Kasautii Zindagii Kay is an Indian Hindi-language romantic drama television series produced by Ekta Kapoor's Balaji Telefilms on StarPlus. The show starred Shweta Tiwari, Cezzane Khan (later replaced by Hiten Tejwani), Ronit Roy and Urvashi Dholakia. The show aired from 29 October 2001 to 28 February 2008. Kasautii Zindagii Kay explored the story of star-crossed lovers Anurag and Prerna, various stages of their love and life as well as the lives of their children and grandchildren. Kasautii Zindagii Kay was one of the longest-running Indian television series. The entire series is digitally available on Disney+ Hotstar.

Plot

Anurag and Prerna fall in love with each other, only for fate to time and again separate them. Komolika and Rishabh Bajaj are vital catalysts in the story. Over a span of eighty years in the show, the story revolves around Anurag, Prerna, and their children Prem, Sneha, and eventually progressing to their grandchildren.

Chapters

Cast

Main

Recurring

Special appearances

Production

Development

Ekta Kapoor stated that Anurag was named after her director friend, while Prerna was named after the daughter of her father's friend, actor Prem Chopra. The series was primarily filmed on sets at Killick Nixon Studio, set number 7B in Mumbai. In early 2003, a sequence was shot in Australia. In October 2003, the series had a crossover episode with Des Mein Niklla Hoga Chand, adding a unique twist to the storyline. In 2005, several episodes of the series (Episode 708 to Episode 721) were filmed in Singapore and Malaysia, adding an international flavor to the narrative. In 2007, Cezanne Khan, who portrayed Anurag, was replaced by Hiten Tejwani in the series.

Cancellation

In November 2007, it was confirmed that Kasautii Zindagii Kay would go off-air in January 2008. However, the series eventually ended on 28 February 2008. Speaking about the conclusion of the show, Kapoor stated, "I won't deny that the TRPs of Kasautii Zindagii Kay had gone down quite a bit and moreover, I didn't have a story to tell."

Reboot series

A reboot of the show, also titled Kasautii Zindagii Kay, aired on StarPlus from 25 September 2018 to 3 October 2020. However, unlike the original series, the reboot did not sustain the expected ratings. This reboot was also remade in the Kannada language on Star Suvarna, titled Premloka.

Reception

Critics

Rediff.com praised the show, stating, "One nice thing about Kasautii Zindagii Kay is that all characters in the serial are very strong. Be it the protagonists or antagonists, every character stands on firm ground."

Ratings

Kasautii Zindagii Kay became the third-longest-running and top-rated Hindi GEC (General Entertainment Channel) series after Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi and Kahaani Ghar Ghar Kii—all three produced by Balaji Telefilms. The show recorded one of the highest TRPs, contributing to StarPlus maintaining its top position in the ratings. The series started with an average rating of 4.44, which grew in subsequent years, achieving average TRPs of 7.51 in 2002, 8.83 in 2003, and 9.14 in 2004. By 18 November 2003, Kasautii garnered a 9.9 TVR, placing it in third position. The crossover episode with Des Mein Niklla Hoga Chand in October 2003 further boosted its ratings, garnering over 14+ TVR. In 2005, the show maintained its third position with a 10.93 TVR, but in the following year, it saw a slight drop to 8.78 TVR, though it retained its ranking. By the second week of January 2007, the show continued to hold third place, albeit with a reduced rating of 5.6 TVR. Despite being one of the top-rated Indian television series and maintaining its position among the top 10 programs until 2008, Kasautii dropped to eleventh position in January 2008, after which it was soon cancelled.

Awards

Soundtrack

The Kasautii Zindagii Kay soundtrack has recorded more than hundred tracks during its airing from 2001 to 2008 and won several awards. The tracks include versions of Bollywood hit songs Kya Pyaar Karoge Mujhse, Ajeeb Dastan Hai Yeh, Hum Bewafa Hargiz Na Thay, Kal Ho Naa Ho, Jiyen To Jiyen Kaisy and Do Ajnabi Kidar Ja Rahy Hain.

Original serial versions