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The reboot of Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi is all set to see a new guest in its upcoming episode and the news has left fans thrilled. Businessman and philanthropist Bill Gates will be making a cameo in the show. Speaking to CNBC-TV18, Smriti Irani confirmed the report. Now, in an exclusive chat with News18 Showsha, the actor-politician highlights how the track featuring the Microsoft co-founder will put an emphasis on Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s initiatives on women and child care. For the unversed, Irani had previously held the portfolio of Union Minister for Women and Child Development. Her association with Gates began during her tenure. For her, Gates’ cameo in the show comes as a natural progression as this season of Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi touches upon multiple social and women’s issues. “When we were planning on making season two, we along with the network and the production house had made a promise that in a traditional storytelling set-up, we raise conversations. We’re proud of what we’ve achieved in the past three months. We took up issues such as body shaming, aging, harassment at work place, issues of false cases and dowry. And now, we’re taking up a very pertinent issue about women and child’s health,” she tells us. Thrilled to have him joining her in this new format, Irani remarks, “We’re glad to have a global voice like Bill Gates lending support to us. Seeing our association translate to a soap opera in itself is incredible. It’s a historic first. Bill Gates hasn’t been on any media platform in a fictional set-up.” Talking about their association, she says, “I’ve had the fortune of working with him and his foundation for years now. I’ve seen how he advocates maternal and child health.” According to Irani, a dialogue on women and child care in a show like this will help spread the message far and wide. “Through my association with the foundation, I’ve seen that there has been an emphasis on the traditional methods of supporting the dietary needs of women and children. That’s why it was pertinent for me that in a set-up like Kyunki Saas Bhi kabhi Bahu Thi, which is a very popular medium of communication, we take those excerpts and embed them into our storyline,” she states. Irani further continues, “It’s important to understand that good nutrition need not be fanciful. In fact, our traditional ways of providing nourishment to our women and children are tested and made safe through affordable methods. And these are methods that can be available in every family – right from nutritious khichdi to drumstick soup.” On Wednesday, we had exclusively reported that Irani’s Tulsi Virani will be speaking to Gates via video call in the show, with him also offering her ‘key advice’. Reacting to it, Irani tells us, “The network and the production house are well-equipped to respond to that, but I’m sure that everyone will be extremely amazed to see the communication between us on this special episode.”
