Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai

Akshara starts working in the family business. Naitik recovers from the coma and struggles to bond with a mischievous Naksh. Naitik's mother Gayatri dies after falling off a cliff post, and his sister Rashmi gives birth to a daughter and names her Gayatri. Akshara and Naitik's daughter Naira is born. Mahendra dies and Kaveri blames Akshara for it and disowns her. Akshara and Naitik move out with their children.

They relocate to Cape Town. Naksh returns to Udaipur and convinces Kaveri to forgive an innocent Akshara. Eventually, the family is reunited. Naksh falls for Tara, a hockey player. However, their wedding gets called off due to some misunderstandings. Out of fear of being wrongly blamed for her friend Sukanya's death, Naira flees from Udaipur.

Naira lives in an orphanage in Rishikesh and has grown up to be headstrong but insecure and arrogant. Akshara reaches there to fund the orphanage and finds Naira. Kartik Goenka arrives in Udaipur and a love triangle is formed between him, Gayatri, and Naira. Kartik realizes his love for Naira while Gayatri has feelings for Kartik. Naira finally accepts Akshara.

Kartik confesses his love for Naira while the latter is initially confused about her feelings but later realizes her love for Kartik. Akshara dies by falling off a cliff in a car crash.

Kartik and Naira get married. Kartik hates his father Manish and his step-mother Swarna thinking they are responsible for his mother's suicide. Eventually, he reconciles with them after finding them innocent. Naksh and Keerti get married. Initially marrying for Naira's sake, he begins to love Keerti. Naira fulfills her parents' dream of opening a dance academy and names it "Akshara Dance Academy" as a tribute to her mother. Swarna's son, Shubham dies of a drug overdose and Naira is blamed for hiding his drug addiction. Naira leaves as Kartik and Swarna refuse to trust her.

Naira lives in Mumbai with Naitik. Kartik is the professor of the same class for which Naira signs up. Eventually, Kartik and Swarna realize their mistakes and reunite with Naira. Naira and Keerti become pregnant and both meet with an accident. Naira's child was born dead and Keerti falls into a coma after delivering a boy. Kartik swaps the babies and names the boy as Krish. Later, Naksh-Keerti learn the truth about Krish and Naira is shocked on learning about her child's death. She loses her memory in an accident, later reunites with Kartik after regaining her memory.

Later, pregnant Gayatri loses her fiance Vivaan and married Samarth, Suhasini's nephew. Naira enters the family business and Kartik feels insecure about her busy routine. Naira finds out she is pregnant. Kartik questions Naira about her relationship with her business partner, Mihir. Naira rebukes him and storms out of the house without informing her pregnancy and meets with an accident. She is presumed to be dead by the family.

Naira lives in Goa with their son Kairav. Kartik lives in guilt for not trusting Naira and finds solace in Vansh, Gayatri's son. Soon everyone learns that Naira is alive and Kairav is Naira and Kartik's son. Despite trying to get away from each other, Kartik and Naira become closer. Soon they reunite.

Few months later, Naira gives birth to a daughter and names her Akshara. More family drama leads to Naira and Kartik moving out with Kairav and Akshara.

The family is reunited but meets with an accident. Naira falls off a cliff and dies. Kartik is left heartbroken. Soon, Kairav meets a boxer named Sirat who is Naira's lookalike, which makes Kairav think that his mother has returned. After several demands from Kairav, Kartik brings Sirat and her grandmother to the Goenka house. Sirat reveals her former love Ranveer. Kartik realizes that Sirat and Ranveer had a misunderstanding, caused by Ranveer's father, Narendranath, and gets them married. Sirat falls for Kartik. Ranveer falls ill and dies asking Kartik to take care of Sirat. Narendranath holds Sirat responsible and gets her arrested on murder charges. Kartik bails her out and Sirat goes away from Kartik.

Later, Sirat shifts to Dalhousie changing her name to Simran. Kartik convinces her to return to Udaipur. Sirat and Kartik expose Narendranath and get married confessing their love to each other. Soon Sirat gives birth to a daughter, Aarohi. She resumes her boxing training and qualifies for the Asian Championship.

