# Saath Nibhaana Saathiya (साथ निभाना साथिया)
**Saath Nibhaana Saathiya** (साथ निभाना साथिया) is a Hindi-language Indian television serial that aired on Star Plus from 3 May 2010 to 23 July 2017, running to about 2,200 episodes, and tells the story of two cousin sisters, Gopi and Rashi, after their marriages into the Modi family[1](https://hindiwikia.com/%E0%A4%B8%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%A5_%E0%A4%A8%E0%A4%BF%E0%A4%AD%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%A8%E0%A4%BE_%E0%A4%B8%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%A5%E0%A4%BF%E0%A4%AF%E0%A4%BE). Produced by Rashmi Sharma Telefilms, it became one of the defining shows of the Indian saas-bahu genre, built around the relationship between the illiterate, good-hearted Gopi and her strict mother-in-law Kokilaben Modi[1](https://hindiwikia.com/%E0%A4%B8%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%A5_%E0%A4%A8%E0%A4%BF%E0%A4%AD%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%A8%E0%A4%BE_%E0%A4%B8%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%A5%E0%A4%BF%E0%A4%AF%E0%A4%BE) • [2](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1863997/plotsummary/).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Broadcast | Star Plus, 3 May 2010 to 23 July 2017, about 2,200 episodes, weekdays at 7:00 pm IST[1](https://hindiwikia.com/%E0%A4%B8%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%A5_%E0%A4%A8%E0%A4%BF%E0%A4%AD%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%A8%E0%A4%BE_%E0%A4%B8%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%A5%E0%A4%BF%E0%A4%AF%E0%A4%BE) |
| Production | Rashmi Sharma Telefilms; set in Rajkot, Gujarat, and filmed in Mumbai[1](https://hindiwikia.com/%E0%A4%B8%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%A5_%E0%A4%A8%E0%A4%BF%E0%A4%AD%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%A8%E0%A4%BE_%E0%A4%B8%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%A5%E0%A4%BF%E0%A4%AF%E0%A4%BE) |
| Original leads | Gia Manek (Gopi), Rucha Hasabnis (Rashi), Mohammed Nazim (Ahem), Vishal Singh (Jigar)[1](https://hindiwikia.com/%E0%A4%B8%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%A5_%E0%A4%A8%E0%A4%BF%E0%A4%AD%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%A8%E0%A4%BE_%E0%A4%B8%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%A5%E0%A4%BF%E0%A4%AF%E0%A4%BE) • [3](https://www.mouthshut.com/review/saath-nibhaana-saathiya-review-ontpprruss) |
| Central characters | Gopi, her husband Ahem, cousin Rashi, husband Jigar, and the matriarch Kokilaben Modi[2](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1863997/plotsummary/) • [4](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=99d3moYToHA) |
| Award | 15th Indian Television Academy Awards 2015, Popular Serial (Drama)[5](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=orDk0WdSr9k) |
| Sequel | *Saath Nibhaana Saathiya 2*, Star Plus, launched around Navratri 2020; 200 episodes completed by June 2021[6](https://www.livehindustan.com/entertainment/story-star-plus-show-saath-nibhaana-saathiya-2-has-successfully-completed-200-episodes-4099643.html) |
| Cultural note | A Gujarati-family drama that also inspired the widely shared "Rasode Mein Kaun Tha?" meme[7](https://www.idiva.com/amp/hindi/entertainment/anupama-to-pandya-store-these-tv-serials-showed-us-gujarati-culture-in-hindi/18050394) • [8](https://feminisminindia.com/2020/09/28/rasode-mein-kaun-tha-indian-tv-serials/) |
## Premise and story
The serial follows Gopi, a naive, illiterate orphan raised by a harsh aunt, who marries Ahem Modi of a wealthy Rajkot family, while her cousin Rashi, clever and scheming, marries Ahem's cousin Jigar on the same occasion[2](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1863997/plotsummary/) • [3](https://www.mouthshut.com/review/saath-nibhaana-saathiya-review-ontpprruss). The household is run by the younger daughter-in-law, Kokilaben Modi, whom all the family members fear; she takes the humble Gopi under her wing and makes her capable, and the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law pair holds the Modi family together[4](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=99d3moYToHA).
Over its seven years the show used the genre's stock devices. One reviewer on MouthShut summarized the progression: Rashi, the "evil sister," is eventually killed, Gopi takes revenge by killing her own real sister, and after a generation leap Gopi returns to find her husband and daughter gone, later watching her daughters marry into a complicated family while her bond with Kokilaben deepens[9](https://www.mouthshut.com/review/saath-nibhaana-saathiya-review-qumolnrott). In the later stretch, after Ahem's death in the story, Gopi is left depressed for years and is pressured into marrying Dr. Krishna Raheja, who is revealed to be part of a family seeking revenge on her; Kokila hires Ahem's look-alike Jaggi, the illegitimate son of Parag and Urvashi, to rescue her[2](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1863997/plotsummary/). In another storyline, the protagonist Gopi is sentenced to life imprisonment on wrongful murder charges brought about through her sister[10](https://www.journalstudiesanthropology.ro/en/representation-of-family-in-indian-television-serials/a109/).
