5 yrs on

Five years on, Star Plus' daily soap Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi still rolls full steam ahead.

This saga of the Virani parivaar has had its share of people being brought back from the dead, fake pregnancies, spells of amnesia and bouts of coma, tossed with legal wrangles and generous doses of those proverbial twists.

The Viranis have survived it all, and the show now reaches the 1,000th episode milestone on April 13.

The celebrations have begun for the Kyunki… team. As part of this special moment, Star Plus will telecast a one-hour special episode on April 14.

"It will be a nostalgia episode in which all the characters that have been part of the show will participate again. All those moments that defined the soap over the years will be highlighted," says Shailja Kejriwal, creative director, Star Plus.

What's interesting is that Ekta Kapoor, the brain behind Kyunki…, will feature in the soap sharing with the viewers the journey of the mother of all Balaji soaps and trendsetter for several more saas-bahu sagas on the tube.
Says a jubilant Kapoor, "Kyunki… is the best thing that could have ever happened to me. I will be on the show with the four generations of bahus questioning me on their characters."

As Kapoor will share screen space with Ba, Savita,Tulsi, Mihir, Ansh and the gang, there will also be a special Kyunki… contest for viewers along with an anniversary track recorded for the landmark episode. The shoot for this special episode is slated to begin next week.

That brings us to the obvious question will the Kyunki… saga ever end? "We'd like it to touch the 2,000th episode mark to create another milestone," says Kejriwal. "In fact, with the introduction of every new character, one story ends and another begins."

Incidentally, Star Plus' afternoon soap Ek Mahal Ho Sapno Ka had also touched the 1,000th episode mark. This was also its last episode before the soap wrapped up. So that makes Kyunki… the longest running soap.

shaheen@mid-day.com