Snehashish roy
Actor and former union minister Smriti Irani recently got candid about her early days in showbiz, revealing that she once faced harsh criticism and was even called a “crappy actor.” During an appearance on Soha Ali Khan’s podcast All About Her, Smriti reflected on her journey as both an actor and a politician.
Smriti recalled a time when she was called a “part-time politician and a full-time actor.” She also looked back at her fan-favorite role as Tulsi Virani, saying that early in her career, wherever she went, people would say, “you’re a crappy actor.” She also revealed that male actors were getting paid more than her. When Soha asked what her character Tulsi would tell her younger self, Smriti quipped, “Get a better paycheck.”
Smriti also shared a personal anecdote from her early life. She took a loan from her father, who gave her a one-year deadline to pay him back. “He said, ‘I’ll give you one year and if you can’t pay me back, marry whoever I tell you to marry’,” she said.
Smriti, who joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in 2003, also spoke about her political career. She contested her first election in 2004 at the age of 27. Her political journey gained significant attention after she contested against Rahul Gandhi in Amethi, eventually defeating him in 2019. However, she lost her seat in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections to K.L. Sharma.