Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi actress Jaya Bhattacharya reveals shocking pay disparity truth

As Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi gears up for its much-awaited comeback, actor Jaya Bhattacharya has revisited her time on the original series—this time, with a rather blunt reflection on her experience behind the scenes.

Speaking to podcast host Siddharth Kannan, Bhattacharya revealed that during her seven-year stint on the show, she remained “the most underpaid actor” in the cast. Despite the show’s massive popularity and long run, she said she received barely any pay hike through the years.

“I never got a raise,” Jaya said, adding, “Only once I asked for a raise, and while everyone got a raise of two thousand rupees, I got only one thousand. That hit my ego, so I didn’t ask for it ever again and hence didn’t get a raise for a straight seven years.”

Known for her role as Payal Parikh, Jaya was a prominent face on Kyunki, which first aired in 2000 and went on to become one of Indian television’s longest-running dramas. While the new season is set to premiere on July 29 on Star Plus, there's been no confirmation on whether she will reprise her role.

The sequel will see the return of Smriti Irani and Amar Upadhyay as Tulsi and Mihir Virani, alongside Hiten Tejwani, Gauri Pradhan, Shakti Anand, Kamalika Guha Thakurta, Shagun Sharma, Rohit Suchanti, Aman Gandhi, Ankit Bhatia, and Tanisha Mehta.

Irani, who left television for politics years ago, recently commented on reprising her iconic character. Speaking to IANS, she said, “Years later, life comes full circle—not to recreate the past, but to rekindle an emotion that never truly faded. Tulsi returns not just as a character, but as a feeling. A memory. A connection that stood the test of time.”

While the return of Kyunki is meant to stir nostalgia and renew its emotional connect with viewers, Bhattacharya’s candid remarks highlight the less glamorous side of the television industry—one where even long-standing roles don’t always guarantee fair compensation.