Actress Raavee Gupta has spoken warmly about her experience sharing the screen with Smriti Irani in the returning television drama Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi Season 2, describing the veteran star as someone who leads entirely by example — without ego or hierarchy on set.

What Raavee Said About Smriti Irani

'I absolutely love working with Smriti ji. There's so much to learn from her. Despite her stature and experience, she never carries that aura onto the set. She's an actor first and foremost,' Gupta said. She added that Irani is 'incredibly generous, supportive and genuinely invested in making every scene and performance better,' noting that creative inputs from Irani 'always come from a place of wanting the best for everyone.'

Gupta emphasised that this generosity extends to the entire cast, calling Irani 'a remarkable person.' It is a portrait of a senior performer who, despite decades in the industry and a high-profile political career, reportedly keeps her on-set persona grounded and collaborative.

Returning to the Role of Damini

Gupta originally played the character Damini in the first season of Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi. Reprising the role after a significant gap — during which another actor had stepped into the part — came with its own pressures. 'I hoped audiences would accept me again after such a long gap, especially since the role had been played by another actor in between. I knew comparisons were inevitable,' she admitted.

'When I first played Damini, she was full of anger. She was angry because life had been unfair to her. Now, she's much more grounded. She's a mother with a grown-up son, and life has shaped her in many ways,' Gupta explained. She added that she personally relates to the character's evolution: 'Just like my character, I've also grown over the years.'

Gratitude to Ekta Kapoor

Gupta credited producer Ekta Kapoor for making the comeback possible. 'I'm incredibly grateful to Ekta Kapoor for giving me the opportunity to reprise this role, and I'm thankful for the way everything has turned out,' she said. The show, produced under Kapoor's banner, is one of Indian television's most recognised titles, having originally aired in the early 2000s.

Raavee Gupta's Recent Work

Before returning to Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi, Gupta was last seen playing an antagonist in Naagin 5. Her return to the franchise marks a full-circle moment for an actress who has steadily built a reputation across long-running Hindi television dramas. With Season 2 now underway, audience response to her reprisal of Damini will be closely watched.