Nostalgia is in the air with Smriti Irani's Tulsi Virani back on the small screen to unravel the Virani family saga, the "Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi" reboot promising a familiar story rooted in tradition 25 years after it sparked a daily soap trend.
The show, which began airing on Star Plus and JioHotstar on Tuesday night, is remembered for bringing families together in front of the television as they breathlessly watched the goings-on in the affluent joint family.
The first episode focuses on the 38th wedding anniversary of the main protagonists, Mihir and Tulsi. The ideal daughter-in-law is now at the helm of affairs in the Virani family mansion Shanti Niketan and the story opens with her praying to a tulsi plant and reciting the Gayatri Mantra.
The tone is set -- apparently not very different from 2000 when the Ekta Kapoor show first began airing. It went on for 1,800 more episodes right up to 2008.
Two main characters have died -- Ba and Savita Virani are now pictures on the wall and Tulsi is seen reminiscing about the days gone by and speaking to them. Several old-timers made sure to tune into the show, which created a buzz with BJP leader Smriti Irani returning to acting after a long hiatus.
"When I was a child, my mother used to watch the serial... She would watch it everyday. This time also, I watched the first episode and I liked it a lot," a young woman, then just a child, told PTI in Amethi, Irani's former constituency.
In Amethi, where Irani enjoys immense popularity both as a public figure and a performer, residents gathered in groups to watch the premiere episode together.
Many on social media also remembered fondly the time they spent as children and with their family to watch the many upheavals in the Virani family for eight years and various time leaps. Now that the show has returned with an actual time leap, nostalgia has driven them back.
"No words can describe the feeling. It’s pure nostalgia. So many real life memories associated with ‘Kyunki’. That golden era of television is back #kyunkisaasbhikabhibahuthi #tulsiisback," wrote a fan.
A fan wrote how she used to watch the show with her maternal grandmother, who is no longer alive.
"Kyunki is back… but the one I used to watch it with isn’t. it was me & Nani. Now it’s just me… and her memories #Nostalgic," she shared.
Actor Hiten Tejwani and Gauri Pradhan, who played a married couple on the original show, are also back as Karan and Nandini.
"Evergreen Karan and Nandini... Ahhhh... Still they look so beautiful together. Karan n Tulsi bond used to be so precious," said a viewer.
"Currently watching 'Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi' and lowkey vibing to the OG soap opera that raised a generation," wrote another social media user.
A lot has changed since "Kyunki..." released all those years ago. OTT has revolutionised the entertainment scene with the best of shows from India and abroad available to audiences at the click of a button.
It remains to be seen whether "Kyunki..." manages to grab the attention of younger and newer audiences used to slicker, more contemporary shows and bring back those who tuned in all those years ago.
The "Kyunki..." setting 25 years on remains much the same. Matriarch Tulsi is busy looking after the arrangements for a big party when Mihir surprises her by gifting a car. The show ends with a hint of fresh challenges coming Tulsi's way. There are a few concessions to today's age with references to social media and late night parties.
Will that be enough? "Kyunki..." achieved cult status in daily soaps and became a pop culture moment that was popularly referenced by Karan Johar in "Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham" where Kajol's character is excitedly discussing developments in the show with a neighbour.
Filmmaker Anurag Kashyap's popular 2012 gangster drama "Gangs of Wasseypur 1" literally opens with the show's opening montage where Tulsi is inviting viewers to the family drama as a group of people are watching the show in rapt attention but the calm and the TV set is broken by bullets.
Many past favourites "Kasauti Zindagi Ki", "Sarabhai Vs Sarabhai" and "Khichdi" made a comeback but with not much success.
The makers of "Kyunki..." hope to change that.
