Published 16:51 IST, August 1st 2020
Remember when fans protested Mihir Virani's death on 'Kyunki..' & asked to bring him back?
Mihir Virani played by Amar Upadhyay in 'Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi' was the first character to come back on the show after a death sequence. Here's is why.
Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi was the longest ran daily soap on Indian television during the 2000s. It started airing from 2000 and continued till 2008 with total 1,833 episodes. No doubt the show received immense love from the audience, but do you remember when women turned out in the streets to protest when the character played by Amar Upadhyay was killed on Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi?
When fans protested Mihir Virani's death
Amar Upadhyay played the role of Mihir, who was the husband of the protagonist in the series Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi. So in the show, Mihir Virani was killed in a road accident within a month of the show. This led to many people getting upset and the reaction to this twist in the plot of the show was not what the show makers had expected.
Media portals had reported that fans of the show had flooded the show makers with phone calls and emails asking to bring back Mihir Virani. In fact, the show hit headlines when fans protested outside the Balaji office in Andheri, northwest Bombay back then. Fans were insisting that Mihir gets reinstated in the plot.
Even the actor, Amar Upadhyay got countless messages, letters, and calls where people mourned over his character's death. While the creative team, actors, and the production house were overwhelmed with the response, they told the media portal that they did not do this to create hype. In fact, Ekta Kapoor and Amar Upadhyay told media portals that this is how the intended the show to go even before they started it. Amar Upadhyay told a media portal that he knew since the inception of the show that his character would not be there after the 27th episode.
Also Read: Ekta Kapoor Recalls Fans Watching Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi During Gujarat Earthquake
Fans felt that they lost their family member
Media portals had reported back then that numerous fans started associating themselves with the characters of the show. So when Mihir died on the show, they felt that their own family member had passed away. In fact, there were incidents reported where fans had stopped eating food as they were mourning Mihir’s death on the show.
Mihir Virani was the first character to make a comeback on the same show after a death sequence
The show makers and actors reportedly urged the fans to enjoy the show as a show and not think of it as real. Show makers would also tell fans to continue watching the show as the future episodes would be as interesting. However, the show makers later decided to bring back the character of Mihir Virani on the show, making it the first-ever character on Indian television to come back to life after a death sequence.
Image credits: Amar Upadhyay and Fan page of KSBKBT Instagram (@kyunkisaasbhikhabibahuthi)
Updated 16:51 IST, August 1st 2020