New Delhi: Ekta Kapoor may be the queen of saas-bahu daily soaps, but she isn’t one to play safe. In the era of small-time crime, Gen Z’s lack of attention span, brain rot and OTT rut, she is taking the biggest risk of all-bringing back Smriti Irani in the OG show Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi to Indian television.
It is 2025. India has changed. Viewing cultures have changed. So have entertainment platforms. But the real test is this: Have Indian families gotten over their bahu fixation?
Ekta Kapoor’s gamble will give us the answer.
“The decision to bring back the show in a limited-episode format is intentional. It caters to modern viewing habits while retaining the emotional depth and social relevance that made the original iconic. This is not about replicating the past. It is about using the legacy to start new conversations and engage audiences who still crave substance,” said Tanushri Dasgupta, EVP, Digital and TV, Balaji Telefilms.
Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi is what made Ekta Kapoor the powerhouse pioneer that she is today. Balaji Telefilms has a net worth of $ 10.73 billion with revenue of $ 4.53 billion. Over the years, she has been feared, cheered, and also mocked for her decisions by the national and global media. But she has been the unapologetic queen of entertainment-entertainment-entertainment.
“She’s always on,” was the headline of a sandhyamidday article about Kapoor.
breakthrough moment.
One magazine called her “an unmarried writer who has melded the Harlequin-style pulp romance novels and sentimental Hindi films she loved as a lonely child with the very adult business of television. As a result, Ekta, 26, has become the subcontinental equivalent of David E. Kelley, creator-writer of Picket Fences and Ally McBeal.”
That was in 2001. And she was just getting started.
It was as if Kapoor tasted blood and would go on to have almost 35 TV serials, most of which would dominate TRPs, almost destroying any other competition. After her saas-bahu serials took off, Kapoor changed direction and even created ‘young love’ serials like Kahi Kisi Roz and the thriller, Kaahin Kissii Roz.
Dasgupta joined Balaji Telefilms a little after Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi had been announced, but casting and auditions were still ongoing. “Until then, when you thought of the media, you thought of journalism. These shows made us realise the scale of work happening in television, from creative to production to post-production. Suddenly, everyone wanted to come to Mumbai and work in the industry. It opened up a whole new world of career opportunities for young people, and it continues to be one of the highest-employing industries today,” said Dasgupta.
