Smriti Irani on refusing paan masala ad: ‘Can you imagine somebody who is trying to make them part of family…

Smriti Irani recently shared her happiness over being treated as a part of the family by her audience after her portrayal as Tulsi in the hit TV show Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi. She revealed how she once refused a very lucrative pan masala endorsement when she was in dire need of money to pay for her bank loan but chose to refuse it as it didn’t go well with her image. Also read: Ekta Kapoor recalls tearing her contract days before hiring a young Smriti Irani for Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thii

Smriti Irani shot to fame as Tulsi and is currently the Union Minister of Women and Child Development. She was recently told by an interviewer how she as Tulsi made him feel safe as a child.

Smriti Irani on turning down a paan masala ad

Replying to the statement, Smriti said during The Ranveer Show, “I had borrowed money from the bank to buy a home. It doesn’t sound very flashy right now, but it was around 25 to 27 lakhs. I was just about to scrape by to give the down payment of the house. I remember somebody walking into my set one day and offering me an ad for a paan masala, and that money was exactly 10 times the amount that I owed to the bank.”

“I refused the ad and people looked at me as if I have gone absolutely crazy. They said are you mad, you need the money. I knew families were watching, youngsters watching. I said can you imagine somebody who is trying to make them as though you are a part of the family suddenly selling paan masala. So I said no, contentiously. I said no to all those so-called waters that are flavoured waters sold by alcohol companies. So there have been contentious decisions about my media journey and that’s especially because I knew kids were watching. So I am happy as an adult today to hear youngsters say that as a child, I made them feel safe,” she added.

Smriti Irani’s work

After playing Tulsi in Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi from 2000-2008, Smriti Irani went on to feature in shows like Kavita, Kya Hadsaa Kya Haqeeqat, Thodi Si Zameen Thoda Sa Aasmaan, Virrudh, Teen Bahuraaniyaan and Ek Thhi Naayka. She also played Sita in BR Chopra’s another version of TV show Ramayan, which also had Nitesh Tiwari. She has been the Minister of Women and Child Development since 2019 and also looking after the Minister of Minority Affairs since 2022.