India Masala

‘Kyunki’: Death of an Indian TV soap

After reigning for more than eight years on television and pretty much dictating the way kitchen politics was played out in Indian homes, “Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi” is finally going off air.

One of India’s longest running soaps, which chronicled the lives of the Virani family, and made superstars out of Smriti Irani and the humble Gujarati snack of thepla (a flatbread made with fenugreek and chickpea flour), was also the harbinger of a whole new era in Indian television.

For one, it brought on a horde of imitators. Indian television was bombarded with daily soaps that chronicled the lives of unbelievably evil mothers-in-law and unbelievably saintly daughters-in-law, scheming against the other for endless episodes. But not all of them enjoyed the same success.

Though it was criticised by many women’s organisations for stereotyping the Indian woman, “Kyunki” ruled the ratings for a good part of its run on television.

It propelled Ekta Kapoor to unparalleled success and helped Irani get a BJP ticket for contesting the Lok Sabha elections.

As for me, I couldn’t even touch the television remote between 10:30 and 11 pm, because my mother claimed ownership of the television set.

“I don’t care what you think of the show,” she told me defiantly, “I like it. After all I don’t like so many of these English sitcoms you watch but that doesn’t mean they are bad, right?” Couldn’t argue with that logic.