Smriti Irani talks about the time when she was offered tobacco and alcohol ads but she turned them down because she was conscious about her image. She also speaks about PM Modi.
Politician Smriti Irani reminisced about her acting days in a new interview. The popular leader revealed an incident when she refused a huge advertisement deal purely because the idea didn’t suit her ideals and the kind of image she had set in front of the audience. Smriti, in a podcast, remembered that she was working in Kyukii Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thii when she took a home loan. She could barely make ends meet and despite that, she turned down a massive ad deal.
Speaking on The Ranveer Show, the actor-turned-politician said, “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.” She added that she gave the down payment for the house and that had impacted her savings. Smriti said someone offered her a pan-masala ad and had she accepted that she could have easily gotten rid of all her financial worries but she refused the deal.
Smriti Irani on Turning Down Alcohol And Tobacco Ads
The BJP MP said, “I was just about to scrape by to give the down payment on 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.” Smriti added that not just the pan-masala ad but she turned down many other lucrative deals including the soda water ads by alcohol brands which could have helped her make a lot of money.
“They said are you mad, you need the money. I knew families were watching, and 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,” she explained.
Smriti was answering a question about how she made kids and youngsters feel safe with her appearance on screen when she made these revelations. The 47-year-old politician said she has always aimed at doing things that only encourage the good in people.
Smriti Irani on How PM Narendra Modi Helped Her in Tough Times
In the same interview, Smriti spoke about how PM Narendra Modi helped her during the tough phase in life. The actor said she was targeted in a political controversy but it was her son’s health that worried her more. She said it was the PM who called her and assured her that everything would be okay and she didn’t need to focus anywhere else. “There was some political controversy going on. I was running in between Parliaments and in the midst of all this, 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 ran to AIIMS. I had answers to give at the Parliament the next day, I had a controversy that was raging. 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 said, ‘tell me what you need’. I did run in between the hospital and parliament and he kept checking up on me,” she explained.
Smriti worked in many TV shows after Kyukii including Kavita, Kya Hadsaa Kya Haqeeqat, Virrudh, Teen Bahuraaniyan, and EK Thhi Naayka among others. She became the Minister of Women and Child Development in 2019 and was given the additional charge of the Minister of Minority Affairs in 2022.
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