MUMBAI: Yesteryears actress Padmini Kolhapure has replaced India’s popular soap bahu, Smriti Iraani in the Star Plus television show Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi.

Iraani’s character Tulsi has been playing the ideal wife, mother and family member in this Balaji Telefilms’ production since 2000. Iraani recently turned producer with her entertainment company Ugraya Entertainment. In collaboration with Balaji Telefilms, she had produced a soap titled Thodi Si Zameen Thoda Sa Aasman for Star Plus, following which her company entered into a strategic alliance with the Aditya Birla Group’s Applause Entertainment to produce Virrudh, a daily soap for Sony.

Kolhapure, a popular film actor in the 1980s, made her last major appearance on celluloid in the 1993 film Professor Ki Padosan. Her other films include Insaaf Ka Tarazu, Thodisi Bewafai, Souten, Woh 7 Din, Bewafai, Prem Rog, Pyar Jhukta Nahin, Vidhata, Swarg Se Sunder and Anubhav.

Kolhapure is the receipient of three awards, including the Filmfare Best Actress Award for Prem Rog. She returned to acting in 2004 with a Marathi film Manthan. Her more recent returns to Hindi films – Eight – Shani and Souten: The Other Woman in 2006 failed at the box office.