
Smriti Irani on why she's making a comeback, having proved her miscarriage, & 3 other revelations on Raj Shamani podcast
5 revelations Smriti Irani made on Raj Shamani's podcast
Returned to work three days after childbirth
Smriti Irani opened up about a deeply emotional and difficult period from her early television career while working on Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi, one of India's most popular daily soaps. She recalled returning to the set just three days after giving birth to her son, driven by the demanding production schedule and the high expectations of the show's dedicated audience. At that time, the fast-paced nature of TV left little space for personal recovery, and Smriti felt it was her duty to keep the show running smoothly without causing any delays.
Smriti Irani's miscarriage and how she was asked to show proof
During the shoot of Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi, Smriti Irani went through the traumatic experience of a miscarriage. Despite the immense physical and emotional strain, she chose to stay committed to her work, demonstrating extraordinary resilience. She recalled that producer Ravi Chopra granted her a short leave to recuperate, but the team at Ekta Kapoor's Balaji Telefilms couldn't afford a longer break due to the show's daily broadcast schedule. What made the situation even more painful was that some members of the crew accused her of faking the miscarriage to skip work. The allegations were so upsetting that Smriti felt she had no choice but to present her medical documents to Ekta Kapoor to validate the truth of her loss.
She wanted to clear her home loan ASAP
Smriti Irani recalled working non-stop until the very end of her ninth month of pregnancy, revealing that she had been instructed to shoot a backlog of 30 episodes and return to work after a month-long break. Despite warnings from her doctors and family, she continued shooting, determined to clear her home loan faster.
The actress was told she has been fired from Kuch Dil Se
While recovering in the hospital after giving birth, Smriti Irani was suddenly removed from her SAB TV talk show, Kuch Dil Se, even though she had pre-recorded a month's worth of episodes to accommodate her maternity leave.
However, she was hit with an unexpected blow. 'While I was still in the hospital after giving birth, I got a message saying, 'You're fired.' I had just shot an episode the day before. They waited for me to be admitted to the hospital before delivering the news and used my pre-recorded episodes to smoothly replace me,' she shared.
Smriti Irani talks about returning as Tulsi
When Raj Shamani asked Smriti Irani about making a comeback and whether she thought it would be fun, Smriti responded by asking him what his idea of fun was. Moments later, she spoke about how her character's weight was often discussed on the show, highlighting how easy it is to body shame women. She added that she is who she is, and Tulsi is what Ekta Kapoor envisions the character to be.
Talking about the comeback she said, "There's no dearth of work. I'm making a comeback for experience. Nobody gets to re-experience the same life from a new perspective. I'm getting that opportunity."
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Pink Villa
12 minutes ago
- Pink Villa
EXCLUSIVE: Will Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi's new season impact Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai? Samridhii Shukla responds
Samridhii Shukla has been impressing audiences with her portrayal of Abhira in Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai. Recently, Pinkvilla exclusively spoke to her to hear her thoughts on various topics. Samridhii Shukla discussed the speculation surrounding the new season of Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi and its impact on Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai's ratings, her views on reality shows, how she was almost rejected for Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai, and more. Excerpts from the interview: Will Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi's release impact Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai? Not at all. I don't think so at all. The show that has been running for almost 16 years has its own cult audience that has been watching diligently. There are so many people that I meet every now and then, who say that 'We have been watching Yeh Rishta since the time Hina was there.' They have grown up. Their kids have grown up watching the serial. I think this show has a cult audience that remains loyal to it, no matter what. Of course, Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi, I am sure, is going to get its own viewership, probably from the previous ones or the new ones. That we will find out. The time at which both of our shows will come has a lot of gap. We come at 9:30 and they are coming at 10:30. We are not even like consecutively coming after each other. So, I think that's not a botheration. Samridhii was almost rejected for Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai I was almost not selected for Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai. The call on getting me on board was very last-minute. Because another girl was almost final. I think they were about to do the contract, but she was almost finalised. Instinctively, they thought that they wanted to go for a second round with me. I came in and I did the second round and that's it. They found what they were looking for. Luckily, I got the chance. Samridhii on Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai ranking 1st on TRP chart One aspect of it is when we get TRP numbers, of course, it makes us happy. That's a security, that's validation. We know the show will go on if the TRP is good. Another aspect of it is - We don't work for TRPs as such. I don't work so that my show will come number 1 on TRP. I work so that I do a good scene, we have a good story, we have a nice chemistry or camaraderie with the other people, and the overall product is good. I do it for that. This is something which is not in our hands. Of course, when it comes, it makes