A national level gymnast, Panchali won the Miss Guwahati pageant at the mere age of 14. In 2000, she won the Gladrags Mega Model Hunt in the North India division, and reached the Top 5 position. After moving to Mumbai, Gupta has worked in several print ads, including Charagh Din, and has walked the ramp for chorographers like Lubna Adams and Achala Sachdev. Last seen in the Madhur Bhandarkar-directed Fashion, Panchali has worked in films such as Sivaji, Shakalaka Boom Boom, Jai Veeru and Rocking Meera.

When it comes to the type of roles Panchali would like to see herself doing in the future, she says, “My dream role would be the role Angelina Jolie played in the movie Gia.” Her favourite actors include Imran Khan and Akshay Kumar, and she speaks of the director she’d like to work with, saying, “I would love to work with Imtiaz Ali and Farhan Akhtar. I love their style of filmmaking and storytelling. Experimental cinema really grips me, and I see myself doing such type of films.”

At the moment, Panchali is busy with her current commitments, and says, “Right now, I am busy with a lot of fashion shows. I am in talks with a lot of people, but there’s nothing I can talk of as such. I still have to think about my next project, and early next year, there should be some real good news on my professional front.”