Smriti Irani's Kyunki 2 breaks TRP records with 1.6 billion views, beats Rupali Ganguly's Anupamaa [reactions]

Exactly a week ago, the OG cult show Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi premiered its reboot season on television. Season 2 airs every night at 10:30 PM on Star Plus and JioCinema.

Blending the old with the new and wrapped in a wave of nostalgia, Smriti Irani is receiving accolades for reprising her iconic role as Tulsi Virani, alongside Amar Upadhyay as Mihir. New faces have also joined the cast, representing the younger generation of the Virani family.

With a limited run of around 150 episodes, the reboot focuses on Tulsi and Mihir's love story, while the antagonist Gayatri Virani (Kamalika Guha Thakurta) continues to stir trouble in their lives. The current track centers around their daughter Pari's love story.

Anupama vs Kyunki, which show won the TRP battle?

Even before the show's premiere, viewers had already begun comparing Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi 2 to Rupali Ganguly's Anupamaa. Many social media users concluded that with Kyunki back on air, millennials and Gen Z would prefer watching Smriti's show over Anupamaa. Now, the TRP numbers for both shows are out.

Kyunki has made a strong debut in its first week. According to a report by Gossips TV, the show has claimed the top spot on BARC's TRP chart, registering a rating of 2.3. In fact, the first episode alone garnered a TRP of 2.5.

Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi 2 has edged past Anupamaa, though not by a large margin, as the latter also secured a TRP of 2.3. While Kyunki and Anupamaa take the top two spots, Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai stands at number three with a TRP of 2.0.

In its launch week alone, Kyunki clocked 1.659 billion minutes of watch time. The launch episode alone was watched by 15.4 million viewers on Star Plus, with the show reaching 31.1 million on television, making it the biggest GEC fiction launch across both TV and streaming platforms in recent memory.

At number four is the finale of Laughter Chefs Season 2, a cooking reality show, also with a TRP of 2.0. Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah follows in fifth place with a TRP of 1.9.

Udne Ki Aasha, which was in the top 3 just weeks ago, has slipped to sixth position with a TRP of 1.7. Right behind it is Zee TV's Tum Se Tum Tak in seventh place, also with 1.7. Mangal Lakshmi, previously in the top five, is now at number eight with the same TRP. It is followed by Lakshmi Ka Safar at number nine (TRP 1.6), and Vasudha at number ten (TRP 1.5).

Speaking of the original cast, apart from Smriti Irani, actors like Amar Upadhyay, Hiten Tejwani, Gauri Pradhan, Shakti Anand, Ritu Seth, and Ketaki Dave have reprised their roles. The new cast features Rohit Suchanti, Shagun Sharma, Aman Gandhi, Tanisha Mehta, Prachi Singh, and Ankit Bhatia.

As the old cast reunites and the new faces infuse fresh energy, netizens are demanding more of Tulsi and Mihir's romance and camaraderie in the upcoming episodes.

However, during the week, a section of social media criticised Smriti Irani over her weight gain, with some users commenting that Amar Upadhyay looks younger and much more fitter than her.