Smriti Irani's Salary For Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi Then And Now: Actress Gets A Pay Hike Of Over 77000%

Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi Reboot: Smriti Irani and Amar Upadhyay’s iconic show has completes 25 years, and its reboot is set to premiere on July 29, 2025, at 10:30 PM on StarPlus and stream online on JioHotstar. Ektaa Kapoor is bringing back the legendary daily soap after nearly 16 years, with the original lead actors returning to spark nostalgia.

Fans are thrilled to see Smriti Irani return to television after such a long break, and her first look has already taken the internet by storm. Many reports suggest that the actress-turned-politician, now returning to acting, will receive a hefty fee for reprising the role of Tulsi Virani. As excitement builds, let’s take a trip down memory lane and look back on how Smriti Irani has come so far over the years.

Smriti Irani's salary for Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi: Then and Now

Smriti Irani is returning to fiction after a long political career, and she's reportedly getting ₹14 lakh per day, making her the highest-paid actress on Indian television.

An old interview has resurfaced on social media, in which Smriti Irani revealed she used to earn just ₹1,800 per day for her role in Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi in the early 2000s.

In the interview with Curly Tales, she once revealed how she worked in tough financial conditions back then. “Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi didn’t happen because of personality. In the office of Ekta Kapoor, an astrologer saw Smriti from afar and asked them to stop her,” she said.

She continued, “The astrologer’s name was Janardhan, and he said I would become a big star. I had gone there to sign a contract where I was going to play the role of someone’s sister.” Smriti added that she didn’t know Ekta Kapoor was sitting behind a curtain with the astrologer, who told Ekta, “If you work with her, she is going to be a big face in the country.” As soon as he finished, Ekta came out and asked Smriti, “What was I signing?”

Smriti said the contract offered her ₹1,200–1,300 per day. “At that time I was doing a cleaner’s job at McDonald’s where I was getting paid ₹1,800 a month. So getting ₹1,200 a day was much better,” she said.

She remembered Ekta Kapoor tearing up the contract when she realised what Smriti was about to sign and instead offered her the lead role of Tulsi Virani at ₹1,800 per day. For Smriti, who later became a politician, that moment changed everything; she was now earning in a single day what she used to earn in an entire month.