Smriti Irani returns as Tulsi in Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi Season 2

Now, a quarter of a century later, Kyunki… is back. Its Season 2, with Smriti Irani once again playing Tulsi, which was initially rumoured to launch on July 3 — marking exactly 25 years since the original premiered — went on floor on July 4 and the first look has been revealed.

The first look

In the first look, Smriti Irani is dressed in a maroon saree and zari-bordered dupatta, very much Tulsi, but older. She sports her signature big red bindi, traditional temple jewelry, and a black-beaded mangalsutra. The reboot season of the show will mark Smriti’s return to acting after 15 years.

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A few days ago, Smriti celebrated 25 years of the show in a post on Instagram. She shared a picture with a note: “25 years ago, a story entered Indian homes and quietly became part of countless lives. Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi wasn’t just a show — it was emotion, memory, ritual. A time when families paused everything to sit together… cry, laugh, hope. To every viewer who made Tulsi a part of their own family — thank you. This journey wasn’t mine alone. It was ours. And it always will be.”

Security on the sets

Ekta Kapoor famously launched an entire universe of serials beginning with the letter ‘K’ in the early 2000s under the Balaji banner. Her long-running fascination with the letter, bordering on superstition, gave Indian TV titles like Kahaani Ghar Ghar Kii, Kasautii Zindagii Kay, and Kkusum, all following the same naming convention. In revisiting Kyunki…, she’s doubling down on the storytelling grammar she helped invent: family dramas with emotionally charged women at the centre.

With Season 2 of Kyunki…, Kapoor returns to her most definitive show which made Irani a household name. The shoot, not surprisingly, has been unusually guarded. With Irani now a Cabinet minister, the production was placed under strict surveillance. Phones were banned on set. Scripts were tightly controlled. The atmosphere, according to crew members, was less daily soap, more closed-door summit.

There is also the question of logistics. Irani, whose parliamentary duties continue in parallel, is reportedly shooting in tightly scheduled shifts. Yet, according to Amar Upadhyay — who returns as Mihir — the dynamic between the two leads “clicked immediately” once the cameras rolled.

Shorter format, bigger stakes

Unlike the first season’s 1,800+ episodes, Kyunki… Season 2 is a limited series: 150 episodes designed to bring the story to a close. Ekta Kapoor has spoken openly about wanting to take the show to a symbolic 2,000-episode mark. But the decision to keep this new chapter finite also reflects how TV storytelling has changed.

There’s a reason this reboot has generated so much attention. Smriti Irani’s return as Tulsi marks her carefully timed re-entry into the public’s cultural imagination at a time when she seems to have been sidelined by the Narendra Modi govermement.

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Back in 2000, Irani was a newcomer and was paid Rs 8,000 per episode. Today, reports suggest she’s being paid Rs 14 lakh a day. But perhaps more important than the money is the positioning. She’s a public figure choosing to revisit a performance that once defined her. It’s also a subtle nod to unfinished business. In recent interviews, Irani has acknowledged that she wasn’t paid equally during the original run. This time, she arrives on her terms.

What the show will actually look like

Details about the plot remain scarce, though early reports suggest a blend of the familiar and the contemporary. The new Virani haveli set has been redesigned after Kapoor reportedly rejected the initial look for lacking visual richness on camera.

A new generation of characters will be introduced, but the series will remain centred around Tulsi and Mihir. There are also whispers of cameos from actors like Mouni Roy and Karishma Tanna, who once played small roles in Balaji’s TV universe and are now stars in their own right.

Whether this new version will rely on the same tropes as the original — reincarnations, extended funerals, or time jumps — is unclear. What seems more likely is a more focused, emotionally grounded story that draws on legacy without being trapped by it.