Payal Ghosh

Payal Ghosh
Ghosh in 2018
Born1986 (age 39–40)
Kolkata, West Bengal, India
Alma materScottish Church College
OccupationActress
Years active2008–2017
Political partyRepublican Party of India (A) (2020–present)
Vice President of the Women's Wing, Republican Party of India (Athawale)
Incumbent
Assumed office
26 October 2020

Payal Ghosh (born 1986) is an Indian politician and former actress, who worked in Telugu and Hindi films. In 2020, Ghosh filed a police complaint alleging sexual harassment against filmmaker Anurag Kashyap in connection with an alleged 2013 incident. Kashyap denied the allegations, describing them as baseless, alleging that the complaint was politically motivated in response to his criticism of the government. The matter received media attention, and related legal proceedings included a defamation suit filed by actor Richa Chadha, which was later settled following Ghosh's apology. In October 2020, she joined the Republican Party of India (Athawale) and was appointed vice president of its women's wing.

Early life and ducation

Payal Ghosh was born in 1986 in Kolkata, West Bengal, she went to the St. Paul's Mission School Kolkata, and later graduated in Political Science Honours from the Scottish Church College.[1]

Career

Acting

When she was 17 years old, she had accompanied her friend to an audition for Sharpe's Peril and landed a role in the BBC Telefilm. In the period drama based on English soldier Richard Sharpe, Payal had played a village girl, the daughter of a revolutionary freedom fighter from Bengal.[2] Payal also starred in a Canadian film in which she played a school girl in love with her neighbour's servant.[3] Since her parents disapproved of her decision to join films, during her college holidays, she ran away from her home in Calcutta and came to Mumbai. She joined Namit Kishore's acting academy, where she met Chandra Sekhar Yeleti who offered her the lead role in his Prayanam, opposite Manchu Manoj.[2] Later, she was seen in the Telugu films Mr. Rascal and Oosaravelli and the Kannada film Varshadhare.

She completed her first Tamil film Therodum Veedhiyile, directed by Saro Sriram, in which she played a traditional girl, who lives in Erode. She was selected as the female lead by Vivek Agnihotri for his Bollywood film Freedom and filmed for it in 2012.[4] She signed another Hindi comedy film, Patel Ki Punjabi Shaadi opposite Vir Das, directed by Sanjay Chhel.[5] which was released worldwide on 15 September 2017.

End of the acting career

In April 2020, she stated that she was out of work, financially broke, and was leading a life she had never imagined.[6]

Defamation suit

On 23 September 2020, Ghosh accused Anurag Kashyap and filed a police complaint for sexually harassing her at Yari Road in Versova, Mumbai in 2013.[7][8] Kashyap dismissed the allegations as baseless, calling it an attempt to silence him from criticising the government.[9][10]

On 1 October 2020, Mumbai police called Kashyap for questioning about the case. He denied the allegations and provided documents as evidence to prove that he was filming in Sri Lanka at the time, when Ghosh alleged the incident in Mumbai had taken place.[11]

In October actor Richa Chadha filed defamation suit in Bombay High Court against Ghosh seeking ₹1.1 Crore damages for attempting to unnecessarily drag Chadha's name into Ghosh's allegation against Kashyap.[12] After Payal Ghosh gave an un-conditional apology to Richa Chadha for her defamatory remarks, Bombay HC recorded the settlement of the case.[13]

Political career

On 26 October 2020 she joined Ramdas Athawale's political party and on the same day, she was appointed the vice president of its women's wing.[14][15][16]

Mental health

In June 2025, Ghosh spoke about her struggles with depression and anxiety in an interview with IANS. She stated that she had been undergoing emotional challenges for several years and sought professional help to manage her condition.[17]

Filmography

Year Title Role Language Notes
2008 Sharpe's Peril Padme English British film
2009 Prayanam Harika Telugu
2010 Varshadhaare Mythili Kannada
2011 Oosaravelli Chitra Telugu
Mr. Rascal Soundariya
2017 Patel Ki Punjabi Shaadi Pooja Hindi

Television

Year Title Role Network
2016 Saath Nibhaana Saathiya Radhika StarPlus

References

  1. ^ "Southern Sirens". The Telegraph (India). 3 September 2010. Retrieved 31 March 2014.
  2. ^ a b "South actress Payal Ghosh debuts in Sanjay Chhel's untitled Hindi film". The Indian Express. 20 February 2014. Retrieved 31 March 2014.
  3. ^ k.r. manigandan (16 September 2012). "A step forward". The Hindu. Retrieved 31 March 2014.
  4. ^ "Payal ghosh to make her Bollywood debut". The Times of India. 22 December 2012. Retrieved 31 March 2014.
  5. ^ "Telugu actress to make her Bollywood debut". The Times of India. Retrieved 31 March 2014.
  6. ^ "Payal Ghosh is 'financially broken, living a life never imagined'". MSN. Retrieved 16 October 2020.
  7. ^ "Payal Ghosh: Anurag Kashyap got naked in front of me". Times of India (Entertainment). Retrieved 20 September 2020.
  8. ^ Desk, India com Entertainment (23 September 2020). "Payal Ghosh Alleges 'Rape' in FIR Against Anurag Kashyap, Filmmaker To Appear For Interrogation". India News, Breaking News, Entertainment News | India.com. Retrieved 23 September 2020. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  9. ^ ""Baseless," Tweets Anurag Kashyap After Actress Payal Ghosh Accuses Him Of Sexual Harassment". NDTV. Retrieved 20 September 2020.
  10. ^ Service, Tribune News. "'Don't misuse liberty', Richa Chadha counters Payal Ghosh over allegations of 'Fukrey' actor 'being intimate' with Anurag Kashyap". Tribuneindia News Service. Archived from the original on 22 September 2020. Retrieved 21 September 2020.
  11. ^ Hungama, Bollywood (26 October 2020). "Actor Payal Ghosh, who accused Anurag Kashyap of sexual harassment, joins Ramdas Athawale's Republican Party of India(A) : Bollywood News - Bollywood Hungama". Retrieved 26 October 2020.
  12. ^ Kashyap, Nitish (6 October 2020). "Actor Richa Chadha Files Defamation Suit Against Payal Ghosh Seeking Rs 1.1 Crores Damages". livelaw.in. Retrieved 6 October 2020.
  13. ^ Kashyap, Nitish (14 October 2020). "Payal Ghosh Tenders Unconditional Apology To Richa Chadha For Defamatory Remarks; Bombay HC Records Settlement". livelaw.in. Retrieved 16 October 2020.
  14. ^ "Actor Who Accused Anurag Kashyap Of Rape Joins Ramdas Athawale's Party". NDTV.com. Retrieved 26 October 2020.
  15. ^ "Actor Payal Ghosh joins Ramdas Athawale-led Republican Party of India". The Indian Express. 27 October 2020. Retrieved 28 October 2020.
  16. ^ "Actor Payal Ghosh joins Ramdas Athawale's party". The Hindu. PTI. 26 October 2020. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 10 November 2020.
  17. ^ IANS (5 June 2025). "Payal Ghosh opens up about her battle with depression & anxiety". IANS News. Retrieved 25 February 2026.
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