memorable journey. The set was like home to me. It had a great team and we used to have a lot of fun during the shoot. We still keep in touch,” said Simran as she took a walk down the memory lane.When asked about her experience of working with Aurag Basu, she says, “When I had auditioned for the advertisement, I had no idea that Anurag Sir would direct it. I was in a pleasant shock when I met him during the shoot. I hesitantly approached him and stated that I am from Kolkata. He was very much welcoming, encouraging and down to earth. I will never forget the experience,” says the young actress.In the meanwhile, she has featured in TV shows ‘Mose Chhal Kiye Jaye’ and ‘Rabb Se Ki Hai Dua’ besides doing other projects. Sharing her experience, Simran says, “It has been a wonderful experience so far. I met many youngsters like me at the acting workshop and they were not only immensely talented but also helpful. They helped me with contacts and information about upcoming auditions. Moreover, I received a warm welcome from the senior artists while working. None ever made me realise that I am a newcomer in the Mumbai industry. It helps you a lot, to be honest. All I can say is that I am looking forward to many more wonderful experiences like this. Fingers crossed.”