''Kyunki...' is not over for me yet,' Gautami told on phone from Mumbai. She explained that she was still shooting for the show and it would take a while before Smriti stepped in again.
'I don't know where the serial will go or whether I will be there or not, but as long as I am there I want to enjoy being there,' she said.
On being prodded, she said: 'I don't want to reveal the track and spoil the suspense of the show. The audience should wait and watch what will happen next.'
Gautami, who stepped into Smriti's shoes in June 2007, divulged that she had for a long time been aware of the latter's impending comeback.
'I knew for a long time that Smriti would come back but I didn't exactly know when and I didn't have a problem. As an actor, I do understand that we are part of a daily soap where changes are inevitable,' she said.
Even after portraying the role of Tulsi for almost 10 months now, Gautami modestly admitted that it had always been synonymous with Smriti, who played the character for nearly seven years.
The actor holds no grudges against Balaji Telefilms for re-introducing Smriti in the show on STAR Plus.
''Kyunki...' has been a tremendous challenge for me and it gave me a wonderful opportunity to rediscover myself as an actor by playing one of the most popular protagonists on Indian television,' she explained.
On her future plans, Gautami said she would like to think about that only after 'Kyunki...' was completely over for her.
She said: 'I am flooded with offers now, but since I am still shooting for 'Kyunki...', I don't want to pile on anything else'.
Gautami says she will miss the entire unit of Balaji Telefilms after leaving the show.
'The Balaji unit is one of the best I have worked with. I have made wonderful friends and I will always remember them,' she said making a special mention of Sudha Shivpuri, who plays Baa on the show.
'Baa is like a grandmother for me and we are very close to each other. I will really miss her,' the actor said.
Rebutting rumours of playing Bani opposite her husband Ram Kapoor in Balaji Telefilms' show 'Kasamh Se' that airs on Zee TV, Gautami said the media likes to speculate over everything for no reason.
'It is fun to enjoy these speculations and I get entertained by them. If I am the butt of these statements, I am fine with it,' she said.