Mumbai: Prachi Singh, who plays Manjuri, known to viewers as Munni, in Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi 2 , stepped into a show that redefined family dynamics and relationship values. While her character had quite a journey, she believes that television as a medium has changed, not just in terms of content but character portrayal as well.
While she is happy to be a part of the iconic show, she still believes in making the role her own. She said, “Of course, it’s an honor for me that I got a chance to work on a show like Kyunki. And I got a chance to screen share with such well-known people. And still my character Munni is very different. And she has an arc that started when she used to work in the house where she grew up. She was a maid. But today she becomes an IAS officer on her own. I mean, where did her journey start? She was a girl from a poor family. She has been living in this house since her childhood. But how did she used to live earlier? And now the changes she has made in herself with the help of Tulsi.”
“She becomes an IAS officer. And today she is the daughter-in-law of that house. So Munni’s character has been a complete arc. A Cinderella-like arc. Like, there is a girl from a very poor family. Then a prince comes. Basically, this is how it is shown. But in this story, it was different. Only the prince didn’t come. She doesn’t get married. She becomes an established girl herself. She does something for herself. She gets a position. And then of course, she gets married,” she added.
It’s that determination that her character possesses which makes her talk about what Munni offers a modern audience. She said, “TV has changed a lot compared to before. But still, if I talk about my character, Munni Manjuri Virani, who I am playing, there is a lot to learn from this. This character basically shows that if you want something and decide something, then you can do anything, no matter what. Your background doesn’t matter.”
“I think this is how the women of a traditional family work and how they balance their professional life and personal life. This is what we can learn from Munni’s life. She has become an IAS officer on today’s date. How is she still managing her family? So basically this is what we can learn from Munni’s personality and character,” she added.
She credits the show, and other shows like this, for shaping the audience’s perception about family and relationships. She said, “You can say that they still affect families, relationships, and shows. But if I talk about today’s audience, they have become much smarter than before. They are very different. Some time back, I had gone out, and one aunty told me that her daughter is preparing for the civil services, and she gives her my example. So, of course, it affects people in a positive way too.”
She stressed that her on-screen relationship is also an example for the audience. She said, “Munni and Hritik, the couple Manjuri and Hritik, I would say their biggest strength is how they stand by each other. How Munni balances her professional life with her personal life, and how Hritik is always there to support her. How he motivates her, and how together they take the family forward.”
“Hritik was already married before, and he also had a daughter. So the way Munni handles all these things—if the audience watches all this, then definitely they will take something from it. I feel that even if it affects people, it should be a positive effect. As actors, our responsibility is that if people take something from us, they should take something positive, not something negative,” she added.
But she agrees that joining a show with a history attached came with its own pressure. She said, “If it were any other show, things would have been different. But this is such a well-known show. Like if I talk about the show or TV, people talk about it because a mother-in-law was also a daughter-in-law once. But here, the fear is that in front of such well-known faces, people will accept you or not. Will they like your character or not? So this was a very difficult part: how people will react. But, touchwood, I am so blessed. People have given so much love to Manjuri, aka Munni.”
“Manjuri and Hritik have received a lot of love. Munni and Hritik’s couple, they have a hashtag, Munrik. This has also received a lot of love. People make a lot of edits, do a lot of things. So obviously it seems that people are liking it, people are giving us love,” Prachi ended.
