I knew it was coming: Gautami

She is putting up a brave front in spite of the fact that she has been unceremoniously replaced by Smriti Iraani who has been  roped in to play Tulsi once again in   Kyunkii Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi.

In fact, Gautami had learnt through rumours that her pink slip was being readied. “I knew it was coming since almost a month. Though they had not made it official, I was told that I would be getting replaced.”

She continued, “It was recently that Nivedita Basu (creative head of Star Plus) called me up and we had an intense close-door meeting. That’s when she broke the news to me. It came as a complete non-shocker because I knew it was coming.”

In a calm voice she added, “Everything was hush-hush like it always happens. Even when I was to play Tulsi, it was kept as a big secret till the day I began shooting. When I was signed for the role, I was supposed to be there only for a month or two. But it got extended to a year.”

Gautami recalled, “I was nervous as hell when I started  regarding whether the audience would accept me or not. But I got both love and satisfaction while playing Tulsi. That’s my prize.”

Isn’t Gautami feeling used? “Not really,” she said adding, “Smriti is synonymous with Tulsi and vice versa. No one can deny that she and Ekta made the serial so popular. It was an honour for me to have done the part while she was away on the break.”

Gautami will still be playing the saas for sometime till another fresh twist is incorporated in the soap to bring Smriti back. “I don’t know when the change will happen. Right now, I am still working,” she said.