When Smriti Irani refused paan masala ad despite a huge offer

In a recent conversational interview with noted host and Youtuber Ranveer Allahbadia on the popular The Ranveer Show, the noted Indian television star and politician Smriti Irani opened up about refusing a paan masala ad despite the said money being offered too huge.

Vrinda Mundara

First Published Jul 12, 2023, 1:17 PM IST

Smriti Irani has acted in many Indian television shows throughout her career. But, this is true that she gained the name, fame and also became a household name all over the entire nation with her nuanced performance of Tulsi in Ekta Kapoor's iconic show, Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi on Star Plus (2000 - 2008). In 2002, Smriti essayed the role of Sita in Zee TV's iconic show Ramayan. She also produced and acted in popular TV shows like Viruddh, Thodi Si Zameen Thoda Sa Aasmaan, Maniben.com and many more iconic shows.

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In her political career till now, Smriti has been the Minister of Women and Child Development since 2019 and the Minister of Minority Affairs since 2022 (as the first non-Muslim to hold the position). She previously served as Minister of Human Resource Development (2014 to 2016), Minister of Textiles (2016 to 2021), and Minister of Information and Broadcasting (2017 to 2018). She was the youngest minister (at 43) in prime minister Narendra Modi's second ministry in 2019.

In a recent candid conversation with Ranveer Allahbadia on The Ranveer Show Youtube podcast, Smriti Irani opened up on how she swiftly refused a paan masala ad even after the money offered for it was lucrative.

Giving insight on her TV career days and Kyunki memories, she said, "I remember when I had begun the project, I had absolutely zero money. I was newly married. Not even 20 or 30,000 bucks in the bank. I had borrowed money from a bank to buy a home. It does not sound flashy right now. But the amount was between Rs 25 to 27 lakhs. I remember I could just about scrape by to give the down payment for the house."

Giving more details on why she refused a paan masala ad back then, Smriti Iani adds, "I remember somebody walking into my set offering me an ad for a paan masala. That money was ten times the amount I owed the bank. I refused the ad. People looked at me as though I had gone absolutely crazy. Like mad! You need that money. I knew that there were families and youngsters watching. I said, can you imagine somebody trying to make them feel like they all are a part of the big family suddenly selling a paan masala? So, I said no conscientiously and to those flavoured water drinks sold by alcohol companies."