Politician and actor Smriti Irani is all set to return to television after a 12-year hiatus with the reboot of her iconic show, Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi 2. The beloved daily soap is making a comeback to the small screen after 25 years, and with it, Smriti will reprise her iconic role as Tulsi Virani. In a recent interaction, Smriti reflected on how the show once defined the prime-viewing era of Indian television and helped provide financial stability to its entire cast and crew in the Maximum City.
Speaking to AajTak, Smriti shared how Kyunki was an outlier when it premiered every night at 10:30 pm — a slot that traditionally had low viewership. However, the show went on to break all norms, both in terms of time slot and the women-centric narrative. She said, “From 2000 to 2008, our team redefined television in a completely new way. Back then, no one used to watch TV at 10:30 p.m. Women producing television series wasn’t common, and it was also rare for female actors to be the central narrators and the core focus of any show. Establishing all these things was a landmark in itself, a unique chapter of our lives.”
Smriti also recalled how none of the show’s team members owned a house or a car when they began the journey, but the 8 year run of Kyunki helped transform their lives. She said, “I still remember when we first started working on the show; we were about 120–150 people. None of us owned a house or a car. We all laid the financial foundation of our lives through Kyunki. People may watch us on screen, but many don’t realise how many households keep their stoves burning simply because someone switches on the television.”
Earlier, the makers of Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi 2 released a teaser where Smriti Irani, as Tulsi, takes viewers on a nostalgic tour of the iconic Virani house in Shanti Niketan, bringing back memories from the original series.
The sequel will also see the return of the show’s original cast: Smriti Irani as Tulsi Virani, Amar Upadhyay as Mihir Virani, Hiten Tejwani as Karan Virani, and Gauri Pradhan as Nandini Virani. Joining them are three new cast members — Rohit Suchanti, Shagun Sharma, and Aman Gandhi. Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi 2 is scheduled to premiere on July 29 at 10:30 pm.
