'Pitting women against...': Ektaa Kapoor reacts to comparison between Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi, Anupamaa

Smriti Irani is stepping back into her iconic role as Tulsi Virani as Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi returns to TV on July 29, 2025, at 10:30 PM.

Ever since the reboot was announced, social media has been flooded with comparisons between Kyunki and Anupamaa, especially between the two lead characters, Tulsi and Anupamaa. But producer Ektaa Kapoor has now responded to those comments and made her stance clear.

Ektaa, in a chat with Brut, said she was unhappy with the way people were creating unnecessary rivalry between the shows and their female leads. She said, “We are coming in for our purpose. To tell our story. These unfair comparisons between lead characters and lead shows is so unnecessary and pitting women against each other, pitting content against each other is so uncalled for.”

She also spoke about videos suggesting that Anupamaa had an issue with Kyunki’s return. Ektaa felt these claims were in “bad” taste. Praising Anupamaa and its creators, she added, “Rupali is such a big star. Anupamaa the show, the creator Rajan… has done what nobody else could do in the last seven years. They will continue to be number 1. They should continue to be number 1.”

Originally launched in 2000, Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi ran successfully until 2008. The upcoming reboot will air on Star Plus and stream on both JioCinema and OTTplay Premium. Smriti Irani leads the cast once again, joined by Amar Upadhyay, Rohit Suchanti, Tanisha Mehta, Shagun Sharma, Hiten Tejwani, Gauri Pradhan, Shakti Anand, Kamalika Guha Thakurta, Ankit Bhatia (as Vardaan Patel), Prachi Singh, Ketaki Dave, and Ritu Chaudhary.

This return marks not just a revival of a much-loved show, but also a reminder that good stories don’t need to compete—they just need to be told.