Akshara discovers that not Sirat, but Naira is her real mother. Sirat's mother, Sheela returns and manipulates Aarohi against the family. Kartik dies in a plane crash leaving the entire family in shock. Sirat slips down the stairs and falls to her death. Aarohi holds Akshara responsible for Sirat's death and starts detesting her.

Akshara has grown up to be a kind and family-loving girl. She is a singer and musician. Aarohi aspires to be a doctor and still hates Akshara. Dr. Abhimanyu Birla is a practicing surgeon at Birla Hospital and Medical Institute. A love triangle is formed between the three. Aarohi and Abhimanyu's marriage is fixed, but Akshara and Abhimanyu confess their love in front of their families. Both families reach Jaipur and Akshara and Abhimanyu get married in a grand ceremony. Aarohi eventually patches up with Akshara.

Later, it is revealed that Abhimanyu's father, Harshvardhan was having an extra-marital affair with Dr. Avni and Neil is their illegitimate son. Manjari had brought Neil home through adoption. Manjari and Harshvardhan head for a divorce but Harshvardhan reforms himself and they reconcile.

Soon a fire breaks out at Birla Hospital and Abhimanyu suffers a pinched nerve in his right hand. Akshara contacts a renowned physiotherapist, Dr. Kunal Khera, for his treatment. Meanwhile, Anisha proposes to Kairav for marriage but Akshara learns about her having an affair with a married man and her plan to continue the affair post-marriage and confronts her for the same which Kairav overhears. Kairav refuses to marry Anisha for her betrayal and asks her to reveal the truth to the families. Anisha, who lacks the courage to tell this truth, commits suicide and the Birla family blames Kairav and Akshara for her death thinking they are responsible for it. Later, Dr. Kunal asks Akshara to sing secretly for his sister, Maya for a year in lieu of Abhimanyu's surgery to which she agrees.

Akshara now lives incognito in Mauritius with Kunal and Maya and remains depressed due to her separation with Abhimanyu, who has misunderstood her and became a ruthless person. Akshara and Kairav come back to India and eventually Kairav is proven innocent. Abhimanyu and Akshara reunite and remarry. Neil and Aarohi elope and get married due to which Manish disowns her. Akshara successfully restores her lost identity as Maya's voice and resumes her singing career.

Akshara gets pregnant with twins while Aarohi is also pregnant. In a bid to save some girls from kidnapping, Neil is beaten up by goons and Akshara miscarries. Before dying, Neil makes Abhimanyu promise to take care of Aarohi and his child. Akshara is blamed for Neil's death and Abhimanyu divorces her. Distraught, Akshara leaves the house and is helped by Abhinav. She finds that one of her twins is still alive. Manish requests Akshara to return to Goenkas', but she refuses and legally marries Abhinav.

Akshara lives in Kasauli with her son, Abhir and Abhinav. On the other hand, Aarohi has become mature and Abhimanyu has taken the fatherly responsibility of her daughter, Ruhi. Abhir considers Abhinav as his father while Ruhi is aware that Neil is her father. Manjiri starts forcing Abhimanyu and Aarohi to marry for Ruhi's sake despite their refusals while Akshara and Abhinav are forcing the same by their neighbor, Neelima. Soon, Abhimanyu ends up meeting Akshara, Abhinav, and Abhir. Initially shocked, he decides to move on. Abhimanyu and Aarohi decide to get married for Ruhi's sake.

Akshara, Abhinav, and Abhir return to Udaipur for Suhasini's birthday. Abhir is revealed to have a hole in his heart and everyone learns that Abhir is Akshara and Abhimanyu's son. Abhir is recovered after Abhimanyu does his surgery. Kairav falls in love with Neelima's granddaughter, Muskaan and they marry. Soon Abhimanyu wins Abhir's custody depressing Akshara while Abhir too runs away from Birla House. After a chase he's found and Abhimanyu gives up custody. Later both families gather to celebrate Abhinav's birthday and Abhimanyu takes the former for a drink on a cliff where he falls off and dies while Abhimanyu is accused of his murder. Later he is proven innocent while Abhir unable to cope with Abhinav's death slips into depression. For Abhir's health Abhimanyu and Akshara decide to marry once again while Akshara is revealed to be pregnant with Abhinav's child.

