Former MP and actor Smriti Irani sat down for an exclusive interview with Shiv Aroor, Managing Editor, NDTV, a day after the first promo of the Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi reboot was dropped by the makers.
Smriti Irani is stepping back into the shoes of her fan-favourite character Tulsi Virani from the popular soap opera which first aired on Star Plus 25 years ago. Original producer Ekta Kapoor is backing the reboot of the series.
Asked whether she was nervous to return as the OG TV bahu, Smriti Irani said, "I'm a politician, nothing that you throw at me will make me nervous ever."
Referring to herself as a "full-time politician, part-time actor", Smriti Irani said she has always juggled her acting assignments and political responsibilities simultaneously.
"Just like many politicians are part-time lawyers, part-time teachers, part-time journalists. I just happen to be a part-time actor. I've done it simultaneously, which is what I think is difficult to grasp.
"Like I said, the only difference between me and my other political workers is they are part-time lawyers, and there's no videographer along with them. There's no makeup person along with them, there's a script writer. It's just that we're all from different locations. I'm just the one in the spotlight," she added.
How does it feel to be back on screen, from where it all began?
"For a 49 year old to have a 25 year run, not only in media, but also politics... That is a blessed run, because in our country's history, never has somebody managed to, with God's blessings, managed to be successful in both these very competitive fields. And more so, if you're a woman to be at the top of the game continuously for two and a half decades in media and politics is no mean feat. But that is also somewhere where destiny and luck has had a role to play," she said.
Smriti Irani As Tulsi Virani in Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi reboot.
The actor-politician, however, pointed out that there is a "huge difference" between how TV is perceived today and how it was positioned 25 years ago.
"Most individuals that are associated with television do not get the respect that we deserve as an industry in terms of the revenues that we generate, in terms of the impact that we create... If you look at the numbers, last year, television itself generated a revenue up to Rs 30,000 crore. OTT, which is now a very integral part of how stories are told in our country, generated close to Rs 24,000 crore worth of revenue.
"To have a creative force get unleashed across both these platforms, in terms of revenue, means an impact that we will create in a Rs 55,000 odd crore market. When the Prime Minister speaks about creative industries and how India can leverage its economic sociocultural potential in such a market force is a defining feature. We are very proud that it is one such of not only commercial success, but also cultural impact," she said.
As someone who represents the confluence of television and politics, Smriti Irani said television is viewed as the "last rung" in the entertainment chain.
"Movies get the biggest amount of I think I was respect or fascination. OTT stars now have their own sensibilities, which are being celebrated across. Television still gets a little bit of the stepmother treatment. (I would think) How can I bring it the respect that it truly deserves?
"Because this is not an easy job. We have to be working straight for 12 hours a day. This is not a job that gives you a longevity of career. You have to prove your talent every day. This is a field which employs close to what 2.5 million people in our country. These facets of our industry have never been spoken upon," she said.
Smriti Irani became a household name with her portrayal of Tulsi Irani, the ideal daughter-in-law from Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi, who went on to be embraced by families across the country. Smriti Irani took on a bigger role in India's political landscape when she was sworn in as the Minister of Human Resource Development in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's first Cabinet back in 2014.
"I'm mindful of the fact that I became a part of families. I became a part of individual lives... To oscillate between the real and the real world and still maintain that individual entity... You are a part of larger organisations.
"When you're a part of, let's say, both BJP or a television network, you are just one (part) of a larger ecosystem... And in that crowd, to still maintain your individual identity, to still create that individual impact that humbles you. You want to ensure that you're still relatable to people..."
The actor-politician said her journey feels relatable to many people because they have seen her journey from an actor to a political leader.
"You always want to ensure that that relatability stays for that individual, and for that it is very essential that you're mindful of that responsibility, that people should not feel that they're alienated. They should not feel that even if they disagree with some of your views, they would still want to hear your views. So the fact that you're a conversation starter. Humility has to be at the centre," she added.
Before she became an actor, she worked as a stringer for a TV news network, an executive producer on a news bulletin, and also covered elections in the late '90s. When she was making inroads in politics, Smriti Irani, 49, said there was also a common perception that actors are not very serious about constitutional service.
"I wanted to be the one that possibly showcases the genuine, basic capacity of somebody from my industry and from the media fraternity, because I didn't mean it only as an actor. I had seen many facets of the industry... So I went from news to GEC (general entertainment channel), and my political journey was also simultaneous," she said.
As a popular actor, Smriti Irani said she had the facility of being parachuted, but she wanted something else.
"... I wanted the respect of my colleagues, so I worked from the grassroots all the way up, because I value what my colleagues brought to the table from villages across India, from various professions across India.
"I was conscious of the fact that if you want a very robust political system in your country, then the best of all professions should come into active politics so to manage and balance between all those aspirations and all those conscious decisions, that is why I led my political life the way I did," she added.
Despite a lot of popularity, Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi was often criticised by naysayers for propagating a patriarchal view of society.
But, Smriti Irani said she couldn't care less.
"The criticism was not constructive because the show spoke about marital rape, euthanasia, and literacy 25 years ago. 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.
"So whoever possibly took umbrage to Ekta as an individual, you need to understand that 25 years ago, there was nothing called pay parity. We brought pay parity where your talent decided, and not your gender, how much you would get paid. The fact that Ekta was given a 10.30 pm slot, that was a dead slot. We created prime time, but that was a female producer... To build from scratch from there, to create a genre out of there is something today," she added.
The actor and political leader also had a message for her trolls.
"If you are in public life, you have to be ready for it. You cannot say that, Oh, I'll be shy while just because you're attacking me. You can't leverage the victim card. You have to be ready for it. You also have to understand that you're at a higher plane in life, where you recognise that this may be somebody's way of venting, maybe possibly emanating from a challenge they are facing in their public life or their private life, and they don't know how to respond. So you just take it with a pinch of salt."
Also Read | Smriti Irani Reveals What Kyunki Reboot Will Be Like: "Ekta Kapoor Knows She Is..."
