At FICCI Frames 2025, media mogul Ekta Kapoor took center stage to reflect on one of the most iconic moments in Indian television history — the return of Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi, 25 years after it first reshaped prime-time storytelling and redefined what Indian households watched every night.
Despite a career that has spanned films, television, and digital platforms, Kapoor admitted that nothing quite compares to the kind of magic that Kyunki created on TV in the early 2000s — or the kind of stardom that television actors like Smriti Irani experienced at the time.
“I’ve worked across mediums — film, television, digital — and each one brings its own challenges and high points,” she said. “But honestly, nothing ever gave me the kind of euphoria I saw on television with Kyunki. I don’t think any actor in film or digital has experienced what Smriti and a few others did on TV back then.”
She spoke with deep reverence for the power of television as a cultural force calling it the “soft ambassador of India”, something that helped shape perceptions of Indian family values and storytelling globally, long before streaming services took over.
But bringing Kyunki back in 2025? That wasn’t easy.
“To revive a show like Kyunki and ask an icon not just an actor, but a national leader like Smriti Irani to return to television was scary. Honestly, it was damn scary,” she laughed. “You don’t know if the magic will translate again. But we’re not here to play safe — we’re here because we’re bold.”
Ekta emphasized that returning to television -a platform some now see as losing its shine in the digital age — was not about nostalgia, but about faith in storytelling and emotional connection.
“We believed that if there’s still a medium where millions connect emotionally with characters every single day, it’s television. And when you give Smriti a scene — she brings your character to life in ways you didn’t even imagine. It’s humbling. Sometimes it even makes you jealous — like, how does she know my character better than I do?”
Kapoor described watching Kyunki air again not just as a creator, but as a viewer herself. “When I saw it back on air, just like the audience, I had this quiet feeling: I think this is going to work. And it wasn’t about being grand or viral — it was our simple, humble tribute to the medium that made us who we are.”
In an era where algorithms dominate and instant virality is chased, Ekta Kapoor’s revival of Kyunki is a reminder that some stories don’t need reinvention — just the courage to return to where it all began.