• Hina Khan as Akshara Maheshwari Singhania: Rajshree and Vishambhar's daughter; Shaurya's sister; Naitik's wife; Naksh and Naira's mother; Krish, Kairav and Jr. Akshara's grandmother (2009–2016)
• Karan Mehra as Naitik Singhania: Gayatri and Rajshekar's son; Rashmi's brother; Akshara's widower; Naksh and Naira's father; Krish, Kairav and Jr. Akshara's grandfather. (2009–2016)
  • Vishal Singh replaced as Naitik Singhania. (2016–2018)
• Shivangi Joshi as
  • Naira Singhania Goenka: Akshara and Naitik's daughter; Naksh's sister; Kartik's first wife; Kairav and Jr. Akshara's mother (2016–2021) [9]
    • Ashnoor Kaur as Child Naira Singhania (2015–2016)
    • Mishka Jain as Baby Naira Singhania (2015)
  • Sirat Shekhawat Goenka: Naira's lookalike; Sheela's daughter; Sonu's half-sister; Ranveer's widow; Kartik's second wife; Aarohi's mother; Kairav and Jr. Akshara's step-mother (2021) [10]
    • Drashti Bhanushali as Child Sirat Shekhawat (2021)
• Mohsin Khan as Kartik Goenka: Soumya and Manish's son; Swarna's step-son; Keerti's brother; Shubham's half-brother; Naira's widower; Sirat's second husband; Kairav, Jr. Akshara and Aarohi's father (2016–2021)
  • Vedant Pandya as Child Kartik Goenka (2021)
• Pranali Rathod as Akshara "Akshu" Goenka: Former music therapist at Birla Hospital; Naira and Kartik's daughter; Sirat's step-daughter; Kairav's sister; Aarohi's half-sister; Abhimanyu's ex-wife; Abhinav's widow; Abhir's mother (2021–present)
  • Prachi Thakur as Child Akshara Goenka (2021)
  • Kairav Waghela as Baby Akshara Goenka (2020–2021)
• Harshad Chopda as Dr. Abhimanyu "Abhi" Birla: Surgeon at Birla Hospital and Medical Institute; Manjari and Harshvardhan's son; Neil's half-brother; Jr. Akshara's ex-husband; Abhir's father; Ruhi's adoptive father (2021–2023)[11]
  • Het Makwana as Child Abhimanyu Birla (2022)
• Samridhi Shukla as Abhira Birla: Akshara and Abhinav's daughter; Abhimanyu's adopted daughter (2023–present)
• Shehzada Dhami as Abhira's love interest (2023–present)

