Payal Ghosh Wiki, Height, Age, Boyfriend, Family, Biography & More

Payal Ghosh is an Indian actress who has predominantly worked in the South Indian film industry. She came into the spotlight in 2020, when she accused the popular Bollywood director Anurag Kashyap of sexual harassment.

Wiki/Biography

Payal Ghosh was born on Monday, 13 November 1989 (age 31 years; as of 2020), and she hails from Kolkata, West Bengal. She did her schooling at St. Paul’s Mission School, Kolkata, and then went on to pursue a Bachelor of Arts Hons. Political Science at Scottish Church College, Kolkata. Later, she pursued a Diploma in fashion technology. ^[1]The Hindu Around 2007, she moved from Kolkata to Mumbai to pursue a career in acting. She also pursued an acting course at Kishore Namit Kapoor Acting Institute, Mumbai.

Physical Appearance

Height (approx.):  5′ 4″

Hair Colour: Medium Golden Brown

Eye Colour: Black

Family & Caste/Ethnicity

Payal Ghosh has a Bengali origin. ^[2]The Times of India

Parents & Siblings

 

 

Husband & Children

Payal Ghosh is unmarried and has no children.

Relationships/Affairs

On 1 December 2023, Payal Gosh took to social media to claim that she dated Indian cricketer Irfan Pathan for five years. According to her, she started dating him in 2011; however, they later broke up. In a post on X, she further mentioned that Gautam Gambhir, a politician and former cricketer, used to like her and often gave her missed calls which Irfan Pathan was aware of. She added that actor Akshay Kumar admired her, but her love was reserved for Irfan only. ^[3]The Free Press Journal

Mere pichhhe #gautamgambhir #AkshayKumar sab pade hue the lekin main pyar sırf İrfan Pathan se karti thi, mujhe uske ilaba koi aur dikhta hi nahi tha aur main İrfan ko sab ke ware bolti bhi thi, sab ka miscal dikhati bhi thi… Maine BAs Irfan se pyar kiya aur kisise bhi nahi…

— Payal Ghoshॐ (@iampayalghosh) December 1, 2023

After we broke up … I fell ill .. I couldn’t work for years… but he was the only guy whom I loved… after that I never loved anybody 🥲 pic.twitter.com/vKRYWJl0Ti

— Payal Ghoshॐ (@iampayalghosh) December 1, 2023

Career

British Telefilm

While accompanying one of her friends to the auditions for the British Telefilm Sharpe’s Peril (2008), she secured herself the role of a village girl, the daughter of a revolutionary freedom fighter from Bengal.

Telugu Film

While pursuing an acting course from Kishore Namit Kapoor Acting Institute, she crossed paths with Chandrasekhar Yeleti who was auditioning for the leading role of Harika in the film Prayanam (2009), which turned out to be Payal’s Tollywood debut.

Her other Telugu movies include Oosaravelli (2011) and Mr. Rascal (2011).

Kannada Film

In 2010, Payal Ghosh made her debut in the Kannada Film Industry with the film Varshadhaare in which she played the role of Mythili.

Tamil Film

In 2014, Payal Ghosh made her debut in the Tamil film industry with the film Therodum Veedhiyile in which she played the role of Pavalakodi.

Bollywood 

In 2017, Payal Ghosh appeared in the Bollywood film Patel Ki Punjabi Shaadi as Pooja in which she shared the screen with veterans like Rishi Kapoor and Paresh Rawal.

Awards/Honours

• Mumbai City Icon Award (2018) in the category of Promising debut in the entertainment industry.
  

  Mumbai City Icon Award (2018)

• Times Leading Icon Award (2019)

• Icon of the Year Award (2019)

• Aspiring she magazine award (2020) for the ‘Most fascinating face of the year’

Controversy

In September 2020, Payal Ghosh accused the popular Bollywood director Anurag Kashyap of sexual harassment. Reportedly, in 2013, Payal visited Anurag’s house in Versova, Mumbai where the alleged incident took place when Anurag Kashyap suddenly stripped naked in front of the actress while giving her a house tour. In an interview with The Times of India, she also claimed that Kashyap told her that Bollywood actresses like Huma Qureshi, Richa Chadda, and Mahie Gill often indulge in such sexual encounters with him. Humiliated, Payal politely refused the offer, gave an excuse of unwellness, and left the house immediately. ^[4]The Times of India Anurag Kashyap dismissed the sexual assault allegations through a series of tweets. He pursued the matter legally by providing documents as evidence to prove that he was filming in Sri Lanka during the time frame when Payal claims the alleged incident took place. In October 2020, Bollywood celebrity Richa Chadha filed a defamation suit against Payal Ghosh in the Bombay High Court for unnecessarily dragging Chadha’s name into the allegations against Kashyap. ^[5]Live Law In August 2023, she discussed the matter and expressed that she was confronting Kashyap’s influence in the industry on her own, noting that few are willing to speak out against him. She said,

I am not the richest or the most powerful and so I don’t even expect others to come out and support me against him. I am fighting the battle alone and I know that’s how it is going to be in future as well. Nobody will take a stand for me and go against him. Everyone values their relations with him because he is a film director.” ^[6]The Free Press Journal

Facts/Trivia

• Payal was a frequent smoker. In February 2019, Payal quit smoking and began to practice yoga for her upcoming movies. It was her yoga trainer who advised her to quit smoking. ^[7]News Karnataka

• Payal occasionally consumes alcohol.
  

• During her teenage days, Payal was widely appreciated for her active participation in various extra-curricular activities like stage shows and dramas. She belonged to a conservative family, and her father was against her desire to pursue a career in acting. At the age of 17, she ran away from Kolkata to Mumbai to pursue her childhood dream to become an actress. After moving to Mumbai, she lived at her eldest sister’s house for a while and worked as a model in a few advertisements of Tata Indicom and Docomo.

• Payal joined the Republican Party of India (Athawale) on 26 October 2020, which is led by the Union Minister Ramdas Athawale. She was selected as the vice president of the party’s women’s wing. While welcoming Ms. Ghosh into the party, Athawale said,
  

  I told her RPI(A) is Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar’s party. It helps all sections of society, be it Dalits, Adivasis, OBCs, villagers, slum dwellers. The RPI will get a good face if you join the party. After I discussed this with her, she was ready to join the party.”

  

  Payal Ghosh joining the Republican Party of India (Athawale)

• On 1 October 2023, Payal took to X where she wrote that she was blessed not to be working in Bollywood. According to her, Bollywood filmmakers might have demanded that she undress for a role in any film. In her post, Payal claimed that in Bollywood, female bodies are prioritized over creativity by filmmakers. Payal later faced criticism for her post from many users who called her less talented and unworthy of being cast in Bollywood films. ^[8]The Times of India
  

  Payal Ghosh’s post about Bollywood on X

• On 2 November 2023, Payal’s post on X attracted many viewers. In the post, she playfully extended a marriage proposal to Indian cricketer Mohammed Shami but with a condition. She mentioned that she would be open to becoming his second wife if he could improve his English speaking skills. ^[9]Times Now

#Shami Tum apna English sudharlo, I’m ready to marry you 🤣🤣

— Payal Ghoshॐ (@iampayalghosh) November 2, 2023