Not many critics gave a chance to Balaji Telefilms' Kahiin To Hoga (KTH) on Star Plus- a story of five sisters born into a middle class family who are loved, cared and looked after by the elder sister Kashish who takes up a job with a large company owned by two friends Sujal and Piyush. At the time, critics carped, "Like all previous soaps, this one too has the love triangle as its pivot. Big deal!"

Viewers cribbed, "At a time when viewers are desperately looking for different themes, it's rewind time at Balaji." They said: "We can easily make out. First Kashish (Aamna Shariff) will fall in love with Sujal (Rajeev Khandelwal) but later marry Piyush (Rohit Bakshi) due to a misunderstanding. Sujal will go almost insane with grief and swear revenge. Who cares about the viewers who keep searching for meaningful serials and keep telling themselves, kahiin to hoga (there must be an alternative somewhere)?"

Five months down the line, KTH has turned into one of the top shows on the tube. What makes it tick? Initially, it had quite a few factors going against it:
a) It was a youth-centric show, something that Ekta had never attempted before, something that was against Ekta's image as a creative person
b) It had a late night slot of 11 pm, a time when people had got used to switching off their TV sets and going to bed- because Kaahin Kissii Roz was virtually dead by then (now it's even worse, but more about that in another piece!)
c) A raw new cast.

Talking about the USP of KTH, Balaji Telefilms COO Rajesh Pavithran says, "Like all other Balaji serials, KTH has a compelling storyline. More importantly, the youth element in the story is a major reason for its popularity. KTH is like a whiff of fresh air - different from the huge family dramas and does not fall in the saas- bahu genre. Also, the concept of the serial is unique. That's the reason it's doing so well."

However Rohit Bakshi (Piyush) however has a slightly different opinion. "The concept of the serial is not unique. At the end of the day, it's just a triangle. But the treatment is vastly different. Full marks to our director Anil Kumar. He is young and you can make out when he directs, that he knows what young love is all about. If an elderly director would have been in his shoes, I don't think the results could have been better. And of course, full marks to Ekta Kapoor too. You cannot beat the confidence of this woman. Before the serial started, she promised us that we would be rocking."

Weren't they apprehensive that the serial might not do well as it was coming up in the late 11 pm slot? Says Aamna, "Of course. People generally switch off their TV sets after Kyunki... And why are you forgetting the fact that we also had a slight disadvantage of being new actors? Rohit has done some serials (Kyunki... and Kaahin Kissii Roz) but nothing as major as this. Yet, we pulled it off due to hard work."

Only hard work? Didn't her mushy scenes with Rajeev in the early episodes do the trick? Or was it the near smooch between Poonam (Mahek) and Rishi? Or was it the love-making scene between Poonam and Rishi? Aamna blushes, "These scenes didn't essentially do the trick, but yes, these got the people talking about the serial. That triggered off the publicity by word of mouth. You need to get the people talking before the 13th episode is over. Else, the serial cannot happen. I have seen so many good serials go down the drain because people did not talk about it in the early days of the telecast," but is quick to add, "Doesn't premarital sex and unwed pregnancy happen in the life of today's collegians? What is being shown has never gone over the top and simultaneously has always been realistic."

Says Rajeev, "People enjoyed our romantic scenes because of one more reason. Aamna and I share a fantastic chemistry. Believe it or not, we have set a benchmark. Lately, I have seen at least two serials where very similar scenes as the romantic ones in KTH had been introduced to depict romance."

Like Aamna, director Anil Kumar is confident that they did not go over the top when it came to portraying physical intimacy on screen. "The love-making scene was shot in dull light. By not going over the top, I managed to keep the viewer hungry for more," he laughs, but is quick to add, "Seriously speaking, a certain amount of luck has also gone in our favour. I am not shooting at the usual hectic pace of a daily. This is because I had a bank of about 25 episodes before the telecast began. Actually, Deepak Chauhan who is currently handling Kkusum was supposed to don the director's hat for KTH. In fact, he had shot about 10-15 episodes. But Ekta didn't like it much. We reshot those episodes, but the telecast kept getting delayed. The cut-to-cut scenario in a daily otherwise is too hectic for words."

Interestingly, Kumar has always been Ekta's man of crisis. He saved Ekta's Kahaani Ghar Ghar Kii (KGGK) on Star Plus and Kkusum (Sony) by taking over the reins from directors who were giving these two shows many teething problems. And just when he was enjoying his moment under the sun, Ekta developed some creative differences with Anurag Basu on her film Kucch To Hai (Tusshar Kapoor, Esha Deol, Natasha)- and Kumar was ordered to take charge.

So far, so good. But would youngsters like Aamna, Rohit and Rajeev be able to sustain the TRPs? Defends Ekta Kapoor, "The audience interest in KGGK was waning in the first and second week of September, but once the spotlight shifted to the younger generation with the elder generation getting slightly pushed into the backdrop, interest picked up promptly and considerably. Thereafter, KGGK has almost constantly been amongst the top three shows every week."

She continues, "Today, people want to see youngsters mainly. All my shows can't have the focus on the elder generation. This is what commerce demands. I can't be on my own trip," but adds, "Even the pitching of the show played a big role. The pushing back of KKR paid off. Though I took a risk, it was a calculated one. The Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi (KSBKBT) audience would definitely watch it. And so would the loyal viewers of KKR."