• Karishma Sawant as Dr. Aarohi "Aaru" Goenka: Doctor at Birla Hospital and Medical Institute; Sirat and Kartik's daughter; Kairav and Jr. Akshara's half-sister; Neil's widow; Ruhi's mother; Abhimanyu's ex-fiancée (2021–2023)
  • Siya Makwana as Child Aarohi Goenka (2021)
• Jay Soni as Abhinav Sharma: Muskan's sworn brother; Jr. Akshara's husband; Abhir's adoptive father (2022–2023)
• Paras Priyadarshan as Neil Birla: Avni and Harshvardhan's son; Manjari's adopted son; Abhimanyu's half-brother; Aarohi's husband; Ruhi's father (2021–2022)
• Arit as Abhir Birla: Akshara and Abhimanyu's son; Abhinav's adopted son (2023–present)
  • Shreyansh Kaurav as Child Abhir Birla (2023)
• Pratiksha Honmukhe as Roohi Birla: Aarohi and Neil's daughter; Abhimanyu's adopted daughter (2023–present)
  • Hera Mishra as Child Roohi Birla (2023)
• Mayank Arora as Kairav Goenka: Naira and Kartik's son; Sirat's step-son; Jr. Akshara's brother; Aarohi's half-brother; Anisha's ex-fiancé; Muskaan's husband (2021–2022)
  • Abeer Singh Godhwani replaced Arora as Kairav Goenka. (2023)[12]
  • Shaurya Shah as Child Kairav Goenka (2019)
    • Tanmay Shah replaced Shah as Child Kairav Goenka. (2019–2020)
    • Aarambh Trehan replaced Shah as Child Kairav Goenka. (2020–2021)
  • Krishiv Mutha as Baby Kairav Goenka (2019)
• Shambhavi Singh as Muskan Goenka: Neelima's granddaughter; Abhinav's sworn sister; Jr. Akshara's friend; Kairav's wife (2023–present)
• Sharan Anandani as Vansh Goenka: Jr. Gayatri and Vivan's son; Samarth's step-son; Vatsal's half-brother (2021–2022)
  • Maaz Champ / Siddharth Dubey as Child Vansh Goenka (2019–2020) / (2020–2021)
• Swati Chitnis as Suhasini Ajmera Goenka aka Mimi: Matriarch of Goenkas; Tejaswini and Purushottam's sister; Manish and Akhilesh's mother; Keerti, Kartik, Shubham, Manasi, Luv and Kush's grandmother; Krish, Kairav, Jr. Akshara and Aarohi's great-grandmother (2016–present)
• Parul Chauhan / Niyati Joshi as Swarna Goenka: Manish's second wife; Shubham's mother; Keerti and Kartik's step-mother; Krish, Kairav, Jr. Akshara and Aarohi's step-grandmother; Abhir and Ruhi's step-great-grandmother (2016–2019)[13] / (2019–present)
• Sachin Tyagi as Manish Goenka: Suhasini's elder son; Akhilesh's brother; Saumya's widower; Swarna's husband; Keerti, Kartik and Shubham's father; Krish, Kairav, Jr. Akshara and Aarohi's grandfather; Abhir and Ruhi's great-grandfather (2016–present)
• Nupur Joshi as Saumya Goenka: Priyanka's sister; Manish's first wife; Keerti and Kartik's mother; Krish, Kairav, Jr. Akshara and Aarohi's grandmother; Abhir and Ruhi's great-grandmother (2017)
• Ali Hassan as Akhilesh "Akhil" Goenka aka AG – Suhasini's younger son; Manish's brother; Surekha's husband; Mansi, Luv and Kush's father (2016–2022)
• Shilpa Raizada / Saee Barve as Surekha Goenka: Akhilesh's wife, Mansi, Luv and Kush's mother (2016–2021) / (2023–present)
• Farida Dadi as Neelima aka Neela Amma: Akshu and Abhinav's neighbour and helper; Muskan's grandmother; Abhinav's sworn grandmother (2023–present)
• Kanchi Singh / Deblina Chatterjee / Simran Khanna as Gayatri "Gayu" Deora – Rashmi and Nikhil's daughter; Sameer's step-daughter; Naksh and Naira's cousin; Vivan's ex-fiancée; Samarth's ex-wife; Vansh and Vatsal's mother (2016–2017) / (2018–2019) / (2019–2021)
