Actor and minister Smriti Irani went back in time to recall the shoot for her first scenes from hit TV show Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi as the show completed 20 years. She made a special mention of producer Ekta Kapoor’s confidence in her.
Smriti spoke how nervous she was and wrote as she shared a video: “20 years ago this was possibly one of my first scenes with Sudha Aunty. I raced through my lines, nervous as hell coz @ektarkapoor was called to the shooting floor by the director who told her the project was a sure shot flop since the girl cast as Tulsi did not have the talent to see it through.”
She recalled the moment when she told Ekta that she would play the character as she thought fit and wrote: “Upon enquiring why I was not unleashing my full potential as an actor I told her ‘can I play the character as I deem fit instead of being told how to emote?’ I promised her I’d take help of every colleague possible if I felt I can’t measure up alone. EK said done and the rest was TV history.”
She then thanked everybody, from her producer to actors, who helped her through her journey as Tulsi. “ Today 2 decades later in absentia I say thank you for the belief @ektarkapoor , thank you @monishasinghkatial for first refusing to cast me & then supporting me all the way. Thank you to the ever changing Mihir from @amarupadhyay_official to dada @ronitboseroy . To kids like @karishmaktanna @ihansika @masumimewawalla @mounirooy & all those I have not been able to name. To bahus ranging from @gpradhan @shilpa_saklani_official & sons @meetsumeet18 @hitentejwani , Sandeep Baswana… & many more relationships I lived on screen who are friends for life,” she wrote.
She also thanked the actors who played the villains onscreen and said: “To @mandirabedi & @jaya.bhattacharya who were the best on screen villains possibly and absolute sweethearts off screen. Many more who were a part of the journey .. I cherish every moment & specially am grateful to the viewers who kept our passions alive.#20yearsofkyunkiisaasbhikabhibahuthi.”
Ekta Kapoor’s serial was unveiled on July 3, 2000 and turned out to be a mega hit on Star Plus. It ran till November 6, 2008. The serial , in many ways, set Ekta and her Balaji Telefilms as a powerhouse on Indian television
Some of her fellow actors from TV wrote back in the comments section. Actor Hiten Tejwani wrote: “To all the relationships we lived …Thank u.” Amey Pandya said, “Proud to be a part of this! Young Eklavya will always be a part of me.”
