“It took me 40 years to say that my parents got separated”: Smriti Irani

“It took me 40 years to say that my parents got separated”: Smriti Irani

Actor turned Politician, Smriti Irani who became a household name with her role as Tulsi Virani in the show Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi, has experienced a life filled with struggles since her childhood.

In a recent interview with Neelesh Misra, Smriti talked about one of the most emotional phases of her life when her parents decided to part ways.

During the interview, Tulsi also talked about the time when they lost their house. She shared, “The first house that I remember in Gurgaon, for me, was an over-imposing home. I had the duty of dusting and sweeping. A few years ago, I revisited the place and realized that it wasn’t that big a house. My last memory of that place was at the age of 7 and I have just one photograph of that house. I was wearing a white frock, a party cap, and a bindi. After that, I celebrated my birthday at the age of 40. That last day in that house was in 1983, my sisters and I are sitting and eating kaali daal and it is a filmy scene for me. My mother stopped a hand rickshaw, stacked our belongings, and told us to eat quickly, we are leaving for Delhi. That day and today, I don’t eat kaali daal anymore.”

She added, “I remember standing outside the house with my mother and I said, I will buy this house one day. My mother didn’t react to it. We sat in the rickshaw and left. After decades when I came to Delhi after becoming the MP. I went to the old house and stood there. I was 37-year-old. Irani sahab was standing next to me. I had never shown that part of my life and revealed that this is that house that we didn’t leave voluntarily, we were asked to leave. I called my mother and told her about buying the house. She said, “No amount of money can make you buy your miseries back.”

Smriti also revealed that her mother still gives her Re 1 as the rent for the house she bought for her. Talking about her parent’s separation, she shared, “It took me 40 years to say that my parents got separated. In those days, we were looked down upon but now I know how tough it was for them to figure out life with just Rs 100 in their pocket and take care of all of us. My dad used to sell books outside an Army club. I used to sit with him and my mother sold spices going to different homes. My dad didn’t study much, while my mother graduated so those conflicts could have also been.”

Well, it seems like every diamond has to bear its fair share of thrashing before it shines.