As Yeh Fitoor Tera completes 100 episodes, screenplay writer Bhavna Vyas exclusively talks about crafting the viral scrunchie motif, audience feedback and more.
A hundred episodes into Star Plus’ popular show Yeh Fitoor Tera, Jeet (Ishhan Dhawan) and Saumya’s (Debchandrima Singha Roy) emotional world continues to keep the audience invested. There is romance and drama, of course, but underneath it all is something much more personal. Both the lead characters carry the weight of their past, and childhood wounds and family conditioning often find their way into the choices they make as adults. It is this emotional baggage that gives several moments in the soap an added layer.
As the show celebrates its 100-episode milestone today, Cutting Shots caught up with screenplay writer Bhavna Vyas for a quick Q and A to know what goes into putting Jeet and Saumya’s world on paper.
Q. Yeh Fitoor Tera does a wonderful job of showing how childhood wounds and family conditioning shape adult choices. As the screenplay writer, how challenging has it been for you to plan this out on paper?
Bhavna: Honestly, it wasn’t that difficult because, since childhood, I have seen cousins and friends around me go through trauma like Saumya’s and grow up carrying its impact. Unfortunately, such things don’t even fade away with time. While writing, all of that just stayed with the team.
Q. The scrunchie is a very crucial emotional prop and a massive favorite among the viewers. When you were writing, how did you decide to use it as a silent anchor for Jeet’s hidden attachment, and did you ever imagine it would become such a viral symbol for the audience?
Bhavna: That was definitely not a fluke. The scrunchie was added very thoughtfully. From the very first scene, we knew how it would be used going forward, and I also knew from day one that it would click with the audience.
Q. When you watch the actors perform a scene you wrote, has there ever been a moment In the show where they or the director surprised you by taking it somewhere unexpected?
Bhavna: It has happened many times. I am glad to be part of such a good team. Specifically, if I talk about the scenes, for instance, when Saumya tells Jeet the truth about Roop Tauji in the park for the first time, it was brilliant.
Q. Fans get very emotional about what happens to Jeet and Saumya online. Does reading viewer reactions ever change how you plan out upcoming script scenes?
Bhavna: Yes, all of us read the reactions and make additions or changes wherever we feel it’s needed.
Q. Lastly, looking back across all the episodes of Yeh Fitoor Tera you’ve written so far, which single scene are you most proud of seeing come to life on screen, and why?
Bhavna: When Jeet pulls Saumya out of the classroom by her scrunchie for the first time in college, that scene beautifully highlights “the art of noticing” along with the beauty of decency and respect.
Perhaps that phrase, “the art of noticing,” used by Bhavna, captures an important part of Yeh Fitoor Tera itself. Its emotional beats are often carried by the small details that accumulate meaning over time.
One hundred episodes later, the audience is still noticing.
