Smriti Irani

ed with Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh. 

Smriti studied at the Holy Child Auxilium School, New Delhi and later continued in the School of Open Learning at the University of Delhi. In 2019, she appeared for her first year B.Com exams but had not completed her three-year degree course.

Smriti had begun by participating in a beauty pageant for Miss India in 1998 alongside colleague Gauri Pradhan Tejwani. In 1998, Smriti appeared in ‘Boliyan’ song in the album ‘ Saawan Mein Lag Gayi Aag’ with Mika Singh. In 2000, she made her debut in acting with the television series Aatish and Hum Hai Kal Aaj Aur Kal, both of which were aired on Star Plus.  She also acted in the DD Metro series called Kavita. In 2000 Smriti started of in the lead role of Tulsi Virani produced by Ekta Kapoor for Balaji Telefilms. The serial held the highest trp on Star Plus and became one of the most successful serials at that time, which largely happened due to Smriti Irani’s attributes and performance. Alongside as the lead actors were Amar Uphadhyay and Ronit Roy, Smriti Irani had left the show in 2007 when she had a fallout with Ekta Kapoor but she made a comeback in May 2008 and by November 2008 Kyunki …. Serial had come to an end. However, Smriti Irani in the role of Tulsi Virani had become a cultural phenomenon. She was one of the highest-paid actresses on television. 

In 2002 she had essayed the epic character of Sita in Zee Television’s Ramayan with Nitish Bhardwaj. In the year 2006, Smriti had co-produced the show Thodi Si Zameen Thoda Sa Aasman under the banner Ugraya Entertainment, which was co-produced by Balaji Telefilms.  She had the role of Uma in the same serial. In 2007, Smriti had produced the television serial Virrudh for Sony Television and in which she portrayed the lead character of Vasudha. She produced the Mere Apne for 9X in which she portrayed the protagonist alongside actor Vinod Khanna. She has acted in the serial Teen Bahuraaniyaan on Zee TV in a supporting role. 

In 2008 Smriti Irani hosted the show Yeh Hai Jalwa alongside actress Sakshi Tanwar. A dance-based reality show that featured celebrities on 9X. She also produced the show Waaris on Zee TV in the same year. In 2009, Smriti appeared in a comedy show, Maniben.com which was aired on SAB TV. Irani then co-produced the show in collaboration with Contiloe Entertainment. She worked in a Bengali film called Amrita in 2012. 

After two decades, Smriti Irani returned to her acting career once again on Star Plus as the much loved character of Tulsi Virani in the Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi season 2. 

Smriti Irani nee Malhotra had received widespread acclaim for her role as Tulsi Virani in the soap opera telecast in 2000. Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi, directed and produced by Ekta Kapoor which had become the most watched soap opera of its time. As Tulsi Virani, Smriti Irani had won numerous accolades.

Tulsi Virani’s name has resonated with almost every household in India and has had a cultural and global impact. The character Smriti Irani has essayed the strong lead character in the soap Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi. She became a sensation. The serial went on to break many records and was the first serial in the television history of India to have crossed 1000 episodes.  The show maintained the highest TRP for five consecutive weeks with a viewership of 77 million, breaking a world record in the entertainment industry. 

The serial Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi was dubbed in Afghanistan between 2002 to 2010.   It had become the most popular show in Afghan History as well. The serial became a dominant topic of discussion among families, despite that the show captured a deeply conservative Islamic society where family issues are often kept private. 

Smriti Irani as Tulsi Virani in the serial had created a complex culture and profound impact which had influenced the attitudes towards women and family values. Her role played a crucial bringing people together and promoting the culture in Afghanistan and thus influenced the perception of women’s roles and rights. The serial portrayed traditional values with a strong sense of family bonding and helped to empower the women and encouraged them to speak out their rights. Such was the influence of Tulsi Virani’s role essayed immaculately to perfection by Smriti Irani.

Political Career: Smriti Irani joined the BJP as Karya Karta in the year 2003 which was simultaneously alongside her acting career on television.  Smriti, during her political career, has held numerous prominent positions. She was elected the Vice President of the Maharashtra Youth Wing of the BJP. She was the Executive Member of the BJP’s Central Committee and was the National Secretary of the BJP. Smriti was also the All-India President of BJP Mahila Morcha and was elected to the Rajya Sabha from Gujarat.

Smriti Irani served as Minister of Human Resources Development, Minister of Textiles and Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting. She got elected at the 17th Lok Sabha and continued to serve as Union Cabinet Minister for the Ministry of Women and Child Development as well as the Minister of Minority Affairs. 

Smriti has been involved with the BJP for over 22 years. She is the third generation with a familial relationship with the BJP with her mother as a BJP booth activist and her grandfather as the Swayamsevak. Smriti Irani had subsequently lost the constituency in the 2024 elections to Kishori Lal of the Indian National Congress. 

Besides acting and a political career, Smriti Irani is the founder of the Alliance for Global Good which is Gender Equity and Equality, at the World Economic Forum which addresses social and economic disparities among gender focused programs. Smriti also serves as an Advisory Board Member for the Women’s Collective Forum, promoting women’s health, education and gender equality and women entrepreneurship. She is the Vice President of the Loomba Foundation which supports widows and their children globally. She represented the Asia Pacific Region for the 126th Inter-Parliamentary Union Assembly.