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There has been a golden period in the history of Indian television when at exactly 10:30 in the night, silence spread across crores of houses in the country and people used to finish all their important work and sit in front of the TV screen. Today, due to the immense proliferation of OTT platforms and web series, that old charm of traditional television serials may have slowed down a bit, but the situation was completely different in the 2000s. In those times, dinner was prepared ahead of time so that every member of the family could sit together and enjoy their favorite serial. Women used to get so immersed in the joys and sorrows of the characters appearing on the TV screen that the story of the serial started appearing as a part of their personal life. There were many historical serials in the Indian TV world which later proved to be cult classics, but the one which started the revolutionary trend of ‘Saas-Bahu’ and high-voltage drama of joint family in Indian homes which continued to rule the entire entertainment world for the next two decades, was none other than Ekta Kapoor’s historical show ‘Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi’.
In the year 2000, when the first episode of ‘Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi’ was telecasted on Star Plus, no one had even dreamed that this show would completely change the cultural and television fabric of the Indian society. Produced by television queen Ekta Kapoor under the banner of Balaji Telefilms, the serial created a whole new definition of ‘daily soap’ in the Indian entertainment industry. Actress Smriti Irani acted as the lead heroine of the show ‘Tulsi Virani’, who left an indelible mark in the heart of every Indian housewife with her dignified and dignified style. Tulsi Virani was no longer just a fictional character, but she became an ideal daughter-in-law, a loving mother and a living symbol of strong women power for crores of families in the country. At the same time, actor Amar Upadhyay, in the role of her husband ‘Mihir Virani’, gained such popularity that at that time he started being seen as the favorite son-in-law and son of every house in the country.
The biggest and most incredible example of the extreme level of craze and emotional attachment of the audience towards this serial came to light when the scene of Mihir Virani’s sudden car accident and death was shown, bringing an unexpected turn in the story of the show. As soon as this episode went on-air, a wave of mourning spread across the country. Women started crying in their homes and in many places people even gave up food. The matter was not limited to tears only, but the angry audience took to the streets demanding the immediate return of Mihir Virani’s character in the story and public protests started. According to media reports and revelations by ETimes, some people who were out of control with anger even pelted stones at the office of Ekta Kapoor’s production house and were continuously issuing threats. Ultimately, the makers had to bow down to this immense pressure of public sentiments and brought Mihir Virani back alive by making dramatic changes in the story. The day Mihir’s comeback special episode aired, it shattered all previous television rating points (TRP) records and became the most watched single episode in Indian TV history.
The title song of any serial plays a huge role in its success, but the title track of ‘Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi’ was not just a song but became the anthem of every family. The lyrics of this song ‘The form of relationships also change, they get molded into new molds, one generation comes, one generation goes, a new story is being created…’ are still fresh on the lips of crores of people. This immortal song was decorated by singer Pankaj Saraogi and singer Priya Bhattacharya with their very melodious and emotional voices. In the visual of the song, Tulsi’s signature style of introducing all the members of the Virani family at the main entrance with folded hands became so famous that even today people are seen recreating this scene in the same style in weddings, social media reels and family get-togethers.
‘Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi’ achieved such success that its name was officially registered in the ‘Limca Book of Records’. It became the first long-running daily soap on Indian television to successfully complete 1,000 episodes and set a historic record. The show successfully aired for eight consecutive years from 2000 to 2008 and was also shot in many major foreign locations. However, many people raise the question whether serials on mother-in-law and daughter-in-law relationship were not made in the 90s? The answer to this is that in the year 1994, the famous show ‘Tu Tu Main Main’ starring Reema Lagoo and Supriya Pilgaonkar had definitely come, but it was completely a comedy and sitcom show in which light and funny banter between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law was shown. In contrast, ‘Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi’ first introduced pure drama, family politics, conspiracies, complexities of relationships and the grand Indian culture as a daily soap, which was followed by dozens of successful serials like ‘Kahaani Ghar Ghar Ki’ and ‘Kasauti Zindagi Ki’ that flooded the TV industry.