It’s been 25 years since ‘Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi’ first aired on Indian television, and Smriti Irani, who became a household name as Tulsi Virani, has marked the occasion with a heartfelt post that blends nostalgia with gratitude.
On Thursday, the actor-turned-politician took to Instagram to share a throwback picture from the sets of the serial that defined an era of Indian TV.
“25 years ago, a story entered Indian homes and quietly became part of countless lives,” she wrote. “’Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi’ wasn’t just a show, it was emotion, memory, ritual.”
Smriti Irani reminisced about a time when families would gather around their TVs at a fixed hour to laugh, cry, and bond over the daily ups and downs of Tulsi and the Virani family.
“To every viewer who made Tulsi a part of their own family, thank you,” she added. “This journey wasn’t mine alone. It was ours.”
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The show, which premiered on July 3, 2000, became a phenomenon. It, in a way, reshaped the Indian television landscape. With its sweeping family drama and emotionally charged storytelling, it launched the “saas-bahu” wave that would dominate the small screen for years to come.
Alongside ‘Kahaani Ghar Ghar Kii’, ‘Kyunki’ ushered in a new chapter in Indian entertainment at a time when the country was recovering from the dot-com bust.
Produced by Balaji Telefilms and conceptualised by Ektaa Kapoor, the series was a cultural juggernaut. Few may remember that the original storyline credit goes to Anand Gandhi, who later made a name for himself in parallel cinema with films like ‘Ship of Theseus’ and ‘Tumbbad’.
Whispers of a possible reboot have also stirred curiosity, with fans wondering if Tulsi might return to the screen in a new avatar.
Beyond the reel life, Smriti Irani has had an eventful journey in real life too. A key figure in Indian politics today, she created headlines in 2019 by defeating Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in his stronghold of Amethi.
However, in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, she lost the seat to Congress’s Kishori Lal Sharma by over 1.6 lakh votes.