Small screen actress and Information and Broadcasting Minister Smriti Irani said that she was once rejected from the television. She says that the producer Ekta Kapoor chose her to play the lead role in the most popular television show with a title ‘Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi’ and despite that her team had rejected her by saying that she is not fit for the television.
Yesterday, at the 17th Indian Television Academy Awards, Smriti conferred the ITA Pride of Indian Television award. During the event, she says that she is associated with the television for over 20 years now and she says that the television gave her the platform from where she has entered into the Indian Political space and she will always be grateful for that. Remembering her old days, she said that Ekta Kapoor spotted her among the many young girls who all had come to the audition and Ekta selected her despite her whole team were having an objection that she is not fit for the television.
Moreover, she says that in 2007 when she was doing the anchoring at the ITA Awards where she had invited as the Information and Broadcasting Minister on the stage. She feels that the whole life has come as a full circle for her as she was invited on the stage as the serving Information and Broadcasting Minister.
She rose the popularity form her show titled ‘Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi’, where she played the role of a Tulsi Virani. The show was launched at the start of the millennium and that show had the long run of over 1800 episodes. At the ITA Award event, they both (Ekta Kapoor and Smriti Irani) have spent most of the time together. Producer Ekta Kapoor even clicked a selfie along with the Smriti and she has even posted on the social media.
However, Ekta Kapoor said that there was one episode related to Smriti Irani and in that episode, she has to narrate the story. She used to call her nanny as Amma and she was such a big fan of the show that every night she would narrate the happenings from the show to her. One day Ekta took her along on the sets to meet Smriti and as soon as Smriti saw her she bowed down and touch her feet. Ekta says that this image of hers will remain with her forever.
Jeetendra, Ekta Kapoor’s father, and veteran actor also spoke about the actress Smriti Irani. He said that her memories along with Smriti is from the show ‘Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi’ and still those memories are very fresh. He says that her dedication to her craft was exemplary and it was evident from her early days that she was cut only for the bigger things. In the award ceremony, we have even seen that the web series ‘Inside Edge’ wins the Best Web series. The award for the best drama serial goes to the P.O.W: Bandi Yuddh Ke and the best serial award goes to the show titled ‘Ishqbaaz’ and the best serial in the comedy goes to the show ‘Bhabhiji Ghar Par Hain’. However, the best Historical and the Mythological award goes to the show title ‘Karmaphal Daata Sahni and the nest Thriller/ Horror award goes to the show ‘Dev’.