TV actor, model gets Cabinet berth

Smriti Zubin Irani, the youngest member in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Council of Ministers, witnessed a meteoric rise in her career on Monday since she began searching her future in showbiz starting as a model in mid-90s and later joining the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in 2003.

The 38-year-old actor-turned politician, who was sworn in as a Cabinet Minister is a Rajya Sabha member of the BJP from Gujarat.

She is expected to get an important portfolio in the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government, despite failing to register a victory against Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi in Amethi Lok Sabha constituency.

Shot to the fame by playing, Tulsi Virani, an idealistic daughter-in-law in Ekta Kapoor’s Kyonki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi, Irani earned a household name for her role in the soap opera, considered to be one of the longest shows in Indian television.

Before this, she tried her luck in the field of modelling. She participated in Femina Miss India 1998 pageant but could not make it to the finals. During her days of struggle in modelling and acting in Mumbai, she worked at a McDonald’s outlet to support herself.

An enthusiastic model and beauty queen aspirant, Irani worked in many television serials and received various awards for her performance.

She joined the BJP in 2003 and held various positions in the party.