Ekta Kapoor didn’t want to bring Kyunki back; Here’s what changed her mind

New Delhi: The show that defined Indian television for an entire generation is coming back, but not without a dramatic twist of its own. 

Balaji Telefilms, in partnership with JioHotstar, is reviving the legendary “Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi” as a limited-episode series, but here’s the real plot twist: Ekta Kapoor almost didn’t let it happen.

Yes, the powerhouse behind Balaji Telefilms, Ekta Kapoor, was close to shutting the door on the reboot. Sharing her thought process, she revealed how the idea of bringing back the show initially met with a firm rejection.

“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,” the director wrote. 

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It wasn't just nostalgia that stood between the show being brought back to life. Kapoor was also cognizant of the seismic shift in the content world. “Once dependent on 9 cities, audiences now consume content in fragments, scattered across platforms,” Kapoor admitted. 

Kapoor added that it wasn’t just numbers that made the show iconic, but the social impact it imparted during its heyday.  She cited research carried out by “an international body” that highlighted the real world impact of the show.

“The show gave voice to women in Indian homes. Between 2000 and 2005, for the first time, women began participating in family discussion, a shift deeply influenced by Indian television, especially ‘Kyunki…,” Kapoor noted. 

Kapoor shared how the iconic show became a carrier of India’s storytelling and propelled it to the eyes of the world. “It wasn’t just a daily soap, it brought discussion about domestic rape, marital rape, age shaming, and euthanasia to the dining tables of the Indian homes,” she said. 

The director, through the note, mentioned that the show is being crafted in a way that will be “kept away from today’s storytelling formats and focus once again on the issues that television once bravely addressed and dealt with.”

According to Kapoor, the show is poised to “talk about issues that we shy away from today.”  “Can we bring back the time when a family sat at a dinner table and had conversations? The moment I asked this to myself, I got the answer, with a smile on my face.” And just like that, history geared up to repeat itself, but this time, with a carefully measured run.

Kapoor announced, “Kyunki is coming back with limited episodes, to celebrate 25 years with an intent to impact, entertain, probe thoughts, and most importantly, to inspire.”  Signing off, she said, “To the show that is not just ours, but also yours too!”