In a world where content is king of the screen, a souvenir is being prepared for the remake. ‘Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi’ once the gem of Indian Television, is back this monsoon. After ruling prime time in the early 2000s with over 1K+ episodes, the show is ready for the second innings. Just like monsoon brings new, fresh and green leaves, the same happened with the content in this monsoon. Kaun Banega Crorepati (KBC) Season 17 is scheduled to premiere on August 11, 2025. Are we lacking in offering new content? Smriti Irani, who has spent years in politics, is now returning to Indian television to reprise her iconic role, and this time, she is doing it with a pay-check that reflects her current fame. Her pay now? Surprisingly, 14 lakh for an episode is far from Rs 1800 in its prime time. It’s an old case of the older the wine, the sweeter it tastes, but is that sweetness still sweet enough for today’s streaming viewers?
Well, the answer to this is not as easy as it seems.
We are in a Gen-Z era, where the choice of viewers has changed drastically. Present day, most viewers prefer to watch web series, reels, and podcasts over daily soaps. In this Gen-Z era, people won’t prefer to watch the content related Joint family, vamp (a female character who is manipulative, cunning, and frequently creates problems for the main characters) or Sanskar watching that much. Every traditional television viewer who was once a devoted viewer of daytime has changed now. Today’s viewers, even mothers who were once the core audience of such shows, are moving towards the content that is relatable to real-life struggles. Something which reflects their own lives, like working women stories, single motherhood, mental illness, work-life integration and gender roles. Streaming platforms such as Jio Hotstar, Zee5, Netflix, and Amazon Prime have reshaped every living room’s entertainment. While it’s a nostalgia show for many people, particularly for the people (millennials) who watched this show with their mothers or maybe grew up while watching this. But nostalgia won’t be enough to spark digital engagement. They have to find the middle ground between the past and the present with holding on to legacy while speaking the language of the present.
So, how can Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi still stay relevant?
These shows can continue to function, but only through the new storytelling. An updated version must adapt itself. They can show us the plot where saas and bahu are helping each other rather than being involved in unnecessary melodrama. Imagine a saas regrets sacrificing her dreams and aspirations, and now urges her bahu to prefer her dreams over everything unapologetically, perhaps starting her own business at a certain age with the help of her bahu, rewriting a new story for themselves. Or a trope where there is a working woman who is juggling a full-time job, a toddler, her in-laws, or her own parents’ expectations or a trope including a teenager who sees her mom and grandmom clashes and tries to make some sense out of old vs new values.
These are not just the mere concepts but the content hooks. Audiences in today’s OTT era are hungry for authenticity. They need content that shows the everyday struggles of women and solutions for the same. Gen-Z mothers are more likely to connect with the series celebrating strong women than just pitting them against each other in over-the-top slow motion.
These are the tropes that can fit well in today’s audience.
We all know Ekta Kapoor’s production house has a loyal fanbase because of the shows she has delivered till now, and some of the serials are still on air, like ‘Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai’. This fresh season needs to commit to a multi-platform reach and develop a script that addresses the intersection of traditional values and changing realities. For the serial ‘Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi’, the makers need to balance nostalgia with contemporary storytelling. A primetime slot can be great for visibility, but with algorithms, recommendations, and streaming fatigue as the reality. But what makes it a real hit is a good script with the depth of narrative and the quality of writing that will make it a successful show. The question isn’t Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi can make a comeback or not. The real question is, can it make a space for itself in the world of OTT streaming, digital voices, or empowered tales? Since in this era the content isn’t simply viewed but it’s lived, shared and judged in the moment. And if the show is able to capture that, it may not simply rekindle a legacy but yes could redefine it.
(Views are personal)
