Rupali Barua is a fashion entrepreneur from Guwahati, Assam. You may know her as the wife of veteran actor Ashish Vidyarthi. But she built her own name long before that. She ran a clothing brand in the UK. She lost her first husband. Then she built a boutique in Kolkata from scratch.
In this post, we cover her real age, her family, her first marriage, and how she met Ashish Vidyarthi. We also share fresh details that most sites miss, straight from Ashish and Rupali’s own words.
Quick Facts About Rupali Barua
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Rupali Barua (also spelled Rupali Barooah) |
| Date of Birth | April 21, 1973 |
| Age (2026) | 53 years |
| Birthplace | Guwahati, Assam, India |
| Nationality | Indian, with British citizenship |
| Profession | Fashion entrepreneur, boutique owner |
| Husband | Ashish Vidyarthi (actor) |
| Height | 5 feet 7 inches (170 cm) |
| Net Worth | Roughly ₹8 crore (estimate, not confirmed) |
Rupali Barua’s Early Life and Family
Rupali was born on April 21, 1973, in Guwahati. She grew up in Assam and went to St. Mary’s Higher Secondary School there.
Her father was Ambika Barua. He has passed away. Her mother, Kamali Barua, is still with the family. Rupali has one sister, Meghali Barua. Meghali works as a healthcare professional in Kolkata, and the two sisters share a close bond.
What Is Rupali Barua’s Education?
Rupali studied Anthropology at a high level. She earned her B.A. in Anthropology from Cotton University in Guwahati. After that, she completed her M.A. in Anthropology from Gauhati University.
Rupali Barua’s Career: From Fashion Brand in the UK to a Boutique in Kolkata
Rupali’s work life started in the United Kingdom, not in India.
In 2010, she co-founded a clothing brand called Reel and Weave in Birmingham, UK, along with her first husband. The company was officially registered in 2014. But it shut down in 2016, the same year her husband passed away.
After that loss, Rupali moved back to India. She started fresh in Kolkata with a new venture called NAMEG. It’s a handloom boutique that focuses on traditional Indian textiles like sarees and mekhela chadors. Rupali models many of the pieces herself and shares the looks on her Instagram.
She also co-owns a café in Kolkata called Café Na-Ru-Meg. The name is made from the first letters of its three founders. It’s her way of mixing business with her love for food and people.
What Happened to Rupali Barua’s First Husband?
Before Ashish Vidyarthi, Rupali was married to Dr. Mitam Barooah, a British doctor. The couple lived together in the UK, which is also how Rupali came to hold British citizenship.
Sadly, Dr. Barooah passed away. Public reports don’t confirm the exact cause of his death. His passing led Rupali to close their UK business and move back to India with her daughter to rebuild her life.
Rupali has a daughter from this first marriage. Most reports name her as Rushka, though Rupali keeps her daughter’s life largely private and away from the media.
How Did Rupali Barua Meet Ashish Vidyarthi?
This is the part most fan pages get wrong or leave vague. Here is what both of them have actually said in interviews.
Ashish Vidyarthi and Rupali met sometime around 2022, after Ashish’s first marriage had ended. Speaking to the Times of India, Ashish kept it simple and said their story was a “long story” he’d share another time. Rupali, on the other hand, gave a warmer answer. She said, “We met some time ago and decided to take it forward. But both of us wanted our wedding to be a small family affair.” She also called Ashish “a beautiful human being and a great soul to be with.”
Before Rupali, Ashish was married to actor Rajoshi Barua (also known as Piloo), the daughter of veteran Bengali actress Shakuntala Barua. Ashish and Rajoshi were together for 22 years and share a son, Arth. In a heartfelt Instagram video after his second wedding, Ashish explained the split wasn’t bitter. He said, “We felt how we saw the future was different from one another… let’s walk separately but remain amicable.” Reports at the time also mentioned Ashish’s separation followed a period of personal strain in the marriage, though he never spoke about it in detail publicly.
Rupali Barua and Ashish Vidyarthi’s Wedding Day
Rupali married Ashish Vidyarthi on May 25, 2023, at a club in Kolkata. It was a small court marriage in the morning, followed by a family get-together in the evening.
