By Kalash Khurana Last Updated:
Actor-turned-politician, Smriti Irani became a household name with her role of 'Tulsi Virani' in the show, Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi. However, the Union Minister has had a life filled with struggles as she has suffered since her childhood. In a recent interview, she opened up about the difficult phases of her life and revealed how she managed to come a long way since then.
In a recent interview with Neelesh Misra, Smriti Irani made some shocking revelations about her personal life and talked about losing her family home in Gurgaon. Recalling the memories, Smriti shared that when she was 7 years old, one day, her mother told her that they had to shift to Delhi and leave their home in Gurgaon. Since they were eating kaali daal on that unfortunate day, Smriti revealed that she never ate it again. In her words:
advertisement
"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 realised 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."
Recommended Read: Apurva Agnihotri And Shilpa On Their 'BB 7' Journey: Bullied For Being 'Pati Vrata', He Lost A Show
However, after 30 years years, Smriti Irani revisited her old house with her husband, Zubin Irani, and told him how they were asked to leave the house involuntarily. In the same interview, Smriti shared that she was going to buy that house, but when she called her mother to inform her about the same, the latter told her that no money could make her buy her miseries. Recalling the same, she said:
"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 Irani's mother's last wish was to die in her own house as she lived all her life on rent. So, the politician bought a house for her mother and received Re 1 as monthly rent from the latter. Talking about the feeling of satisfaction, Smriti revealed that it makes her happy that her mother's wish would get fulfilled as she can die peacefully in her own house. She said:
"I asked mom, if not this house then which one. For the first time, my mother said, 'We can't take anything from our daughters, but I can share my wish that if I die, then I want to die in my own house.' My mother has lived all her life on rent. 6 years back, I bought a house. My mother gives me Re 1 for the rent so that her self-respect is intact. People ask me what makes me feel satisfied, I would say that the feeling that my mother can die peacefully after getting her wish fulfilled, makes me feel satisfied."
Continue reading below
Further in the interview, Smriti Irani revealed that her parents got married against her grandparents' will and added that back then, they only had Rs. 150 with them. Initially, they used to live in a room above a cow's shed and later shifted to Gurgaon as it was affordable. Elaborating on the same, Smriti said:
"My father was punjabi-khatri and my mother is Bengali-brahmin so they got married against my grandparents' will. When they got married, they only had Rs 150. Initially, they used to live in a room above a cow's shed. I was born in the Lady Hardinge Hospital. Later they shifted to Gurgaon because it was affordable. Very few couples are able to survive the constraints of finance and social friction. My mother was told next will be a son, so she used to pull us sisters and say these are enough for me."
Smriti Irani also talked about one of the most emotional phases of her life when her parents had decided to get separated. Reflecting on the same, she shared that it took her 40 years to say that her parents got separated as they were looked down upon back then. Revealing how they tried to meet their financial requirements, she said:
"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 there."
What do you think of Smriti's shocking revelations?
Next Read: Ishaan Khatter Reveals 'Bhai', Shahid Kapoor's Hilarious Nickname, Adds 'He Changed My Diapers'