She ruled small screen for almost a decade with her tear jerking super mega serial 'Kyon Ki Saas Bhi Kabhu Bahu Thi' that became a phenomena in Indian Television. The most popular Indian Bahu Tulsi alias Smriti Irani has now entered filmdom and is doing a role in Telugu movie 'Jai Bholo Telangana'. Television to cinema could be a natural progression but what brings her to Telugu films and that too a movie on the formation of a seperate state?
"I was reccomended to the director of this movie N Shankar by a journalist. Shankar was looking for a neutral face to play a charecter of a woman who has lost a lot due to agitations. I heard the script and gave my nod immediately. For me, as long as the script is interesting, language doesn't matter. Infact, I just did a Bengali movie in which I play a woman who completes all her responsibilities towards her family and goes in pursuit of her own dreams. In Hindi, I got offers for mainstream cinema but were similar to my image in 'Kyon Ki..' which is why I rejected all of them." Irani reveals.
Smriti who has done an impressive research on Telangana and the sentiments in the region for her current movie assures that this cinema doesn't take sides for any particular region.However, she opines that the agitation for seperate state is genuine wish of the people in the region.
"Cinema doesn't take sides. If it does, it won't be successful. My mom worked in Vizag for sometime and I am aware of the agitations in the state. I have spoken to the people in the interiors of this region like Karimnagar, Warangal et al and realised that this agitation is genuine wish of people in grass root levels and not intellectual.The demand for seperate state is close their hearts" observes Irani who plans to tour the state on behalf of her party sometime soon.
Surprisingly, in both her Bengali and Telugu films, Smriti plays a old woman's charecter. Doesn't her de-glam image bother her?
"I played much older woman than I am playing now in 'Kyon Ki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi'. I am confident person and my on screen look doesn't matter to me"
Smriti who started her own TV production company is now producing Gujarati plays.She runs an NGO, and heads the Women's wing of BJP. Smriti confesses that her first love among all the different things she is doing now is her stint as politician as it gave her a chance to explore the remotest parts of this country and be a solution maker.
"I like be a politician because it took me to places where there isn't even transport facility. I saw the length and breadth of this country.Life is very rosy in the cities but equally tough in rural. My political life taught me a lot . I decided to take sanyas from acting in TV serials for the next two years because politics is a responsibility. I am heading the morcha of one of the biggest political parties in India.When my party needs me, I can't say I am busy shooting and can't come. For now politics is my priority" she says.
While she quite enjoys being a mother, Irani feels multi-tasking comes naturally to Indian women. She attributes her hassle free career to supportive joint family.
"My family has a history of working women. It is a joint family and so kids are taken care of even if I am travelling 25 days in a month.Our family knows how to balance work and family time quite well"
Irani is a confident woman who had to struggle immensely to be where she is today. She says she will never go out of work as she can always pick her threads up from where she left in TV. Despite the influx of reality and game shows, she believes Indian TV audience have not shifted their loyalty from family drama soap operas.
"Kyon Ki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi' was a decade worth of magic. It was a phenomena in this country. Even after so many years, the highest TRPs of most successful TV shows are lesser than the lowest ratings 'Kyon Ki' ever got. It is tough for any programme to break the record of retaining the highest ratings for one decade. TV audience in India have not changed much because human emotions are limited. When I am unemployed, I know I can go back to TV. I will never go out of work. My goal in life is to be better than yesterday in terms of work" she says signing off.
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