us happy. I focus more on my performance." Samridhii on challenges of playing lead role It's safe to say that I work without any breaks. With that, I mean I don't get any offs, script-wise. I shoot 30 days a month, and if I am lucky, then 12 hours a day; otherwise, we extend shifts also. It is definitely taxing because, as a human, as a performer, you need time to recharge. I used to feel I needed time to recharge, and I needed more time to relax, and I would love that. The medium is such that it doesn't allow that much time. Since the story revolves around and from the perspective of the main lead, specifically the heroine so it's difficult for them to give me a leave. I understand where they are coming from. So it gets taxing in that way since it revolves around the heroine. I usually don't get off. The hero (Rohit Purohit) also works a lot, but he does get off sometimes. Was Garvita Sadhwani's exit pre-decided? I honestly wouldn't know if it was predecided or not. That is something that I know would have kept confidential from us, even if it was pre-decided. Only Garvita (Garvita Sadhwani) can tell. But many people are a part of our show, but they are nowhere to be seen currently. I am still hoping that they will be back somehow. Apart from Charu (Saloni Sandhu's character), it's shown that she has passed away. Apart from that, I think the writers would keep it open for all the characters to re-enter, like they did for Mohit. So I think there is a great possibility of everyone returning. If Garvita is confirming that she is exiting, then probably it must have been intimated to her, which I don't have no idea about. Will Samridhii Shukla do Bigg Boss or Khatron Ke Khiladi? Honestly, right now, I don't think so. I would be up for doing Khatron Ke Khiladi, but I really think that I am scared of too many things, and I will probably chicken out. I don't know, we will see about that. But for Bigg Boss, I am somebody, I don't want to be somebody who people know everything about. I don't know if that is going to change in the coming time. Right now, this is what I feel. Maybe 5-10 years down the line, I do feel that I want to be a part of it. This is what I feel currently. Did Samridhii Shukla experience casting couch? First of all, I never wanted to become an actor because of all the stories that you hear. So, I was very apprehensive. I think my father saw how talented I am because I used to voicing, and I think he thought that I could prove my mettle here also. I think that's the reason he pushed me and said, 'I'm there. If there's anything like that, I'm there.' So that kind of gave me an assurance that, okay, I have somebody to rely on. Honestly, I have never faced anything like that. But I remember a meeting with a coordinator of a South movie. I had gone there with my mom because I was very young. I must have just turned an adult or something, quite a few years back. And he referred to something as 'This is how it works in the South industry. Comprises and all, you have to do it.' I was like that's not going to work, that's not what I am here for. It was for a Telugu movie. Of course, I was not up for it, so I dropped that. I think most of these things we hear are from the Telugu industry because that's the most commercial part of the South industry. I don't know if it happens to everybody, but I know they hinted that like that. It's a thing that happens to people, depends on their choice if they want to or not. Stay tuned to Pinkvilla!


NDTV
2 hours ago
- NDTV
Ekta Kapoor On Anupamaa vs Kyunki...: "Pitting Women Against Each Other..."
New Delhi: Ekta Kapoor's cult show Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi, now Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi reboot, will have a premiere tonight on Star Plus as well as on a streaming giant. Smriti Irani AKA Tulsi Virani is set to make a grand comeback on television. Ahead of the premiere, producer Ekta Kapoor weighed in on the debate around Anupamaa vs Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi, gaining traction on the Internet. What's Happening Speaking to Brut, Ekta Kapoor said, "Yesterday I was seeing some videos of Anupamaa having a problem as Kyunki is coming. I felt that was in such bad taste." She added, "She [Rupali] is such a big star. Anupamaa the show, the creator Rajan... has done what nobody else could do in the last seven years. They will continue to be number 1. They should continue to be number 1." "We are coming in for our purpose. To tell our story. These unfair comparisons between lead characters and lead shows is so unnecessary and pitting women against each other, pitting content against each other is so uncalled for," Ekta concluded. For the unversed, Anupamaa is a show headlined by Rupali Ganguly. Banking on the immense popularity of the show, Rupali cemented her position as one of the highest-paid actresses of the Indian television. The show has been produced by Rajan Shahi. About The OG Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi Originally aired from July 2000 to November 2008 on Star Plus, Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi revolved around the ideal daughter-in-law, Tulsi Virani (played by Smriti Irani), the daughter of a pandit who marries Mihir, the grandson of business tycoon Govardhan Virani. Apart from Smriti and Amar Upadhyay, the show also featured Inder Kumar, Ronit Roy, Mandira Bedi and Achint Kaur. In an exclusive conversation with NDTV, Smriti Irani opened up how Ekta Kapoor's reboot version would appeal to the newer generation. She said, "The show spoke about marital rape and euthanasia 25 years ago, and those were not issues that were touched by even mainstream cinema. We did it commercially in a television slot which was meant for family viewing and family drama. You need to understand that 25 years ago, there was no pay parity, where your talent decided and not your gender about how much you will be paid. The fact that Ekta was given a 10:30 slot, which was a dead slot, we created prime time. But that was a female producer, so you had a female producer shunted to a 10:30 slot, they thought maybe you know, let's take a chance."