  • Payal Bhojwani as Child Gayatri Deora (2015–2016)
  • Zenia Shastiker as Baby Gayatri Deora (2014–2015)
• Devaj Bhanushali as Baby Vatsal Goenka: Jr. Gayatri and Samarth's son; Vansh's half-brother (2020)
• Anmol Jyotir as Luv Goenka: Surekha and Akhilesh's elder son; Mansi and Kush's brother (2020–2021)
  • Shreshth Saxena as Child Luv Goenka (2016–2019)
• Apoorv Jyotir as Kush Goenka: Surekha and Akhilesh's younger son; Mansi and Luv's brother (2020-2021)
  • Shubh Saxena as Child Kush Goenka (2016–2019)
• Anita Kanwal as Tejaswini Ajmera: Suhasini and Purushottam's sister (2018)
• Gaurav Wadhwa as Shubham "Aryan" Goenka: Manish and Swarna's son; Keerti and Kartik's half-brother (2017–2018)
• Samir Onkar as Samarth Goenka: Suhasini's nephew; Manish and Akhilesh's cousin; Jr. Gayatri's ex-husband; Vatsal's father; Vansh's step-father (2018–2020)
• Preyal Shah as Reem: Jr. Akshara and Abhimanyu's wedding planner; Vansh's love-interest (2021–2022)
• Ami Trivedi as Manjari Birla: Mahima's sister; Harshvardhan's wife; Abhimanyu's mother; Neil's adoptive mother; Abhir's grandmother; Ruhi's adoptive grandmother (2021–present)
• Vinay Jain as Dr. Harshvardhan "Harsh" Birla: PhD doctor; Anandvardhan's brother; Manjari's husband; Abhimanyu and Neil's father; Abhir and Ruhi's grandfather (2021–2023)
• Pragati Mehra as Dr. Mahima Birla: Heart surgeon; Manjari's sister; Anandvardhan's wife; Parth, Anisha and Nishtha's mother; Shivansh's grandmother (2021–present)
• Ashish Nayyar as Dr. Anandvardhan "Anand" Birla: Heart surgeon; Harshvardhan's brother; Mahima's husband; Parth, Anisha and Nishtha's father; Shivansh's grandfather (2021–present)
• Neeraj Goswami as Dr. Parth Birla: Doctor and musician; Mahima and Anandvardhan's son; Anisha and Nishtha's brother; Shefali's husband; Shivansh's father (2021–present)
• Sehrish Ali / Nisha Nagpal as Shefali Birla: Former Journalist; Parth's wife; Shivansh's mother (2021) / (2021–present)
• Nirbhay Thakur as Shivansh "Shivu" Birla: Parth and Shefali's son; Abhir and Ruhi's cousin (2023–present)
  • Orrish Arora as Baby Shivansh (2022–2023)
• Kashish Rai as Anisha Birla: Mahima and Anandvardhan's elder daughter; Parth and Nishtha's sister; Kairav's ex-fiancée (2022)
• Niharika Chouksey / Nancy Roy as Nishtha Birla: Mahima and Anandvardhan's younger daughter; Parth and Anisha's sister (2021–2022) / (2022–2023)
• Pankaj Bijlani as Dr. Rohan Shah: Doctor at Birla Hospital and Medical Institute; Abhimanyu's best-friend (2021–present)
• Mrunal Jain as Dr. Kunal Khera: Abhimanyu's physiotherapist; Maya's brother (2022)
• Navika Kotia as:
  • Maaya "Mau" Khera: Kunal's sister (2022)
  • Prerna "Chikki" Singhania: Singhanias' adoptive daughter (2013–2014)
    • Reem Shaikh as Child Prerna (2012)
• Medha Jambotakar as Kaveri Singhania: Mahendra's widow; Nandini's mother; Anmol's grandmother; Yash's adoptive grandmother (2009–2021)
• Sanjai Gandhi / Abhijeet Lahiri as Mahendra Pratap Singhania: Patriarch of Singhanias; Parvati and Rajshekhar's brother; Kaveri's husband; Nandini's father; Anmol's grandfather; Yash's adoptive grandfather (2009–2010) / (2010–2015)
