 "Firstpost at FICCI | Smriti Irani on coming back for Ektaa R Kapoor's 'Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi 2.0': 'I was beginning a political journey and...'")
Smriti Irani and Ektaa R Kapoor reunited after 25 years for Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi 2.0, and the viewership has been mighty impressive ever since it has come back on the small screens. And this lethal duo came together for the 25th Annual FICCI Frames and spoke about bringing the 2.0 version of an iconic and contagious show that became a part of the pop culture.
Talking about reprising her role as Tulsi, Smriti Irani , now a politician, said, “I was beginning a political journey right from the grass roots, while many actors were parachuting themselves right to top positions.”
She added, “What is fascinating is that 25 years later, I come back to a craft with a creator who herself has had a tremendous journey, not restricted to one medium on board of communication.”
On her journey as Tulsi
This journey is also reflective of how far she has come as a creator, and that creator has also become a friend, because it’s an actor 25 years ago, you could speak to the creator of the show from a limited perspective.
You had an opinion on a scene, but you never had an opinion on a storyline because you will never share an opinion on a storyline with the Ekta Kapoor. But after 25 years, it is interesting to watch her get amused when I have an opinion on a storyline
On the show’s TRPs
For me, when I look back at the 25-year journey, creatively, 25 years ago, we set standards in ratings. 25 years hence, we are now setting standards in storytelling on the same video. 25 years ago, we had a producer who had the capacity to tell a story at a slot which was considered dead. We had a producer who made a legend out of a 30 minute slot.
Smriti Irani’s painful memory amid ‘Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi’ reboot
In a chat with Neelesh Misra on his show, The Slow Interview, Irani opened up “I was not aware that I am pregnant. I was on the set of Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi, and I told them I am not well enough to shoot and asked to be allowed to go home. But still, I worked, and by the time they let me go, it was evening already. The doctor suggested I go for sonography. On my way, I started bleeding, and I remember it was raining. I stopped an auto and asked the driver to take me to the hospital. I reached the hospital, a nurse came running to ask for an autograph, while I was bleeding. I gave her the autograph, and asked her, ‘Admit kar loge, I think I am miscarrying.”