5 saas-bahu duos in Indian drama series (and where to watch them now)

With Netflix’s new comedy drama Chumbak spotlighting the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law relationship, here’s a look at some of the iconic duo (or trio) of Indian drama. Packed with witty punchlines and a zeal to excel each other, these duo made up much of the earlier days of television dramas and the characters are still referred to as iconic ones in the filmography of the actors who played them.  

The newest and most modern entrant to this relation is Gulshan and Hutoxi Taraporewala from the comedy drama Chumbak. Essayed by Delnaaz Irani and Amyra Dasur, this duo is sharp-tongued, opinionated, loud and yet full of rizz. Amidst opposite personalities, disagreements and a battle of words they never fail to make the audience laugh with their wit and humour.  Streaming on Netflix

Imagine a loud Gujarati joint family where every second means a new drama, comic tiff, or mishap. That is Baa Bahoo Aur Baby. Originally aired as a television show, the roles of Godavari (Baa) and Leela Raichura from the Thakkar family were a duo to watch out for. Played by Sarita Joshi and Lubna Salim, their relationship meandered through everyday opinionated tiff, wisdom, emotional outbursts and more. Streaming on JioHotstar

One of the most iconic roles in the lives of both Rupali Ganguly and Ratna Pathak Shah would be that of Monisha and Maya Sarabhai. Originally aired as a television serial, it is now available for viewing on OTT platform. The tiff between a modern, elitist, South Mumbai mother-in-law (Ratna) and her middle-class daughter in law (Rupali) from Delhi is a constant tug of war between the two states. With subtle humour, refined tastes, and comic punchlines, the show became one of Indian television’s iconic comedy dramas. Streaming on JioHotstar

The most iconic start to the K-series fever in the early 2000s was with Kyunki… The show ran for 8 years and aired almost 1800+ episodes. One of the facets which stood out in the family drama was the relationship between Tulsi (Smriti Irani) and her mother and grand-mother in law – Savita (Apara Mehta) and Baa (Sudha Shivpuri). This relationship meandered through sharing of knowledge, wisdom, anger, trust and more and was gradually built over the eight years of the show’s existence. Kyunki also renewed for a second season on OTT but this time it was heralded purely by Smriti. While the original television drama is not streaming on any platform, the OTT season is streaming on JioHotstar.

Long before full-fledged family drama or even OTT ruled our minds, Reema Lagoo and Supriya Pilgaonkar essayed the iconic ‘always fighting’ mother-in-law and daughter-in-law duo – Devaki and Radha from Tu Tu Main Main. The entire sit-com revolved around their relationship where each one took it upon herself to prove their ideologies and opinion correct, in a witty way.  The television show ended in 2000. Although some clips can be viewed on Youtube, no OTT platform streams the entire show as of 2026.

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