• Sandeep Mehta as Rajshekhar "Raj" Singhania: Mahendra and Parvati's brother; Gayatri's widower; Devyani's second husband; Naitik and Rashmi's father; Muskan and Naman's step-father; Naksh, Jr. Gayatri and Naira's grandfather; Mishti's step-grandfather (2009–2018)
• Sonali Verma as Gayatri Singhania: Rajshekhar's first wife; Naitik and Rashmi's mother; Naksh, Jr. Gayatri and Naira's grandmother (2009–2013)
• Kshitee Jog as Devyani Singhania: Ayurvedic doctor; Suresh's ex-wife; Rajshekar's second wife; Naman and Muskan's mother; Naitik and Rashmi's step-mother; Mishti's grandmother; Naksh, Jr. Gayatri and Naira's step-grandmother (2014–2021)[14]
• Rohan Mehra / Rishi Dev / Shehzad Shaikh as Naksh "Duggu" Singhania – Akshara and Naitik's son; Naira's brother; Tara's ex-fiancé; Keerti's husband; Krish's father (2015–2016) / (2016–2018) / (2019–2021)
  • Shivansh Kotia as Child Naksh Singhania (2012–2015)
    • Harsh / Bani as Baby Naksh Singhania (2012)
• Mohena Singh / Harsha Khandeparkar as Keerti Goenka Singhania: Soumya and Manish's daughter; Swarna's step-daughter; Kartik's sister; Shubham's half-sister; Aditya's ex-wife; Naksh's wife; Krish's mother (2016–2019) / (2020–2021)
• Saksham Vasu as Krish Singhania: Naksh and Keerti's son; Kairav, Jr. Akshara and Aarohi's cousin (2020–2021)
  • Dwiti Gajera as Baby Krish Singhania (2019)
• Zarina Roshan Khan as Muskan Agrawal Awasthi: Devyani and Suresh's daughter; Naman's sister; Alok's wife (2014–2015)
• Amit Dolawat as Alok Awasthi: Akshara's college-mate and former admirer; Muskan's husband (2009; 2014–2015)
• Anshul Pandey[15][16] as Naman Agrawal: Devyani and Suresh's son; Muskan's brother; Karishma's ex-husband; Mishti's father (2014–2016)
• Pooran Kiri as Suresh Agrawal: Devyani's ex-husband; Naman and Muskan's father; Mishti's grandfather (2014–2015)
• Priyanka Udhwani as Karishma Agrawal: Naman's ex-wife; Mishti's mother (2014–2017)
• Rhea Sharma as Mishti Agrawal: Karishma and Naman's daughter; Rajshri and Vishambar's foster daughter (2019)
  • Aarna Sharma as Child and Teenage Mishti (2015–2017; 2019)
• Neha Saroopa as Rashmi Singhania Desai: Gayatri Singhania and Rajshekar's daughter; Naitik's sister; Nikhil's ex-wife; Sameer's wife; Jr. Gayatri's mother (2009-2016)
• Mazher Sayed as Sameer Desai: Rashmi's second husband; Jr. Gayatri's step-father (2015–2016)
• Shravani Goswami as Rama Deora: Rajendra's wife; Nikhil's mother; Jr. Gayatri's grandmother (2011–2016; 2018–2020)
• Nidhi Uttam as Nandini Singhania Chauhan: Kaveri and Mahendra's daughter; Naitik and Rashmi's cousin; Mohit's wife; Anmol's mother; Yash's adoptive mother (2009–2019)
• Ayush Agarwal / Shamik Abbas as Mohit Chauhan: Rukmini's son; Koyal's brother; Nandini's husband; Anmol's father; Yash's adoptive father (2009–2015) / (2015–2019)
• Sanchit Sharma as Yash Chauhan: Nandini and Mohit's adopted son; Anmol's adoptive brother; Rose's husband (2015–2017)
  • Ansh Kaul as Child Yash Chauhan (2012–2015)
• Sippora Zoutewelle as Rose Wilkins Chauhan: Yash's wife; Martha's daughter (2016)
• Karan Pahwa as Anmol Chauhan: Nandini and Mohit's son; Yash's adopted brother; Mansi's husband (2016; 2018–2019)
  • Atharva Padhye as Child Anmol Chauhan (2015–2016)
