“What will I say to him?"
Microsoft founder and philanthropist Bill Gates made an unexpected appearance in the Indian drama Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi, sparking surprise and delight across social media.
The unexpected cameo featured Gates alongside Smriti Irani.
The episode, which aired on October 23, focused on maternal and child health, a cause Gates has long championed through the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
The foundation has partnered with governments in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar for years to reduce infant and maternal mortality in India’s most populous and disadvantaged states.
Government data shows steady improvement in these areas, but in a patriarchal society, challenges persist. Experts say awareness campaigns remain vital to changing norms and protecting mothers and girls.
In this context, Gates’ choice of platform was significant. Few shows have captured the Indian public’s imagination like Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi.
First aired in July 2000, the series became a national phenomenon, running almost daily for more than eight years on Star Plus.
Its return in July 2025 reignited nostalgia among viewers who once organised their daily routines around Tulsi Virani (Smriti Irani).
In the scene, Gates greets Irani in American-accented Hindi.
“Namaste Tulsi-ji,” he says, asking if he pronounced it correctly.
Irani replies: “Yes, absolutely perfect.”
The scene follows a viral video showing Tulsi at a baby shower giving health advice to an expectant mother.
Her son later tags Gates on social media, asking if he’d speak to Tulsi, and to her surprise, he agrees.
Tulsi initially hesitates: “What will I say to him? I only do video calls with you all or your father about grocery shopping.
But once the video call begins, she confidently explains the cultural ritual:
“We come together to bless a young expectant mother, we wish her lots of good health.”
“We tell women how essential it is to look after their health, their nutrition and diet. We tell them to follow the doctors’ instructions and go to a hospital for their delivery.”
The two agree that “when mothers are healthy, children thrive and the world can make significant progress”.
So the makers of ‘Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi’ decided to just cover the Apple logo on a MacBook instead of using a Windows laptop. ?
Smriti Irani video calling Bill Gates (founder of Microsoft) on a MacBook.
Truly, the crossover nobody asked for.pic.twitter.com/8zHOAcKzjS
— Arun Prabhudesai (@8ap) October 23, 2025
JioStar Entertainment said the series was using storytelling to promote awareness on key social issues.
JioStar’s Sumanta Bose said: “We believe that storytelling can do more than entertain, it can inform, inspire and drive awareness on issues that matter.
“By weaving topics of social significance into our narratives, we aim to create impact that reaches beyond the screen and brings about a meaningful difference in people’s lives.”
Bill Gates will appear in three episodes of the show.
While Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi has faced stiff competition from modern OTT dramas in its second run, Bill Gates’ surprise cameo has brought renewed attention to the series.
A promo clip of the episode has attracted millions of views.
Social media users flooded the comments section with a mix of disbelief and amusement.
One wrote: “What is this multiverse?”
Another said: “It’s so cringe but I also love it so much.”
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