Makeover for Smriti; new Tulsi yet to be found
Mumbai, June 5 (IANS) 'Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi' producer Ekta Kapoor is yet to find a new Tulsi for the much-talked about changeover of Smriti Irani to Ba on June 7 - and there are 60,000 aspirants.
But, according to Ekta, none fills the bill.
The original Tulsi 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 graph,' she chuckles during a phone interview from Lucknow. She has been travelling in Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal and Tamil Nadu in connection with her Bharatiya Janata Party activities.
Smriti has also been bombarded by queries about her supposedly sour relations with 'Kyunki...' co-star Apara Mehta.
'Here I am with so much to do...where do I have the time for fights and cold wars? Really, I've nothing to say about this. I don't get into any controversy. I've no idea where (these stories) come from.
'I'd rather use my energies for my work than these absurd controversies. If I wasn't successful I wouldn't have been part of these controversies. And why would I get into any situation with Apara? She's my senior. There're no parallels in my career and Apara's,' Smriti maintained.
She closed the issue on a positive note.
'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 talk happens. But I don't allow the hurt to show,' she asserted.
Playing Ba is a challenge Smriti is up to.
'Of course I'm too young for the matriarch's role. But I look at the role as a compliment. I'm playing my age in my plays. It's during these straight-off interactions with the audience that one comes to know one's true level as an actor,' she said.
As Ba, Smriti is going to age accordingly.
'I've no qualms about aging on screen. We've seen very glamorous actresses like Sharmila Tagore, Hema Malini, Rekha and even Karisma Kapoor turning grey. So it's no big deal. Even Preity Zinta turned grey in 'Veer-Zaara'.
'Today's audience appreciates an actor's commitment. I don't put white in my hair to play Tulsi. But my whole body language suggests the character's age. And the age always shows in the hands. Those are the first parts of your body that get worn out. Those are details I'd like to consider when aging further for the soap,' she pointed out.
Smriti is part actor, part politician and part mother.
'Every working woman is a multi-tasker. I guess I'm blessed. The truth of television is the producer-director is king. Every actor is replaceable. I value the confidence in me.
'Ekta had once said something valuable about me. She said she unconsciously chose an actress who was as close to Tulsi as possible. I identify completely with Tulsi except the fact that Tulsi tolerated another woman in her husband's life. I'd have walked out. None of us has Tulsi's patience. I wish I did,' Smriti said.
Jhanak
