New Delhi: Actor-turned-politician Smriti Irani on Thursday shared a throwback video of her 25-year-old advertisement for a sanitary pad company about menstrual hygiene. The advertisement was before she became popular with the hit television show 'Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi.'
Sharing the video on Instagram, she said at that time, such a project could kill the glamour-based career of the model. But the actor had a very successful career in television.
In the old advertisement, Smriti can be seen in white clothes as she discusses periods and how "those five days" are considered such a big deal.
She wrote: "When your past 'whispers' .... 25 years ago, my first ad ever for a big company. However, the subject was not a fancy one. In fact such was the product that many were averse to the assignment since a sanitary pad advertisement ensured the death of a glamour based career for the model involved."
"Eager to start my stint in front of the camera I said yes! After all why should a conversation re menstrual hygiene be taboo. Since then there has been 'no looking back' #throwbackthursday. p.s- yes I was thin ..ye yaad dilaane ki zaroorat nahi," she posted.
A few months back, Smriti also shared an uncomfortable incident from her days of shooting 'Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi'.
In a chat with Neelesh Misra on 'The Slow Interview', the actor-turned-politician recalled that she was called to work on the sets of her hit show a day after she suffered miscarriage.
"I was not aware that I am pregnant. I was on the set (of 'Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi') and I told them I am not well enough to shoot and asked to be allowed to go home. But still, I worked, and by the time they let me go, it was evening already. The doctor suggested, I go for a sonography. On my way, I started bleeding, and I remember it was raining. I stopped an auto and asked the driver to take me to the hospital. When I reached the hospital, a nurse came running, asking for an autograph... all while I was bleeding. I signed an autograph, and then asked her, 'admit kar loge? I think I have suffered a miscarriage',” she told She told Neelesh Misra.
She shared that pushing the schedule of 'Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi' was easier as the space could be filled by 50 other important characters unlike 'Ramayan' in which she played Goddess Lakshmi as well as Sita. When Smriti told Ravi Chopra about her situation, he advised her to take a rest.
She said: "He told me, 'tumhara dimag kharab hai' (Are you out of your mind)? Do you know how it feels to lose a child, you have just gone through that. Kal aane ki zaroorat nahi (No need to come tomorrow)."
"I, however, pushed and told him that it's a Sunday episode and (the character) Sita can't be replaced," to which the director replied that he will manage.
The next day after her hospitalisation, Smriti returned on the sets of 'Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi' where she found that a co-actor had told the producer that she was lying about her miscarriage.
Smriti said: "The person didn't realise that I have returned because I needed money to pay EMIs for my house. The next day, I took all my medical papers to Ekta to tell her it is not a drama. She got uncomfortable and told me not to show the papers. I told her, 'foetus bacha nahi, warna woh bhi dikha deti' (I would have shown you the foetus also had it been there)."
Smriti Irani is currently the Minister for Women & Child Development and Minority Affairs.