‘My father said marry whoever…’

Actor-Roler politician Smriti Irani recently opened a harsh criticism of his career in his early years ago. Speaking about him with Soha Ali Khan at his podcast, Smriti remembered that he was labeled as a “terrible actor, despite his popularity as Tulsi Virani in Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi.

“Everywhere I was going, they would say that he was a terrible actor… The male actor was getting more money than me,” he said. Smriti also announced that his first job was on the streets of Delhi on the streets of Janpath and that he won 200 RS a day. He shared that he borrowed money from his father who gave him an ultimatum: “I will give you a year and if you can’t pay back me, if I tell you to get married, get married.”

When we looked back, Smriti told him that he was called “part -time politician and full -time actor 25 years ago. He said to his father, “I will live the rest of my life as the wife of someone. 17 years as a girl. When will I live for myself?” He asked.

When Tulsi was asked what Tulsi would recommend 25 years ago today, Smriti said, “Get a better salary,” he said. Smriti also reflected in his political journey in 2004, reminding his first elections at the age of 27: “Hardcore is not training to understand politics, no academic adventure.”

Born in a Marathi-Punjabi-Bengali family in Delhi, Smriti started his career in 1994 as a model and actor before he entered politics in 2003. Tulsi became a home name as Virani, and later defeated Rahul Gandhi in Amethi in the 2019 Delik Sabha elections. However, in the 2024 survey, the congress candidate lost his place to Kl Sharma.

Recently, Smriti has returned to television and Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu repeated his iconic role as Tulsi Virani in the restart of Thi, and Amar Uphayay returned as a mihir.