Smriti Irani dismisses rumours about strained relations with Apara Mehta
Subhash K Jha
Smriti Irani has been controversy's child (or should be say bahu?). Be it the Rekha Modi episode, or more recently the Apara Mehta one… Irani could have been in the news for better reasons. But the actress remains unfazed.
Speaking about her allegedly spoilt relationship with her Kyunki… co-star Apara Mehta, she says: "I have so much to do. Where do I have the time for fights and cold wars? Really, I've nothing to say about this. I mind my business and avoid controversies. I don't know who is spreading all these rumours. And I'd rather spend my energy on my work instead of on these absurd controversies. And why would I get into any situation with Apara Mehta? She's my senior. My contemporaries are Shweta Tiwari and Sakshi Tanwar. There's no parallel between my career and Aparaji's. Let others live their own lives."
She continues: "I've always worked in a spirit of trust and friendship. I've made the Kyunki… set my home away from home. I do get hurt when such rumours are started."
For now though Irani will be stepping into Ba's shoes . That will happen on Ekta Kapoor's birthday on June 7 in Kyunki...
The hunt to find a new Tulsi is on in Delhi and Chandigarh and apparently the producers have received 60,000 applications but no one seems to fit the bill.
However Irani is oblivious of these developments. "I'll know about it when Ekta tells me. I haven't sat down with her to discuss the character's growth," she chuckles.
Playing Ba is a challenge that Smriti is all set to take on. She says: "Of course I'm too young for the matriarch's role. But I look upon it as a challenge. Anyway, I'm playing my age on stage. I've no qualms about ageing on screen."
She continues: "Glamorous actresses like Sharmila Tagore, Hema Malini, Rekha, Karisma Kapoor and even Preity Zinta have greyed on screen. So it's no big deal. Today's audience appreciates an actor's commitment. I don't whiten my hair to play Tulsi. But my body language suggests the character's age. I'd like to focus on minute details before ageing further for the show."
She continues: "The truth of television is that the producer-director is king. Every actor is replaceable. I value Ekta's confidence in me. She once said that she unconsciously chose an actress who was as close to Tulsi as possible. I identify completely with Tulsi except that Tulsi tolerated another woman in her husband's life. I'd have walked out. None of us have Tulsi's patience. I wish I did."
• I don't know who is spreading all these rumours. And I'd rather spend my energy on my work instead of on these absurd controversies
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