Article-Smriti dons a new role

LOOKING AHEAD: Smriti Irani says she is lucky to have broken away from her image of 'Tulsi'.

Smriti Irani may have made her mark as the endearing and righteous 'Tulsi' in Ekta Kapoor's popular daily soap 'Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi bahu Thi', but apparently the actor is moving as far away from the character as possible with her new avatar as the producer of her second soap 'Virrudh' for Sony entertainment television.

Image makeover

Years after the Saas-Bahu genre was established, India's favourite Bahu Smriti Irani still refuses to be stereotyped.

"I think I have broken away from that image quite sometime back," claims Smriti.

"Now, the members of the press and people from different walks of life do address me as Smriti Irani. So I am one of those lucky few people who have managed to break away from an image, but let's not forget that I created that image," reminds Smriti.

But it now looks like she has decided to move away from family wars in gilded mansions to being a producer, with her new soap and taking her role quite seriously -- the reel life upright 'Tulsi', seems to be taking over the real Smriti Irani.

Elaborating on the story of the serial, Smriti explains, "It's a story about relationships, people and their ambitions that are absolutely clear and raw. It also reflects some kind of despair that people face in their lives."

Sushant wants to romance

Giving her company in her endeavour to create television soaps, which apparently go beyond the nuances of kitchen politics, is actor Sushant Singh, who is returning to the small screen after 6 years.

"Smriti Irani is a very persuasive as a person and as a producer," says Sushant as a matter-of-factly.

Persuasive or not, Smriti has definitely scored high with Sushant agreeing to test new waters in her new production.

"You'll see Sushant Singh romancing for the very first time on screen and that's one thing that attracted me, and I always wanted to do that," admits the talented actor adding that the romance in the serial is mature in nature.

With the queen of virtue trying to go beyond the walls of blissful domesticity, the Indian viewers might just end up missing her brand of melodrama.