In entertainment, nostalgia is said to play an important role in creating audience loyalty. However, though emotionally satisfying, nostalgia may not be enough to ensure success for the new season of an old popular daily soap that explored traditional values and social norms deeply embedded in Indian culture. The move that has stirred both cheer and scepticism about Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi’s (KSBKBT) return 17 years after it went off air raises a question: why now, and how relevant is the saas-bahu saga today? The reboot of an old daily soap that once stood as a symbol of family values may loop you back in time, but it is hardly a boost to creativity, considering a reboot of an old story done to death is not an alternative to new possibilities in TV entertainment.

Before we come to the reasons behind its revival, relevance, and past success, it is important to go back to the early days of satellite television in India. KSBKBT debuted on Star Plus on July 3, 2000. In the 1990s, Star Plus, then a Hindi-English bilingual channel, was a struggling third player in the general entertainment channel (GEC) space. Zee TV, with its mass programming and first-mover advantage, was a clear leader, followed by the urban-centric Sony Television. The popular misconception is that KSBKBT catapulted Star Plus to the lead position in the mass entertainment space. But the fact is that it was Amitabh Bachchan-hosted Kaun Banega Crorepati, a unique and localised quiz format with relatable content blending entertainment and education, which totally disrupted the GEC landscape, significantly boosting the channel’s reach and viewership beyond expectations.

In television........

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