# Bhabhi (भाभी) (TV series)
**Bhabhi** (भाभी; transl. Sister-in-law) is an Indian Hindi-language soap opera that aired on [StarPlus](https://www.edgepedia.org/starplus) on weekday afternoons from 18 March 2002 to 23 May 2008[1](https://informasilengkap.com/en/Bhabhi_%28TV_series%29). Produced by UTV Software Communications, it ran for 1,328 episodes and told the story of Saroj, a bride who discovers she was married to her husband by mistake and gradually accepts her place in his family as "Pushpa Bhabhi"[1](https://informasilengkap.com/en/Bhabhi_%28TV_series%29) • [2](https://nettv4u.com/about/hindi/tv-serials/bhabhi). It should not be confused with the later Pakistani serial *Bhabhi* on [ARY Digital](https://www.edgepedia.org/ary-digital), the 2025 web series *Bhabhi Suniye*, or the comedy *Bhabhi Ji Ghar Par Hain*[3](https://arydigital.tv/bhabi-2/) • [4](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt36751842/).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Network and slot | StarPlus, weekday afternoons, replacing *Sanskruti* in the 1:30 pm slot on 18 March 2002[5](https://indiantelevision.com/news-headline/afternoon-soap-bhabhi-launches-on-star-plus-monday-0-020314/) |
| Run | 18 March 2002 to 23 May 2008, 1,328 episodes (IMDb lists 1,327)[1](https://informasilengkap.com/en/Bhabhi_%28TV_series%29) • [6](https://www.imdb.com/hi/title/tt5547122/) |
| Format | Half-hour daily family drama, about 23 minutes per episode[5](https://indiantelevision.com/news-headline/afternoon-soap-bhabhi-launches-on-star-plus-monday-0-020314/) • [1](https://informasilengkap.com/en/Bhabhi_%28TV_series%29) |
| Producers | Ronnie Screwvala and Zarina Mehta for UTV Software Communications[7](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5547122/fullcredits/) |
| Writers | Rajesh Beri and R M Joshi[7](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5547122/fullcredits/) |
| Leads | Neha Mehta, then Dolly Sohi, as Saroj; Joy Sengupta, then Manish Goel, as Tilak[2](https://nettv4u.com/about/hindi/tv-serials/bhabhi) • [8](https://www.indiaforums.com/forum/bhabhi/128480/articles-about-manish-goel) |
| Theme songs | "Bhabhi" sung by Udit Narayan and Indira Menon; later "Rang Mile" by Shreya Ghoshal[1](https://informasilengkap.com/en/Bhabhi_%28TV_series%29) |
## Premise
The serial centers on Saroj (Neha Mehta), a young bride whose life changes the moment she lifts her bridal veil[9](https://pro.imdb.com/title/tt5547122/). After an accident, she recovers in her husband's home and learns that her marriage happened by mistake; her husband's family, including her husband Tilak, has never actually seen the bride[2](https://nettv4u.com/about/hindi/tv-serials/bhabhi). Living under a changed identity as Pushpa, she is gradually accepted by the family, and when Tilak learns her real identity he ultimately accepts her as "Pushpa Bhabhi"[2](https://nettv4u.com/about/hindi/tv-serials/bhabhi).
A contemporary trade report highlighted this setup as the serial's selling point: unlike the dominant saas-bahu (Indian soap genre of scheming mother-in-law vs. daughter-in-law plots) formula, *Bhabhi* was promoted as having no scheming in-laws plotting each other's downfall, with plot turns supplied by happenstance rather than villainy[5](https://indiantelevision.com/news-headline/afternoon-soap-bhabhi-launches-on-star-plus-monday-0-020314/).
## Production and launch
Star India and UTV produced the show as a daily afternoon soap, launched on Monday, 18 March 2002, and initially scheduled to run for a year; UTV creative director Neeraj Naik said the serial was shot mainly on sets in Mumbai's Gemini Studios with some outdoor locations[5](https://indiantelevision.com/news-headline/afternoon-soap-bhabhi-launches-on-star-plus-monday-0-020314/). Its launch made both of Star Plus's main afternoon soaps UTV productions, alongside *Shagun*[5](https://indiantelevision.com/news-headline/afternoon-soap-bhabhi-launches-on-star-plus-monday-0-020314/).
## Afternoon slot and ratings
The serial belonged to a deliberate channel strategy aimed at housewife viewers in the afternoon band. In September 2002, trade coverage reported that shows such as *Shagun* and *Bhabhi* on Star Plus drew higher viewership ratings than some prime-time programs on other entertainment channels[10](https://www.exchange4media.com/media-tv-news/noon-tv-shows-favourite-among-housewives-6063.html). A 2003 report on the rival afternoon soap *Kumkum – ek pyaarasa bandhan* noted that by March 2003 Kumkum had overtaken heavyweight afternoon shows including UTV's *Bhabhi* and *Shagun* in the ratings[11](https://indiantelevision.com/news-headline/kumkum-claims-top-spot-in-afternoon-band-030401/). The show ultimately outlasted its planned one-year run by six years, ending on 23 May 2008[1](https://informasilengkap.com/en/Bhabhi_%28TV_series%29) • [12](https://sifetbabo.org/bhabhi-tv-series-characters-real-names-images/).
## Cast changes and long-run story devices
**Lead turnover.** Daily-soap schedules drove early cast changes. In December 2002, Joy Sengupta, who played Tilak, left the show; actor Manish Goel took over the role, saying he had found the daily shooting schedule difficult to combine with his theater work[8](https://www.indiaforums.com/forum/bhabhi/128480/articles-about-manish-goel). Neha Mehta, who originated Saroj, is recorded in cast listings as appearing in 1,222 of the show's episodes, with Dolly Sohi later playing Saroj/Pushpa[7](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5547122/fullcredits/) • [12](https://sifetbabo.org/bhabhi-tv-series-characters-real-names-images/).
