Ekta Kapoor turns 46: Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi to Yeh Hai Mohabbatein; path-breaking shows of the producer that opened up a new era in the TV

It has been years since Ekta Kapoor has been ruling the television industry with her immensely popular shows. Television producers have brought a revolution in the industry with varied shows revolving around each one of our lives. From family drama to marital life, love stories and supernatural drama, Ekta’s shows have given the audience a diverse range of content suitable for anyone and everyone. And there’s a reason she’s been known as a TV czarina. As she celebrates her 46th birthday, here’s a look at some of her path-breaking TV shows:

Smriti Irani starrer Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi was the show that brought into being the trend of ‘saas-bahu’ dramas and serials in the TV industry. The story revolved around the lead character ‘Tulsi’, an ideal daughter-in-law aka ‘Bahu’ of the Virani family. It ran for a good eight years and became one of the most popular shows of the early 2000s.

Ram Kapoor and Sakshi Tanwar starrer, Bade Acche Lagte Hai, is another of Ekta’s shows that brought an unusual story for the audience. The show revolved around the lives of the lead characters Ram (a business tycoon in his early 40s) and Priya (a middle-class girl in her early 30s), who discover love after marriage. The unlikely circumstances lead to the marriage of both the leads, who fall in love being total opposites to each other and discover the path of love and trust while going through the ups and downs of married life.

This show, revolved around the lives of Anurag and Prerna, who fall in love against their fate, to only get separated from each other. Starring Shweta Tiwari, Cezanne Khan (later replaced by Hiten Tejwani) and Ronit Roy this show became another most popular show of Ekta Kapoor. It brought into revolution the existence of powerful antagonists in the show with Urvashi Dholakia’s remarkable performance as Komolika. The show was loved to an extent that Ekta came up with a sequel of the same starring Parth Samthaan and Erica Fernandes in the lead roles, in 2018.

A show with its storyline spread over three generations and the struggles that each member of a joint family goes through to keep it intact. Starring Sakshi Tanwar as Parvati, the lead character, this show explored the struggles that a woman goes through as an ideal daughter-in-law. The story encircled around the life of Parvati who tries her level best to stay morally right for which she has to go against her family members. The story explored the real-life struggles of a joint family and so became the second top most-watched show on TV after Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi.

It is not just a supernatural show but a show that has been crazily followed and loved too owing to its supernatural and thrilling storyline. The first season of Naagin became so popular amongst the fans that it has had as many as six of its sequels, ultimately making it the ‘Naagin series’. Having an extensive cast spread over all these years of its run, this supernatural show of Ekta became one of a kind and topped the TRP charts for a long time.

Starring Divyanka Tripathi and Karan Patel as the leads Ishita and Raman, this show explored a completely new genre of television shows. The show revolved around the lives of the leads, belonging to completely different cultures. A divorced man and a barren woman end up getting married due to the circumstances. The track of the show explored how marriage is ultimately about a family and normalised second marriages, love after marriage and trashed the mentality of stepmothers being evil. The show was massively popular during its run and made lead actress Divyanka synonymous with Ishita.

The newest addition to her range of path-breaking show, this show showcases the implementation of the ‘Molkki’ tradition. The tradition wherein a poor girl marries a rich man twice her age in exchange for money. Starring Priyal Mahajan and Amar Upadhyay in the lead roles, this show explores the difficulties of such marriages, which are often practised in parts of Haryana and Uttar Pradesh.