How much have Aamna's costumes contributed? None of Ekta's heroines has donned better outfits in design, style, and of course, cost. Aamna smiles, "I owe this look to Masiji (Balaji's in house fashion designer Nim Sood) who sends me some exclusive stuff. I like most of the stuff that comes to me," and adds as an afterthought, "But I am a bit fussy. At the risk of sounding pompous, may I say that I am very particular that I should look gorgeous on screen. Even otherwise, I am fashion conscious. If en route, I ever feel that I have not dressed as well as I should have, I turn my car back!"

Aamna's background? Coming from a Muslim background, she met with some resistance on her ambition to embark on a career in television from her family members. So she kept her burning desire on the backburner for sometime. But things started to happen... things which drove her into the glamour alley. She divulges, "When I was in my second year of college, I started getting a lot of modelling offers. To date, I have done nearly 45 ads. Some of the major brands I endorsed- Close-Up. Beetel, Emami, Clearasil, Nescafe, Dabur Vatika among many others. I also did a music video 'Dil Ka Alam Main Kya Bataun Tujhe'. I started getting lots of offers to act in serials and films, but nothing was too meaty. At this point of time, I got a call from Balaji Telefilms for Kahiin To Hoga. I had the biggest role and I was going to be there in almost every frame. Do you know that earlier, this show was going to be titled as Kashish? How could I refuse it?" she details, and adds, "Of course I convinced my parents before I took the plunge.".

Director Anil Kumar believes that there is one more reason for KTH's success. He opines, "The suspense," he winks. "Does anybody know who will get Kashish in the end? Plus, we even created a lot of suspense at the time of her marriage. Till she married Piyush, people were busy speculating whether it would be Piyush or Sujal." Pray, tell us.

"How do you expect him to tell you what will happen in the coming days? Won't that spoil the fun? Won't that reduce the viewership?" butts in Rohit.

Prior to this, Rohit has been seen in inconsequential roles- as one of Sudha Chandran's henchmen in KKR and Tulsi's son-in-law in KSBKBT. "I am back in KSBKBT. Changing tracks is the name of the game and my track is again developing now. But KTH is special. I am one of the main leads," says Rohit who has done a course in fashion designing from his home town Delhi. "If I hadn't made it here, I would have gone back to Delhi and either become a fashion designer or joined my dad's business. I started slowly with Titliyan, Chudiyan, Manzilen Aur Bhi Hain, Sukanya etc... but I am picking up pace now."

On the other hand, this is Rajeev's first brush with acting. He reveals, "In fact I have been a producer. I produced nearly 30 documentaries. But things were not working out with respect to monetary gains. I decided to change the course. At a young age, you need to try different things and settle down only after you can see your destination. I can see my destination now. I want to be an acclaimed actor. I am here to stay."

Do these guys identify with their characters in KTH? Piyush is the happy-go-lucky fellow, while Sujal is haughty and arrogant. According to Rajeev, the unit guys were quite petrified of him when he kept aloof on the first few days of the shooting. "They thought that I had landed from Mars. I fit the role to a T. Yes, I have a certain amount of attitude. And I guess it is necessary," he says. On the other hand, Rohit claims that he is as chilled out as in the serial, but however would not let go his love so easily. Ekta Kapoor does not seem to have erred much in the casting process. Another reason for the success of KTH!

The million dollar question is: Is Ekta's faith in her abilities and these youngsters going to stay justified? What is she going to do so that the serial does not lose its way or does not become monotonous? What is the strategy going to be? She offers, "I am going to keep it as tight as possible, without being linear. There have been shows in the history of television which have started very tightly but drifted away in their onward journey. Plus, I am going to keep the romance angle very intense. Many shows try to show romantic scenes, but the couples don't actually seem in love. Luckily, I have got the right chemistry between my lead cast which I am going to build on."

Anil Kumar volunteers to tell us more. "The show will always remain youth-centric; the elderly folk will remain supporting characters. There is a constant vigil on the TRPs. Like we had lots of Rishi in the last month and little of Kashish, Sujal and Aamna. It did not work. Plus, the entry of Urvashi Dholakia has been appreciated. So we are going to build on her character. Soon, the serial will take an interesting turn and Urvashi may form a part of the triangle."

How can Urvashi form a part of the triangle? The triangle has its three vertices in Kashish, Sujal and Piyush. He smiles, "Well, Piyush is soon going to die!"

What! He continues, grinning from ear to ear, "Yes. Plus, there is lots of preparation going in this show. Like we have a new track between Sujal and Kashish after Piyush is dead. But if it doesn't work, we have kept a surprise element which would be introduced to take care of that."

Has the serial benefited him? He replies, "Tremendously. I am getting calls from UTV, BAG Films and Cinevistaas. But my heart and soul is in KTH. Just the other day, Kashish was invited to Maldives to attend a carnival and thereafter stumbled upon an offer to shoot for a music video. She got a very warm reception there. Also, Sujal went to Maldives to attend the same carnival, recently. These guys are getting lots of film offers. But they can't sign anything because they are under a contract with Balaji Telefilms for a year."

Back to Piyush's death. "Is he 'really' going to die? Or is it a Balaji Telefilms' 'type' of death? Kumar laughs, "I can't tell you anything more than that."

KTH for all practical purposes has turned out to be the silent winner of the season. Having debuted on Star Plus at number 31 on the rating charts, Ekta's latest baby has been steadily climbing the ratings charts and has already broken into the Top 20. It is well ahead of SET India's Jassi Jaisi Koi Nahin, which launched around the same time on Sony.