'Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi is a side project’: Smriti Irani clears she is full-time politician and part-time actor

Smriti Irani talked about her upcoming show Kyuki Saans Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi reboot, in which she will play Tulsi Virani.

Smriti Irani is all set to return to television with the reboot of the iconic television show Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi. In an interview with NDTV, the actor turned politician talked about her journey in both fields and shared her take on how she is going to take on the show forward. Smriti described herself as a full-time politician and a part-time actor.

Smriti Irani's first look as Tulsi Virani from Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi reboot.

What Smriti said

During the interaction, Smriti said, “[Kyunki Saans Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi] It is a side project. For most consumers, the project is not one individual, it's always a group of actors coming together. A group of writers coming together. I am, very humbly so, the most recognisable face out of that mix of people but I am a full time politician and a part-time actor. Just like many politicians who are part-time lawyers, part-time teachers, part-time journalists. I just happen to be doing it simultaneously, which is difficult to grasp. I am just the one in the spotlight.”

A member of the Bharatiya Janata Party, she had been a member of Indian parliament from 2011 to 2024, serving in the Rajya Sabha from Gujarat from 2011 to 2019 and from 2019 to 2024 as a member of the Lok Sabha from the Amethi constituency in Uttar Pradesh.

‘The show spoke about marital rape’

She went on to add that she is not bothered about the critics of the show who say that the show glamorises patriarchy. “Couldn't care less, because the criticism was not constructive or informed. The show spoke about marital rape 25 years ago. The show about adult literacy 25 years ago. The show spoke about euthanasia 25 years ago. Those were issues that were not even touched by mainstream cinema, and we did it commercially in a television slot which was meant for family viewing. One needs to understand 25 years there was nothing called pay parity we brought pay parity where one's talent and not gender decided how much one would get paid. Ektaa [Kapoor] was given 10:30 slot, which was a dead slot and we created prime time.”

The serial will air from July 29 at 10.30 pm on Star Plus and JioHotstar.