Could mother-in-law tales be the next big thing in publishing?

There is evidently a huge interest in stories related to mothers-in-law in India, but oddly enough, it appears confined to the screen

- 

Before television came into its own, the nasty mother-in-law who harassed and persecuted the innocent daughterin-law appeared frequently in cinema of the sixties and the seventies. Lalitha Pawar with her squint was considered to be the star performer in such roles. On the small screen, the mother-inlaw’s huge potential was perhaps first discovered by Ekta Kapoor when she launched her now legendary television serial “Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi.”

The serial was a phenomenal success, and it launched many careers including that of Ekta Kapoor, the show’s producer and Smriti Irani, who played Tulsi, the daughter-in-law and protagonist. Ms Irani became nationally well-known but instead of graduating to cinema, went on to forge a successful career in politics holding different Cabinet-level positions.