Smriti Irani says she doesn’t see Rupali Ganguly’s Anupamaa as competition to Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi 2: ‘If you want to compete…’

During a chat with India Today, she said, “I don’t (look at them as competition). So when somebody gets to number 30 in terms of TRPs, then you can be our competition, right? We were there 25 years ago. If you have the capacity to be remembered for 25 years, then we will talk about competition.”

Smriti Irani further recalled how her show Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi dominated the TRP charts for eight consecutive years. She said, “If you have been a three-time MP, a cabinet minister for a decade, a BJP person for 25 years — if you want to compete, you have to be fair to everybody in the so-called competitive sphere. Do you measure up on all these standards? Then compete. You can’t have somebody who’s just started something and say, ‘Compete with Smriti Irani.‘”

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Smriti added, “So the competition or even referring to such a competition is unfair, because you’ll never get to 30. And you’ll never be consistently number one for eight years, which we were. The fact that we’ve had competitive mediums, and yet managed to come back after 25 years — that’s remarkable.“

Smriti Irani also said the Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi reboot’s success on OTT proves its enduring appeal. “Today, it’s not as if I am acting or conveying a story only on television. I have both. So if I look at the reference numbers on OTT, which is a very hard market to crack, it is so complex. So, for a show that is so-called old school to resonate so loudly on OTT, that speaks volumes,” she said.

The Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi reboot is currently streaming on JioHotstar.