Smriti Irani recalls working at McDonald’s for ₹1800 per month, shares how Ekta Kapoor cast her as Tulsi Virani
Smriti Irani shared that she used to work as a cleaner at McDonald’s for ₹1800 a month when she was cast as Tulsi Virani in Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi.
Union Minister Smriti Irani, during an interview with Curly Tales’ Kamiya Jani, recalled working as a cleaner at India’s first McDonald’s outlet. She further shared how Ekta Kapoor cast her as Tulsi Virani in the daily soap Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi.
Read| Smriti Irani revisits Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi days: ‘Some said I cried a lot, many got exasperated by histrionics’. Watch
The actor-turned-politician shared how she got the lead role in the Star Plus show. “That [Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi] didn’t happen because of persona or personality or anything else. An astrologer was sitting in Ekta Kapoor’s office, who saw me from afar, asked them to stop me.”
She added, “The astrologer’s name was Janardhan… I had gone there to sign a contract for a role as an extra playing someone’s sister. However, I wasn’t aware that Ekta Kapoor was sitting with the astrologer behind the curtain. When the astrologer saw me, he suggested to Ekta that she work with me, saying that I was going to be a big face in the country. As soon as he finished speaking, Ekta came out and asked me what I was signing.”
Irani further added, “I was getting paid around ₹1200-1300 per day as per the contract. At that time, I was doing a cleaner’s job at McDonald’s, where I was getting paid ₹1800 a month. So getting ₹1200 a day was much better than getting ₹1800 a month.”
Also Read| International Women’s Day 2024: Smriti Irani’s special post for ‘all women who emerged from…’
The minister also shared that Kapoor tore her contract and gave her a new one. “Kapoor told me that she was making a show Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi, and offered me the role of Tulsi. She then asked me about my salary and increased the amount from ₹1200 a day to ₹1800 a day.”
Watch the video here:
The video was shared a few hours ago by Curly Tales on YouTube. It has since collected over three lakh views and the numbers are still increasing. Many even took to the comments section of the post to share their thoughts.
Check out a few reactions to this video here:
“I always get inspired by her interviews and I just love the rawness of her,” expressed an individual.
Another added, “One of the best episodes. So much authenticity and splendid yesteryear stories. She’s such an intellectual woman.”
“I watched almost all the episodes, and this is amazing. This is my favourite one. I loved it,” shared a third.
A fourth wrote, “Loved this episode - I can never get tired of listening to Smriti Irani; her immaculate style and persona is simply awesome! She is full of wit, reality and wisdom!”
“What a fab interview! Didn’t skip even a single second. Took notes of all the food joints. She is a true foodie,” posted a fifth.