Смрити Ирани рассказала о работе во время выкидыша и увольнении после рождения сына

Smriti Irani has had a remarkable journey from facing financial struggles in her early days to becoming one of the most recognisable faces in Indian television and politics. As she wins hearts as Tulsi in the new season of Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi, several of her past revelations about her personal and professional struggles have once again come into focus. Over the years, Smriti Irani has spoken openly about the hardships she faced before finding success. Here’s a look: Before becoming a household name, Smriti Irani took up a job at a food chain to support herself. She revealed that she earned just Rs 1,800 per month and even washed dishes as part of the job. Recalling how she landed the position, she said, “Side mein Hindustan ka pehla McDonald’s hai, uska interview chal raha tha. Toh maine pucha ki kuch agar chal raha hai, I can interview for. Toh unhone kaha ki ek hi position bacha hai, vo entry-level hai, unhone kaha bartan dhone ka kaam hai. That’s how I got my first job.” Smriti Irani once recalled an overwhelming period when her son Zohr, who was in Class 10 at the time, suddenly collapsed while she was dealing with a political controversy. She remembered rushing to AIIMS while also having to prepare to answer questions in Parliament. During the crisis, Prime Minister Narendra Modi called her and asked her to stay calm. She recalled, “There was some political controversy going on, and I was the Minister of Education at the time. I was running between Parliament, and in the midst of all that, my son collapsed. He was in 10th standard. That was my first year as a politician in Delhi. I didn’t know what to do. I rushed to AIIMS. I had a controversy raging, questions to answer in Parliament the next day, my world came crashing down. In that mayhem, the boss called. Can you imagine having that conversation with PM Modi? He told me to calm down and asked, ‘Tell me what you need.’ I ran between the hospital and Parliament, and he kept checking in on me.” One of Smriti Irani’s most painful recollections has been from her Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi days. She revealed that she did not initially know she was pregnant and continued working long hours. “I was on the sets of Kyunki and told the team I wasn’t feeling well. At that time, I didn’t know I was pregnant. I was working 18–20 hours a day, so nobody really believed I was unwell. I requested them to take my shots first, but I kept working,” she said. After wrapping up her work that day, Smriti said shebegan bleeding while travelling through Mumbai. She eventually reached a local clinic in Lokhandwala. She recalled, “When I reached, a nurse came running to ask for an autograph. I was bleeding, but I still signed it. Then I asked her, ‘Admit kar loge? I think I’m miscarrying.’” Smriti Irani also spoke about the lack of time she was given to recover after the miscarriage. She said that despite informing the production team that she was still bleeding, she was asked to report for work. “When I told the production team I had miscarried and was still bleeding, they said, ‘Koi nahi, 2 baje ki shift mein aa jaiye’ (No problem, just be there for the 2 p.m. shift),” she said. At the time, Smriti was juggling two television shows. “In the first half of the day, I would shoot for Ravi Chopra’s Ramayan from 7 a.m., and in the second half, for Ekta Kapoor’s Kyunki Saas Bhi Bahu Thi at 2 p.m.” Smriti further revealed that she was forced to show her medical documents to producer Ekta Kapoor after some of her co-stars allegedly questioned her absence. “Some of my co-stars instigated Ekta against me, so I had to show her my medical documents,” she said. Recalling an insensitive remark made about her, Smriti added, “One person even said, ‘Aree iska kya, baccha waccha marta hai toh kya aata hai set par?’ (So what if her baby dies? Why does she have to come to the set?) That person didn’t realize I came back to work because I had responsibilities.” She explained that the incident took place in 2001, when she needed to continue working to pay her house EMIs.“I completed the shoot that day. The next day, I took all my medical papers to Ekta and said, ‘If you believed even a bit of her, here is the proof.’ She got uncomfortable and told me not to show them. I said, ‘Foetus bacha nahi, warna woh bhi dikha deti’ (If the foetus had survived, I would’ve shown that too).” Smriti Irani also recalled being removed from a show after she became a mother. She said she had continued shooting until the final day of her pregnancy so that the makers could bank episodes in advance. “Till the last day of my pregnancy, I was shooting for a show produced by Gautam Adhikari. I used to host it, and we were banking episodes. I worked till the last day so I could take time off after delivery. But when I came back a month later, they told me, ‘You’re fired.’”