Archive · 6 Sep 2026
Smriti Irani Recalls Seeking Work After Amethi Election Defeat
Smriti Irani lost the 2024 election in Amethi.
Kishori Lal Sharma won the seat.
Irani said losing changed how she saw her life and work.
She said the experience felt liberating because she no longer felt she had to prove herself.
Instead, she felt she had something useful to contribute.
She called people in media and entertainment and asked if they had work for her.
She also called Uday Shankar about returning to acting.
In July 2025, she returned to television as Tulsi Virani.
She said the main question was who would accept her contribution and what she could offer.
Smriti Irani described losing the 2024 Lok Sabha election as a “liberating” experience.
She lost the Amethi constituency election to Congress leader Kishori Lal Sharma.
After the defeat, Irani contacted people in media and entertainment to ask for work.
She said Uday Shankar helped her return to a job after she called him about acting.
Irani returned to television in July 2025 as Tulsi Virani in the second season of Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi.
- Who
- Smriti Irani, Kishori Lal Sharma and Uday Shankar are central to the account.
- What
- Irani discussed seeking entertainment-industry work after losing the 2024 Lok Sabha election and later returning to television.
- When
- She lost the election in 2024 and returned to television in July 2025; she discussed the experience in a recent interview.
- Where
- The election loss occurred in the Amethi constituency, while Irani sought work in media and entertainment.
- Why
- Irani said the defeat shifted her perspective from proving herself to contributing, while requiring her to find people willing to accept that contribution.
- Election
- 2024 Lok Sabha election
- Constituency
- Amethi
- Election outcome
- Smriti Irani lost to Congress leader Kishori Lal Sharma
- Post-defeat action
- Irani contacted people in media and entertainment to ask for work
- Professional contact
- She called Uday Shankar about returning to acting
- Television return
- Irani returned in July 2025 for the second season of Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi
- Role
- She reprised the role of Tulsi Virani