**Cultural setting.** The show was built on a Gujarati household background: the Modi family speaks with Gujarati phrases such as "Rashi ben," "Gopi vahu," "mota bhabhi," and "ba," and the serial depicted [Gujarati food](https://www.edgepedia.org/gujarati-cuisine), dress, and festivals including Garba and Teej celebrations[7](https://www.idiva.com/amp/hindi/entertainment/anupama-to-pandya-store-these-tv-serials-showed-us-gujarati-culture-in-hindi/18050394) • [4](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=99d3moYToHA). An early reviewer noted that it was pitched as a mother-in-law and daughter-in-law story "sans the usual saas-bahu skirmishes," focusing instead on two families of unequal wealth and two couples bound by wedlock but not love[3](https://www.mouthshut.com/review/saath-nibhaana-saathiya-review-ontpprruss).
## Reception and criticism
The show was a ratings performer. A Producers Guild of India and KPMG publication listing the top 10 fiction series on Hindi general entertainment channels in 2014 included *Saath Nibhaana Saathiya*, based on Ormax Media data[11](https://www.producersguildindia.com/Pdf/2015.pdf). It won the Popular Serial (Drama) award at the 15th [Indian Television Academy Awards](https://www.edgepedia.org/indian-television-academy-awards) in 2015[5](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=orDk0WdSr9k). Not all coverage was favorable: a Times of India retrospective included it in a 2016 list of the most disliked serials, describing serials that "refuse to end"[12](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/tv/news/hindi/Yeh-Rishta-Kya-Kehlata-Hai-Saath-Nibhana-Saathiya-5-most-disliked-TV-shows-of-2016/Sasural-Simar-Ka/photostory/55976092.cms). Viewer ratings on MouthShut stood at about 1.78 out of 5 from 2,275 votes[9](https://www.mouthshut.com/review/saath-nibhaana-saathiya-review-qumolnrott).
**Academic and regulatory attention.** An ethnographic content analysis of the top ten Hindi serials of 2016, published in *Anthropological Researches and Studies*, used the show as an example of the female power center in television families: Kokila is the matriarch, with Gopi as the next generation's power holder[10](https://www.journalstudiesanthropology.ro/en/representation-of-family-in-indian-television-serials/a109/). Feminist critics have taken a different view. A [Feminism in India](https://www.edgepedia.org/feminism-in-india) article called shows like *Saath Nibhaana Saathiya* "lessons in patriarchy"[8](https://feminisminindia.com/2020/09/28/rasode-mein-kaun-tha-indian-tv-serials/). A study of male role portrayals cites Ahem as a stereotypical husband who orders his wife to bring him green tea while she lies unconscious on the bed[13](https://www.ejsss.net.in/uploads/172/15310_pdf.pdf). The Broadcasting Content Complaints Council recorded six complaints against the Star Plus serial concerning episodes of 11, 12, and 13 May 2016 that showed "disturbing content with psychopath characters"[14](https://ibdf.com/sites/default/files/Decisions%20taken%20by%20BCCC%2016%20April%202014%20to%2031%20August%202017_1.pdf).
## Later life of the franchise
The franchise continued after the original ended. *Saath Nibhaana Saathiya 2* launched on Star Plus around Navratri 2020, again produced by Rashmi Sharma[6](https://www.livehindustan.com/entertainment/story-star-plus-show-saath-nibhaana-saathiya-2-has-successfully-completed-200-episodes-4099643.html). It kept the characters of Gopi and Kokila, played again by [Devoleena Bhattacharjee](https://www.edgepedia.org/devoleena-bhattacharjee) and [Rupal Patel](https://www.edgepedia.org/rupal-patel), and introduced a second family, the Desais of Surat led by Kokila's brother Praful, around whose maid Gehna, played by Sneha Jain, the new story centered[15](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/tv/news/hindi/saath-nibhaana-saathiya-2-review-ahems-mysterious-presence-in-gopis-life-kokilas-sass-and-injustice-towards-gehna-will-keep-you-hooked/articleshow/78786014.cms) • [6](https://www.livehindustan.com/entertainment/story-star-plus-show-saath-nibhaana-saathiya-2-has-successfully-completed-200-episodes-4099643.html). The Times of India review noted that Gehna is portrayed as a damsel in distress, doing all the household work while being insulted by the family[15](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/tv/news/hindi/saath-nibhaana-saathiya-2-review-ahems-mysterious-presence-in-gopis-life-kokilas-sass-and-injustice-towards-gehna-will-keep-you-hooked/articleshow/78786014.cms).
