Three weeks ago, a YouTuber named Yashraj Mukhate released a video that took the entire country by storm. Every Indian for a week or so was either sharing his creation or talking about it. The video was in continuation of his Dialogue with Beats series which he has been making for quite sometime now and has had some decent success as well but nothing comes close to this Rosoda Rap (some of the other videos too are super funny link below). So, what made this ‘Rasode Mein Kon Tha’ edition break the internet and people all over discover him overnight? The major difference this time was that Yashraj chose an iconic Indian TV show, Saath Nibhaana Saathiya (SNS), and its iconic characters (Kokila, Rashi, Gopi) as the backdrop. SNS was a super successful daily soap opera telecasted on Star Plus from 2010 to 2017 and it became a phenomena in the Television Rating Point (TRP) ratings during its run. So, let us find out what made this daily soap so popular and iconic.
Yash Raj Mukhate’s Viral Song
The 7 pm time slot
Saath Nibhaana Saathiya was first telecasted in May 2010 when the prime time started at 8 pm and the 7-7:30 pm time slot was considered a dead slot. Also Star Plus too was going through a phase where all its long running iconic shows (read Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi, Kahaani Ghar Ghar Ki) had gone off air and it was in search of a massive crowd puller. Because of the not so coveted time slot, very few had high expectations from SNS. But look, what actually happened! SNS created history, became the number one show in the country and made the then considered DEAD slot, the NEW PRIME TIME. ICONIC isn’t it?
Crossing 7 TRP
After the 2010s, because of the rise in number of channels and also the changes in the TRP calculation methodology, getting a TRP more than 5 was considered impossible. Very few shows crossed the 6 TVR mark and only a handful have reached 7. Saath Nibhaana Saathiya is one of them as it achieved a TRP rating of 7.58 in 2011 and that too at the 7 pm time slot which before that hardly got even a TRP of 2. This feat alone made SNS one of the biggest shows in the history of mainstream television in India.
Crisp and Varied Storylines
One prime reason for the instant success of SNS is the writing. Although, it might sound farcical to some but even in its regressive and stereotypical soap opera setting, the show was highly entertaining. It had the high conflict points in the drama which is required to grab eyeballs and also funny scenes interlaced to keep the viewers amused. Moreover, unlike its contemporaries, the story was very fast moving , had shorter plot lines and brought back the practice of parallel storylines (ala soaps in the west and early 2000s in India). So, a lot was happening in the show pretty much all the time to keep the viewers hooked.
Iconic Characters
Kokila, Rashi and Gopi
The show writers also created some of the most iconic charaters in the history of Indian TV. The show revolved around two cousins who were the main leads in the show. On one hand, Gopi (played by Giaa Manek, later Devoleena Bhattacharjee) was the quintessential naive, under confident and pious Bahu and on the other hand, her cousin Rashi (played wonderfully by Rucha Hasabnis) was mischievous, cunning and mostly grey. The contrast in the two protagonists made their characters stand out. Additionally, it was probably after a long time that Indian TV celebrated a GREY character as a protagonist in the form of Rashi. She was not out and out negative (read vampish) and also did comedy in the show. Also, Rucha played Rashi with so much spunk that when her character was killed off, it trended all day on twitter. Apart from these two, Kokila Ben (who is an integral part of the viral song and played by Rupal Patel) became the new matriarch of the telly world with her strong portrayal of a super fierce lady.
Social Media Popularity
Saath Nibhaana Saathiya went on air at a time when Social Media had just started trending in India. The show, because of its unique and fun filled screenplay and characters, became a backdrop of plethora of memes and videos. Remember the iconic laptop scene and now the Rasode Mein Kaun Tha video. The show was always popular on Social Media during its 7 year run and also after that because of its sheer mass appeal and recall value among its audiences. Also, I distinctly remember the day Rashi’s character died on the show, it was literally the biggest talk point on all social platforms.
Rashi’s Death Scene
In Television where most shows go off air in 4 months, Saath Nibhana Saathiya’s 7 year long run is coveted and rare. Its popularity among the masses even after three years of going off air again validates the theory, that in showbiz, nothing succeeds like SUCCESS.
I am leaving you guys with some of my favorite videos from Yashraj Makhute’s Youtube catalogue. Do share your feedback below and if you like the content do Like, Share and Subcribe!
Other Yashraj Mukhate Videos that made me laugh out loud!
Gaadi Wala Aaya Song
Kya Karu Song
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(Disclaimer – I do not own the rights to the images displayed on the page. The rights remain with their rightful owners. The images are sourced from various public online sources to provide references to Saath Nibhaana Saathiya and the viral Rosode mein Kon Tha Video.)
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