Tulsi Virani vs Smriti Irani

By: Arya Aiyappan
Monday, November 20, 2006
Tulsi is the dutiful daughter, ideal bahu, devoted wife, perfect mother and empathetic saas - the complete homemaker who binds the whole family into one single cord of harmony. Smriti Z Irani who has immortalized Tulsi Virani in Ekta Kapoor's Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi on the small screen symbolizes the modern day Indian woman who has realized her identity in spite of performing so many roles simultaneously.

The television daily soap, a tearjerker on Star Plus refurbishes its storyline, presents new characters and themes, resorts to generation leaps, but the character of Tulsi portrayed by Smriti, still retains its novelty as it had six years ago even after many generation leaps. The family drama tops the TRP charts successively. Entangled in the family politics Tulsi has always stood out as a crusader of justice, at times against her family.

Smriti Irani who hails from Delhi was a calm, non-adventurous, and unenthusiastic girl who found solace in the company of books. Change became inevitable when she gave up her full-time studies to work in plays and opted for a correspondence course for graduation. At the age of 18 she was determined to go to Mumbai and make her fortune. She tried her luck at various things, in 1998 as the Miss India finalist and then a counter job at McDonalds, serving burgers and mopping the floors and cleaning tables.

Fortune favoured her when she was asked to do the black and white commercial for Whisper, anchor a show Filmi Batein, present some episodes for Bakeman's Oh La La. Aatish and Manju Singh's Jaanam Samjha Karo, Kavita, a show on working women SAB TV's Kuch Diiil Se a reality show, and eventually the mega super show to-date Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi (KSBKBT) for Balaji Telefilms.

Smriti married her childhood friend Zubin Irani, a divorcee ten years elder to her and has a daughter Chanelle, . Smriti Irani is now the proud mother of two children, son Zohr and daughter Zoish. She is currently working on Bill Clinton's biography My Life.

In 2004 Smriti Joined BJP and entered the arena of politics to contest the Lok Sabha elections from Delhi's Chandni Chowk constituency against Congress Candidate Kapil Sibal. She did not win the elections in spite of being the BJP's own 'swadeshi bahu'. Kerala Tourism Department has sought her to endorse brand Kerala, she being an iconic figure. Smriti is honoured as the "Child Care Angel"as a goodwill ambassador for the World Health Organization's ORS campaign. A theatre enthusiast, she is producing her debut series, Thodi Si Zameen Thoda Sa Aasmaan jointly with Ekta.

Smriti Irani has won many television awards (ITA awards, Star Parivaar awards, etc). Smriti who enacts the role of a grandmother, Tulsi in KSBKBT has strived a lot to achieve the glory and fame she is worthy of. Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi sans Smriti (Tulsi) is life sans the throbbing spirit!

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