A further spinoff, *Tera Mera Saath Rahe*, was billed by India Today as a "bizarre prequel" to the original, bringing Gia Manek and Rupal Patel back to television in 2021[16](https://www.indiatoday.in/amp/television/soaps/story/tera-mera-saath-rahe-fails-to-tap-into-the-magic-of-gopi-kokila-jodi-on-wahiyat-wednesday-1888094-2021-12-15). The original show also gained a second cultural life online: its famous "Rasode Mein Kaun Tha?" dialogue became a widely circulated meme in 2020, used as a shorthand commentary on the melodrama of Indian television serials[8](https://feminisminindia.com/2020/09/28/rasode-mein-kaun-tha-indian-tv-serials/).
## References
1. [साथ निभाना साथिया, हिंदी विकिया](https://hindiwikia.com/%E0%A4%B8%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%A5_%E0%A4%A8%E0%A4%BF%E0%A4%AD%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%A8%E0%A4%BE_%E0%A4%B8%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%A5%E0%A4%BF%E0%A4%AF%E0%A4%BE)
2. [Saath Nibhana Saathiya (TV Series 2010–2017) – Plot, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1863997/plotsummary/)
3. [TV serial – SAATH NIBHAANA SAATHIYA Review, MouthShut.com](https://www.mouthshut.com/review/saath-nibhaana-saathiya-review-ontpprruss)
4. [साथ निभाना साथिया | Garba Celebration, StarPlus official channel](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=99d3moYToHA)
5. [The 15th Indian Television Academy Awards 2015, Popular Serial Drama](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=orDk0WdSr9k)
6. ['साथ निभाना साथिया 2' के पूरे हुए 200 एपिसोड्स, Hindustan](https://www.livehindustan.com/entertainment/story-star-plus-show-saath-nibhaana-saathiya-2-has-successfully-completed-200-episodes-4099643.html)
7. [साथ निभाना साथिया और गुजराती संस्कृति, iDiva Hindi](https://www.idiva.com/amp/hindi/entertainment/anupama-to-pandya-store-these-tv-serials-showed-us-gujarati-culture-in-hindi/18050394)
8. [Indian TV Serials Are Not All About 'Rasode Mein Kaun Tha?' Level Drama, Feminism in India](https://feminisminindia.com/2020/09/28/rasode-mein-kaun-tha-indian-tv-serials/)
9. [Never ending Saga – SAATH NIBHAANA SAATHIYA Review, MouthShut.com](https://www.mouthshut.com/review/saath-nibhaana-saathiya-review-qumolnrott)
10. [Representation of 'family' in Indian television serials, Anthropological Researches and Studies](https://www.journalstudiesanthropology.ro/en/representation-of-family-in-indian-television-serials/a109/)
11. [#shootingforthestars, Producers Guild of India / KPMG 2015 (Top 10 fiction series on Hindi GECs, 2014)](https://www.producersguildindia.com/Pdf/2015.pdf)
12. [Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai, Saath Nibhana Saathiya: 5 most disliked TV shows of 2016, Times of India](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/tv/news/hindi/Yeh-Rishta-Kya-Kehlata-Hai-Saath-Nibhana-Saathiya-5-most-disliked-TV-shows-of-2016/Sasural-Simar-Ka/photostory/55976092.cms)
13. [Male role portrayals in Hindi TV soaps, Electronic Journal of Social and Strategic Studies](https://www.ejsss.net.in/uploads/172/15310_pdf.pdf)
14. [Decisions taken by the BCCC 16 April 2014 to 31 August 2017, Indian Broadcasting & Digital Foundation](https://ibdf.com/sites/default/files/Decisions%20taken%20by%20BCCC%2016%20April%202014%20to%2031%20August%202017_1.pdf)
15. [Saath Nibhaana Saathiya 2 review, Times of India](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/tv/news/hindi/saath-nibhaana-saathiya-2-review-ahems-mysterious-presence-in-gopis-life-kokilas-sass-and-injustice-towards-gehna-will-keep-you-hooked/articleshow/78786014.cms)
16. [Tera Mera Saath Rahe fails to tap into the magic of Gopi-Kokila jodi, India Today](https://www.indiatoday.in/amp/television/soaps/story/tera-mera-saath-rahe-fails-to-tap-into-the-magic-of-gopi-kokila-jodi-on-wahiyat-wednesday-1888094-2021-12-15)
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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 18, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 18, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license