Indian Express
2 hours ago
- Indian Express
Amar Upadhyay reveals Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi will run for 10 months to a year: ‘Mihir has changed a bit, but his relation with Tulsi is the same'
Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi 2 returns to television tonight, 25 years after the original first aired. As the show returns, lead actor Amar Upadhyay, who reprises his role as Mihir Virani, spoke exclusively to SCREEN about his character, the changes in the latest installment of Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi, and his co-star Smriti Irani. Amar admitted he was in complete disbelief when the team at Balaji Telefilms reached out to him once again for Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi 2. He shared, 'I thought Tanu was joking, because there hadn't been any buzz about Kyunki before she called. Out of the blue, she called me to block my dates, and I asked who was playing Tulsi. She said Smriti and I asked, 'Does she have time? She is busy in politics.' I didn't believe her for the first five minutes, because it had been such a big show. Bringing it back is a big deal for Star Plus, Balaji, and all of us. It's a big responsibility. The kind of TRPs the show saw was unbelievable. It had a rating of 32; we had overtaken KBC in the first three months of release.' Talking about the excitement around Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi 2, the actor said, 'The Gen-Z is also excited and wants to see the show first-hand. They want to know what the fuss was all about, why their parents or grandparents were so crazy about this show. The font and the name are so nostalgic, then the music plays and it takes you back.' Also Read: Ekta Kapoor finds comparison between Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi and Anupamaa 'unfair': 'That's in such bad taste, They'll continue to be number 1' Amar Upadhyay is sharing screen space with Smriti Irani after 25 years in the Ekta Kapoor show. Reflecting on working with Smriti again, Amar said it felt as if he were meeting Tulsi all over again, just as she was 25 years ago, 'We lived as Mihir-Tulsi then, and we look superb together. She is very friendly, smart, and a great actor. We started where we left. This time when we met, she looked exactly like the Smriti I met back then. There is a slight difference, but she looks really good now. We have shot about 5-6 episodes, and she looks superb.' Sharing what the audience can expect from the new season of Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi, Amar revealed, 'The times have changed. So we have change accordingly. The boys and girls are different, the house is different, but the essence remains the same. The family values are intact. Smriti is just as she was with the kids, and Mihir is unchanged too. All of that will bring back the same old feeling, now with a fresh twist. The show has also been modernized.' A post shared by StarPlus (@starplus) Talking about his character Mihir, Amar added, 'Mihir is a bit changed in the way he moves around. He is a big businessman now. In season 1, he had done his MBA and returned to India to join his father's business. Now he is a very big businessman, busy exploring new business ideas. I have an angle there also, where he has gotten success and has gotten too big. But Smriti and my relation is just the way it was. The new kids come in, and with them, we have some differences, which is a different track altogether.' Amar Updahyay also revealed that Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi 2 will be a finite show this time. He said, 'While the buzz is strong, so far it looks like a finite series as far as I know. Maybe the show will run for a maximum of 10 months to a year.' Other than Amar, Smriti Irani, Hiten Tejwani, Gauri Pradhan, Shakti Anand, Ketki Dave, and Kamalika Guha Thakurta, the new actors who have joined the show are Rohit Suchanti, Aman Gandhi, and Shagun Sharma. Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi 2 airs on TV from July 29 at 10:30 pm on Star Plus. Nawaz Kochra is an enthusiastic entertainment journalistic for the last 9 years, he has been a known face and successfully worked with some big publications. At Nawaz majorly covers TV and OTT and also does video interviews. Having the best conversations with celebrities is what Nawaz loves. ... Read More