Can the 2000s be brought back? Ektaa Kapoor has challenged and answered this for the Indian television space by gifting millennials and zillennials a season 2 of Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi (KSBKBT), which aired its first episode on July 29 on Star Plus.
Tulsi-Mihir are back
With this season, Smriti Irani has officially marked her return to television after a long hiatus from acting. Smriti reprises her role as Tulsi Virani, while Amar Upadhyay is (fortunately) back as Mihir.
Once known for setting the standards for the ideal ‘beta’, Mihir’s character for this season has shifted to highlight his roles as a husband and a father.
The episode begins with Tulsi offering her tribute to Baa, who was played by the Late Sudha Shivpuri, while reminiscing her journey. As Tulsi moves through the newer version of ‘Shanti Niketan,’ we see many faces that we already know the names of.
Daksha, Gayatri, Karan, Nandini, Hemant, Shobha—you see them and instantly feel a connection. Savita, played by the legendary Apara Mehta, also makes a cameo as a spirit for a dramatic conversation with Tulsi.
We see the Virani ‘khandaan’ preparing to celebrate Tulsi and Mihir’s 38th wedding anniversary. However, Mihir makes an entry only to seem too focussed about his work schedule to remember the significance of the date.
A dispirited Tulsi then pretends to be all right and leaves to visit the temple. She is soon surprised by Mihir who shows up with a car as a gift for her.
KSBKBT fans then get treated with a flashback of their favourite leading pair’s (rollercoaster) storyline—from the time they met as adults to their marriage to Mihir being presumed dead, and later coming back to life (with amnesia) exactly when Tulsi is about to be married off to his friend.
The pilot episode does a good job telling us enough about the change in season’s premise, while dropping a few hints on what the old characters are up to.
You get to know that Karan, Shobha, and Hemant do not live at Shanti Niketan. Hemant is now a lawyer, and Daksha chachi is still crazy about the entertainment industry. Towards the end, it is established that Gayatri’s character has likely moved to be greyer than the original show.
We also see three new faces: Angad (Rohan Suchanti, of ‘Rishta Likhenge Hum Naya‘ fame), Pari (Shagun Sharma, known for role in ‘Harphoul Mohini’), Hrithik (Aman Gandhi, of ‘Bhagya Lakshmi‘ fame).
Angad, Pari, and Hrithik do not have a significant presence in the first episode to leave an impression. However, it is evident they are going to be central to the show’s theme.
Nostalgia hits the right notes
We must credit Ektaa for retaining the essence of the show through the title song and its background score.
Another point that contributes to the nostalgic factor is the show airing at 10.30 pm slot on Star Plus, which is the same as it predominantly did from 2000 to 2008.
One of the surprising elements from this episode is Gayatri and Hemant’s conversations.
If one has followed KSBKBT from the beginning, the scenes of Gayatri mocking Hemant feel very similar to Daksha’s initial complains with Chirag over his career and education.
We hear Karan mention Gautam (Tulsi-Mihir’s son) and Sahil (Hemant’s son). So, it is likely we might see more cameos in the future episodes.
Final thoughts
Those who have watched Rupali Ganguly-starrer Anupamaa might find similarities in the approach for this season. But it would be better for first impressions to not lead to strong opinions about what might come next.
Hope Ektaa and the makers remember what KSBKBT originally stood for, the issues it highlighted, and the iconic characters it brought to life.
Since this is what Ektaa refers to as her first born, it’s better to have our fingers crossed. For now, this 90s-00s kid is very happy.
