If you grew up in the early 2000s, you would know the craze behind Tulsi and Mihir from ‘Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi’. Played by Smriti Irani and Amar Upadhyay, the couple and their story were watched in every household every night.
As the show is set to return with a second season, Amar, in an exclusive conversation with India Today, spoke about how the show’s popularity changed his life overnight.
The show made him one of the most loved actors when it was launched. While it started with him being recognised in his building and then the city, it was a trip to the Taj Mahal that made him truly witness the success of his show and understand the popularity he had achieved.
went on air, he decided to visit the Taj Mahal with his family and newborn daughter. As luck would have it, the actor reached the historical monument on a Friday, when there was free entry, leading to a larger crowd.
“There were thousands and lakhs of people that day. I realised I made a mistake by coming on that day. It was complete chaos, but we were trying to move in when suddenly someone recognised me and shouted, ‘This guy is Mihir!’. His words spread like wildfire, and before I realised, people were jumping on me. My T-shirt got absolutely torn, and we had to rush back. My family was thrown on one side, and I was on the other. We never got to see the Taj,” he remarked with a laugh.
arrived, but before taking on the crowd, they pulled him up for being in a public place without caution. He said, “They upfront told me, ‘Why the hell would you come here on a free day?’ I tried to explain that I didn’t have any idea, but they were angry that I casually just walked in. In half an hour, I was cordoned off back to Delhi.”
The actor further spoke about how his character’s death on the show went on to become a national crisis. The above-mentioned incident that happened in Agra made him realise how popular the show and it’s characters had become.
He shared that while he was staying at a friend’s house, people in the colony would often come to meet him, addressing him as ‘Mihir’. There would be people who would watch the episode and immediately come to meet him, and have long discussions. “It was unreal, and what happened at the Taj Mahal, that madness, it finally hit me how our show had become immensely popular.”
The actor recalled another amusing anecdote that he still cherishes. While the term ‘national crush’ is loosely used today, the actor was definitely worthy of the title then. He revealed how women would come home to meet him and would sneakily try to pitch their daughters’ marriage proposals.
Amar Upadhyay shared, “A lot of women, especially from Delhi, would come with their daughters to meet me. I would happily chat with them, click pictures, or give autographs. There were many times when they would ask me about my personal life, and as soon as I told them I was married and had a daughter, they would abruptly leave. That’s when my aunt explained that they were here for proposals, and wanted me to meet their daughters. I was shocked that this could happen, and also embarrassed. But it was all Mihir; that was how much he was loved. That was the power of primetime TV back then, Mihir wasn’t just a character; he was family.”
Given the show’s popularity even 25 years later, the makers have planned to soon come up with the second part. The reboot version of ‘Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi’ will star Amar Upadhyay and Smriti Irani in the lead roles, with other cast members also coming back.