New Delhi, July 10: Producer Ektaa Kapoor on Thursday said she was firmly against the idea of bringing back the popular daily soap “Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi” for a second innings on television but eventually decided to go ahead with it as she wanted to make a show that’s not afraid to raise important issues.
Kapoor had created and produced the Star Plus show, which ran from 2000 to 2008 and amassed a cult following.
The hit show, which completed 25 years last month, is now returning with actor-politician Smriti Irani reprising her character of Tulsi Virani, a role that made her popular all over the country.
In a statement posted on her Instagram page, Kapoor addressed the question lingering on people’s minds — why she chose to bring the show back after all these years.
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“When the 25th year of ‘Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi’ was approaching and the idea of relaunching it surfaced, my first reaction was a firm no! Why would I want to shake up nostalgia? You can never compete with nostalgia. It always remains supreme. How I remember my childhood and how it really was, will always be different. Also, the television space has changed,” the producer said.
She claimed that one research by an international body showed 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 r*pe, marital r*pe, age shaming and euthanasia to the dining tables of Indian homes. That was the true legacy of the story.”
During her discussions with executives of “Star Plus” and within her production banner Balaji Telefims, Kapoor said she pondered over a number of questions and when she got the answers, she decided to go ahead with the new show.
“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’,” she said, adding that the show will only have “limited episodes”
“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!”
“Kyunki Saas Abhi Kabhi Bahu Thi” will start airing on Star Plus and Jio Hotstar from July 29. (PTI)
