THE FAMILY MELODRAMA
Apara Mehta, Amar Upadhyay and Hiten Tejwani talk about their iconic show, Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi
Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi can be called the pioneer of the saas-bahu genre on television. This Ekta Kapoor production told the story of three generations living as a joint family under one roof. The clash between the mother-in-law Savita (Apara Mehta), and Tulsi (Smriti Irani); Tulsi’s husband Mihir Virani’s (Amar Upadhyay) death; the other woman, Payal’s (Jaya Bhattacharya) intrusion in Mihir and Tulsi’s life gave the daily show unprecedented success and made actor Smriti Irani into a superstar on the tube.
THE SAAS-BAHU SAGA
Apara says, “The show worked because it came at the right time. People loved watching a show wherein the story moved fast. The look of the show was grand, which was unlike what people had seen earlier. Kyunki… brought an era of glamorous TV shows with lavish sets, high production value, fashion, etc. People connected to the show as they felt they were watching their own family on screen.” She adds, “Later, any show based on family drama was termed as saas-bahu, which was not the case. In fact, I think the show had all possible shades of a saas and a bahu.”
The show also starred late Sudha Shivpuri, Ronit Roy, Hussain Kuwajerwala, Ketaki Dave, Shilpa Saklani, Gauri Pradhan Tejwani, Akashdeep Saigal, Rakshanda Khan, Achint Kaur, Mouni Roy and Karishma Tanna, among others.
Apara feels Ekta’s shows introduced the concept of a lead character in a TV show. “Though, the show was about Baa (played by late Sudha Shivpuri), Savita and Tulsi, Smriti played the role of a perfect daughter-in-law, which made her more popular. The character was strong, but Savita, too, added a lot to Tulsi’s graph and her strength. People thought Savita was a bad mother-inlaw and always wrong, but if you look at life from her point of view, she wanted the best for her son; she was a real character. She wanted a bahu of her social-economic strata, which Tulsi was not, which is why they had a clash. Later in life, when she accepts Tulsi, she is her strongest support.”
A SHOCK FOR VIEWERS
Mihir’s death was a milestone in the show as the nation was in shock over it. Ekta’s office and the channel’s office were bombarded with mails to bring him back. And he did come back on the show, which created the trend of bringing characters back from the dead on TV. Amar says, “Right before the show, I wanted to quit the industry as I felt my career was going nowhere. When I heard the long title of the show, I felt how I’ll fit into it, as it has so many women. I thought I won’t get even one dialogue to say. But I was assured that I was the lead and would get prominence. I am happy that I did the show. I was told that Mihir would be dead within 120 episodes and I was glad about it then. But once the show picked up, I didn’t want Mihir to die. I was promised that I will be back soon.”
THE PERFECT SON
Hiten Tejwani, who played Tulsi’s ideal son, Karan Virani, garnered popularity for the role. He says, “When I entered the show, it was very popular and had been on the air for four years. I was part of the new generation. The role was interesting as Karan sacrifices his love for his brother Ansh, who turns out to be an obnoxious and vengeful person. The show has so many good memories, not just for me but for many actors on the show, who went on to gain a lot of success in their careers.”
I was told that Mihir would be dead within 120 episodes and I was glad about it then. But once the show picked up, I didn’t want Mihir to die. AMAR UPADHYAY, ACTOR