The outfits told their own story. Rupali wore a white and golden mekhela chador, the traditional dress of Assam, paired with gold temple jewellery. Ashish wore a white and gold mundu, a nod to his father’s roots in Kerala. Only close family and friends were at the ceremony.
Ashish summed up the day simply: “At this stage of my life, getting married to Rupali is an extraordinary feeling.”
Did Ashish Vidyarthi Face Backlash for Marrying Again?
Yes, and he didn’t stay quiet about it. After the wedding news spread, Ashish faced online trolling over his age. He later hit back in an interview, saying, “I read words like ‘buddha-khoosat (old)’ and many more derogatory words,” and asked plainly if he wasn’t allowed to be happy at his age. It’s a side of the story most biography pages skip, but it shows how the couple handled public pressure with honesty instead of silence.
Read: Sana Sultan Khan: Bio, Age, Husband, Net Worth, And Her Life Now?
Rupali Barua’s Family Now: Children and Stepson
Rupali became a stepmother the day she married Ashish. Here’s her full family picture today:
- Daughter: Rushka, from her first marriage.
- Stepson: Arth Vidyarthi, Ashish’s son from his first marriage. Arth was born in 2000 and now works as a software engineer based in the United States.
Ashish Vidyarthi: Rupali Barua’s Husband Now
So who exactly is the man Rupali married? Ashish Vidyarthi is one of Indian cinema’s most recognised character actors.
He was born on June 19, 1962, in Delhi, which makes him around 64 years old in 2026. He won the National Film Award for Best Supporting Actor for Drohkaal in 1995, and has since acted in over 300 films across 11 languages, including Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, and Bengali. His recent work includes Kill, Vedaa, Aavesham, and the web series Rana Naidu.
Beyond acting, Ashish now runs a popular YouTube channel with vlogs and motivational talks, and he leads leadership workshops under his initiative AVID MINER Conversations. His estimated net worth is around $5 million.
Rupali Barua’s Height and Physical Stats
Rupali stands 5 feet 7 inches tall (170 cm). She has black hair and brown eyes. Details like her exact weight aren’t publicly shared, which is common for entrepreneurs who stay away from the spotlight.
Rupali Barua’s Net Worth
Rupali’s estimated net worth is around ₹8 crore, based on her fashion business and café. Some sources put her earlier personal worth lower, closer to $500,000, before her boutique grew. Since she runs a private business, an exact figure isn’t public, so treat any number here as an estimate, not a confirmed fact.
Lesser-Known Facts About Rupali Barua
- She holds dual citizenship: Indian and British, thanks to her years in the UK with her first husband.
- Her UK company, Reel and Weave, shut down the same year her first husband passed away.
- She models her own saree collection for her NAMEG Instagram page.
- She enjoys traveling and dancing, and often posts short dance and lip-sync clips online.
- Her sister Meghali works at a hospital in Kolkata, and the two remain close.
- She and Ashish share a love for food. Ashish is known for his food vlogs across Kolkata.
FAQs on Rupali Barua
Who is Rupali Barua? She is an Indian fashion entrepreneur from Guwahati who owns the boutique NAMEG and co-owns a café in Kolkata. She is also the wife of actor Ashish Vidyarthi.
How old is Rupali Barua in 2026? She is 53 years old. She was born on April 21, 1973.
Who is Rupali Barua’s husband now? Her husband now is actor Ashish Vidyarthi. They married on May 25, 2023.
Who was Rupali Barua’s first husband? Her first husband was Dr. Mitam Barooah, a British doctor. He passed away, and the exact cause has not been made public.
Does Rupali Barua have kids? Yes. She has a daughter, Rushka, from her first marriage. She is also a stepmother to Ashish Vidyarthi’s son, Arth.
How did Rupali Barua meet Ashish Vidyarthi? They met around 2022 after Ashish’s first marriage ended. Both have said they wanted a quiet start and a small wedding.
What is Rupali Barua’s net worth? Her estimated net worth is around ₹8 crore, based on her fashion and café businesses. This figure is not officially confirmed.
What is Rupali Barua’s height? She is 5 feet 7 inches tall (170 cm).
Is Rupali Barua on Instagram? Yes, she posts under the handle linked to her boutique NAMEG, where she shares her saree looks and family moments.
What does Rupali Barua’s stepson Arth do? Arth Vidyarthi, born in 2000, now works as a software engineer in the United States.