Ekta Kapoor says her initial reaction to reviving Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi was ‘a firm no’: ‘You can never compete with nostalgia’

Ekta admitted she didn’t want to “shake up nostalgia” as she believes “you can’t compete with nostalgia.” She further reasoned, “Also, the television space has changed. Once dependent on 9 cities, audiences now consume content in fragments, scattered across platforms. Would this shake the legacy of Kyunki, the iconic TRP no one ever achieved before and after? But was that truly the legacy of the show? Was it just a show with high numbers?”

“Research carried out by an international body once concluded that the show gave a voice to women in Indian homes. Between 2000 and 2005, for the first time, women began participating in family discussions, a shift deeply influenced by Indian television, especially ‘Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi’ and ‘Kahaani Ghar Ghar Ki’. Kyunki became a global ambassador, carrying forward India’s storytelling traditions worldwide. It wasn’t just a daily soap, it brought discussions about domestic rape, marital rape, age shaming and euthanasia to the dining tables of Indian homes. That was the true legacy of the story,” she added.

“In conversations with peers, the abrupt ending of the show lingered in our minds. It was unfinished,” she said, adding, “So when Kevin Vaz (CEO, Jio Star), his team and the network heads and the Balaji team got into a discussion I thought to myself… Can we keep Kyunki away from today’s storytelling formats and focus once again on the issues that television once bravely addressed and dealt with? Can we make it about impactful stories, not TRPs? Can we reclaim the power to reach millions to actually change mindsets and thoughts?”

She further added, “Can we discuss parenting? The balance between concern and control? Can we talk about issues that we shy away from today? Can we use the most beloved and the most integrated platform in India, Television, to tell a story that resonates, and probably educates with equal amounts of entertainment? Can we bring back the time when a family sat on a dinner table and made conversations? The moment I asked this to myself, I got the answer, with a smile on my face.”

“I said, ‘Let’s do this!’ Let’s create a show that’s not afraid to raise important questions, that sparks conversations, and stands out in the time dominated by visual gimmicks. Kyunki is coming back with limited episodes, to celebrate 25 years with an intent to impact, entertain, probe thoughts and most importantly, to inspire. With a lot of entertainment, excitement and heartfelt emotions,” She added.

While concluding, Ekta said, “Here’s to Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi – to what it stands for, giving a voice, bringing a much-awaited change, to its history and for what it holds in store for us. Of course, without sounding preachy but by being relatable and inclusive. Cheers to Kyunki, cheers to the power of storytelling, cheers to less of what happened before and cheers to what will come! We will never win against nostalgia. The fight though, is not about winning. It is about Impact! To the show that’s not just ours, but also yours too!”

Also Read — ‘Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi didn’t get a single hoarding, all the marketing was directed towards KBC’: Sameer Nair

The show, which ran for about eight years between 2000 and 2008, was co-produced by Shobha Kapoor and Ekta Kapoor under their banner Balaji Telefilms. It ran for a total of 1,833 episodes. Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi, which defined the dynamics of Indian family dramas in the early 2000s, revolves around Irani’s character named Tulsi, who was the ideal daughter-in-law of the wealthy Virani family. The programme ended with 160 episodes short of its big 2000-episode milestone.

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