After quitting acting to venture into politics, Smriti Irani is making her comeback on the screen with the same show that made her a household name 25 years ago–Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi (KSBKBT). And while this is her second innings on screen, she doesn’t see it that way. “The idea with bringing the show back is to give back to a community of viewers who made it as historic as the product is. The idea is to reconnect with the emotion. We, as individuals, have been through so much in our own journeys in the past 25 years. How will that reflect in the creation, and the relationships that are lived through the story, that is something that as a creative person I look forward to,” she says.
With the show being a part of Indian television history, it can be easy to feel pressured by the legacy of it, but Smriti Irani asserts it is necessary to not look at that. “Irrespective of the TRP, we've already set that bar and I'm not in the project because I want to revisit that bar. We were at 31 in terms of TRP and I don't think anybody is getting to that standard. For us, it’s ‘been there, done that;. Should we hold others to that same standard? No, because it's impossible for anybody to meet,” she says.
The first look and promo of KSBKBT reboot garnered a lot of buzz online and the actor-politician is no stranger to it. “The impact was such that I have people telling me even in Delhi that they were actually discussing that how did the channel know that this is what the audience wants and how did this come out in the first promo itself? Even the promo is actually at the crossroads of the real and reel life. So that is an indication that the makers are changing the landscape,” she says, adding, “The fact that just one promo could encapsulate that whole generation is amazing. I am told that there is such a resonance with even the opening title song. Everybody is asking me ‘how are you going to shoot that’. I have no idea. I've had people come from property tech platforms going on to Instagram to say, Ekta Kapoor showed us this is how you showcase property.”
Smriti lauds her producer Ektaa R Kapoor for bringing about a change in the visual medium with the first run of KSBKBT. “For her, the protagonist was a female, and this was at a time where female protagonists as leads were not very popular. It was a difficult decision, but then to make it centre stage for consumption, make it a foundation and for many producers and creators to follow suit, is nothing less than historic, and that too for a female producer,” she says.
{{/usCountry}}Smriti lauds her producer Ektaa R Kapoor for bringing about a change in the visual medium with the first run of KSBKBT. “For her, the protagonist was a female, and this was at a time where female protagonists as leads were not very popular. It was a difficult decision, but then to make it centre stage for consumption, make it a foundation and for many producers and creators to follow suit, is nothing less than historic, and that too for a female producer,” she says.
{{/usCountry}}While people point out the regressive nature of Indian television’s content, Smriti asserts that Ektaa actually combatted it 25 years ago. “When you talk about today’s generation, what are the conversations about in the professional sector? It’s about pay parity and having better work conditions for women. That is something we took care of 25 years ago. It did not matter what my gender was. What mattered was what do I deliver as an actor? What is the hallmark of your talent, and you will get paid accordingly. I had two kids in my journey on KSBKBT. So we've had a production together, which thought about how do you make sure that if Smriti Irani is having a baby and if something happens, how quickly can we drive to the hospital? We actually measured the distance between the set and the hospital,” she shares.
But does she feel bogged down by the ‘regressive’ tag associated with Indian TV? “Ektaa actually had to take the burden of it as I was busy working. I don't know why, things that are being discussed today of what the show stood for then, was not highlighted at the time. But if you look back in hindsight, we actually stood for things which were not a part of the popular medium, and we did it with elan and we did it without being preachy,” she responds, adding that with this show, they aim to bring in a new era. “I'm very proud that we are actually in the game of telling the world that Indian television still rocks,” she ends.