**Long-running plot devices.** By 2007 the show had moved into high-melodrama territory. A June 2007 storyline had Suhaana presumed dead while her look-alike Lolita claimed to be her, fighting a court case to prove her identity to the widower Dev, a plot trade coverage explicitly compared to the film *Mera Saaya*[13](https://www.indiaforums.com/article/suhaana-or-lolita-a-mera-saaya-way-in-bhabhi_371).
The cast roster also included actors who later became better known, among them [Sharad Kelkar](https://www.edgepedia.org/sharad-kelkar), Shilpa Shinde, Mohit Raina, and [Rupali Ganguly](https://www.edgepedia.org/rupali-ganguly), mostly in single-episode or short roles[14](https://www.filmaffinity.com/us/film656700.html) • [15](https://pro.imdb.com/title/tt5547122/details).
## Other shows titled Bhabhi
Several unrelated programs share the title. ARY Digital in Pakistan aired a serial *Bhabhi*, written by Ghazala Aziz and directed by Asif Younus, about a single mother raising her son Sufyan after her husband Naeem dies in a car accident, with a cast including Aijaz Aslam, Shahzad Shaikh, and [Sohai Ali Abro](https://www.edgepedia.org/sohai-ali-abro)[3](https://arydigital.tv/bhabi-2/) • [16](https://arydigital.tv/bhabhi-ends-happy-note/). IMDb separately lists *Bhabhi Suniye*, a Hindi drama web series released in India on 30 April 2025 with six episodes from Hulchul Original, starring Naina Chhabra, Muskaan Agrawal, and Vivaan Srivastava[4](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt36751842/). A different Hindi serial, *Bhabhi Maa*, aired on DD Metro in 2002 with Aroona Irani as the household matriarch[17](https://nettv4u.com/about/hindi/tv-serials/bhabhi-maa). The best-known title in the family is *Bhabhi Ji Ghar Par Hain*, the &TV sitcom launched in 2015 and set in Kanpur, which is a separate comedy rather than a continuation[18](https://www.indiatoday.in/television/soaps/story/why-is-bhabhi-ji-ghar-par-hain-so-popular-andtv-vibhuti-narayan-mishra-tiwari-ji-angoori-bhabhi-anita-bhabhi-hawaldar-happu-singh-268456-2015-10-16).
## References
1. [Bhabhi (TV series), Informasi Lengkap](https://informasilengkap.com/en/Bhabhi_%28TV_series%29)
2. [Hindi TV Serial Bhabhi Synopsis, Nettv4u](https://nettv4u.com/about/hindi/tv-serials/bhabhi)
3. [Bhabhi – ARY Digital](https://arydigital.tv/bhabi-2/)
4. [Bhabhi Suniye (TV Series 2025–), IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt36751842/)
5. [Afternoon soap 'Bhabhi' launches on Star Plus Monday, Indian Television Dot Com (14 March 2002)](https://indiantelevision.com/news-headline/afternoon-soap-bhabhi-launches-on-star-plus-monday-0-020314/)
6. [Bhabhi (TV Series 2002–2008), IMDb (Hindi page)](https://www.imdb.com/hi/title/tt5547122/)
7. [Bhabhi (TV Series 2002–2008) – Full cast & crew, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5547122/fullcredits/)
8. [Articles about Manish Goel, India Forums](https://www.indiaforums.com/forum/bhabhi/128480/articles-about-manish-goel)
9. [Bhabhi – Production & Contact Info, IMDbPro](https://pro.imdb.com/title/tt5547122/)
10. [Noon TV shows favourite among Housewives, Exchange4media (16 September 2002)](https://www.exchange4media.com/media-tv-news/noon-tv-shows-favourite-among-housewives-6063.html)
11. ['Kumkum' claims top spot in afternoon band, Indian Television Dot Com (1 April 2003)](https://indiantelevision.com/news-headline/kumkum-claims-top-spot-in-afternoon-band-030401/)
12. [Bhabhi TV Series All Characters Real Names with Images, Sifetbabo](https://sifetbabo.org/bhabhi-tv-series-characters-real-names-images/)
13. [Suhaana or Lolita: A 'Mera Saaya' Way in Bhabhi!!, India Forums (June 2007)](https://www.indiaforums.com/article/suhaana-or-lolita-a-mera-saaya-way-in-bhabhi_371)
14. [Bhabhi (TV Series) (2002), FilmAffinity](https://www.filmaffinity.com/us/film656700.html)
15. [Bhabhi – Cast, IMDbPro](https://pro.imdb.com/title/tt5547122/details)
16. ['Bhabhi' ends on a happy note, ARY Digital](https://arydigital.tv/bhabhi-ends-happy-note/)
17. [Hindi Tv Serial Bhabhi Maa, Nettv4u](https://nettv4u.com/about/hindi/tv-serials/bhabhi-maa)
18. [Why is everyone talking about Bhabhi Ji Ghar Par Hain?, India Today (16 October 2015)](https://www.indiatoday.in/television/soaps/story/why-is-bhabhi-ji-ghar-par-hain-so-popular-andtv-vibhuti-narayan-mishra-tiwari-ji-angoori-bhabhi-anita-bhabhi-hawaldar-happu-singh-268456-2015-10-16)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Series and fictional screen worlds › International serial drama and telenovelas › South and Southeast Asian serials › Hindi serials and Indian Hindi-language dramas › Family and social dramas*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 20, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 18, 2026; Sep 20, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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