• Shreya Sharma / Vaishnavi Rao as Mansi Goenka Chauhan: Surekha and Akhilesh's daughter; Luv and Kush's sister; Anmol's wife (2017) / (2018–2019)
• Urmila Sharma / Sunita Rao as Rukmini Chauhan:[17] Mohit and Koyal's mother; Yash's adoptive grandmother; Anmol's grandmother (2009–2012 / (2012–2019; 2021)
• Trishikha Tiwari as Koyal Chauhan: Rukmini's daughter; Mohit's sister (2009–2012)
• Rakesh Deewana as Maharaj: Singhania's chef (2009–2014)
• Divya Bhatnagar as Gulabo: Singhania's househelp (2009–2011)
• Ali Merchant as Rituraj Singhania: Nandini, Naitik and Rashmi's cousin; Bindiya's husband (2009; 2011–2012)
• Preeti Sharma as Bindiya Singhania: Rituraj's wife (2009; 2011–2012)
• Kirti Sually as Parvati Singhania: Mahendra and Rajshekhar's sister; Nandini, Naitik and Rashmi's aunt (2010–2019)
• Nea Srivastav as Girija: Singhania's househelp (2011–2016)
• Ashish Kapoor as Nikhil Deora: Rajendra and Rama's son; Rashmi's ex-husband; Jr. Gayatri's father (2011–2013)
• Manoj Jaiswal as Rajendra Deora: Rama's husband; Nikhil's father; Jr. Gayatri's grandfather (2011–2013)
• Umang Jain as Nayantara "Tara" Singh Shekhawat: Naksh's ex-fiancée (2015–2016)
• Romit Sharma as Aditya Bansal: Keerti's ex-husband (2017; 2020)
• Lata Sabharwal as Rajshri Goyal Maheshwari: Ramola's daughter; Ratan's sister; Vishambharnath's wife; Shaurya and Akshara's mother; Mishti's foster mother; Ananya, Naksh, Naira and Kuhu's grandmother (2009–2019)
• Sanjeev Seth as Vishambharnath "Vishambhar" Maheshwari: Bhairavi's elder son; Omkarnath's brother; Rajshri's husband; Shaurya and Akshara's father; Mishti's foster father; Ananya, Naksh, Naira and Kuhu's grandfather (2009–2018)
• Vineeta Malik as Bhairavi Maheshwari: Vishambharnath and Omkarnath's mother; Shaurya, Akshara and Anshuman's grandmother; Ananya, Naksh, Naira, Nishant and Kuhu's great-granndmother (2009–2018)
• Neelima Taddepalli as Sunaina Maheshwari: Omkarnath's wife; Anshuman's mother; Nishant's grandmother (2009–2018)
• Manu Malik as Omkarnath "Omi" Maheshwari: Bhairavi's younger son; Vishambharnath's brother; Sunaina's husband; Anshuman's father; Nishant's grandfather (2009–2018)
• Ather Habib / Yash Gera as Shaurya Maheshwari: Rajshri and Vishambharnath's son; Akshara's brother; Varsha's husband; Ananya and Kuhu's father (2009–2013) / (2013–2017)
• Pooja Joshi Arora as Varsha Maheshwari: Sulekha's daughter; Shaurya's wife; Akshara's best-friend; Ananya's mother; Kuhu's adoptive mother (2009–2020)
• Aman Sharma / Dheeraj Gumbar as Anshuman "Anshu" Maheshwari: Sunaina and Omkar's son; Shaurya and Akshara's cousin; Jasmeet's husband; Nishant's father (2009–2015) / (2015–2016)
• Shirin Sewani as Jasmeet "Jassi" Kaur Sethi Maheshwari: Sukhwinder and Pammi's daughter; Anshuman's wife; Nishant's mother (2013-2018)
• Akshaya Naik as Ananya Maheshwari Sharma: Varsha and Shaurya's daughter; Kuhu's half-sister; Ranveer's wife (2015–2018)
  • Nairtiya Chandola as Child Ananya Maheshwari (2012–2015)
• Arjun Kohli as Ranveer Sharma: Ananya's husband (2016–2018)
• Anmol Jyotir as Nishant "Nannu" Maheshwari: Anshuman and Jasmeet's son (2016-2017)
  • Khushmeet Gill as Child Nishant (2015–2016)
• Kaveri Priyam as Kuhu Maheshwari: Shaurya and Sneha's daughter; Varsha's adoptive daughter; Ananya's half-sister (2019)
  • Yamini Makwana as Teenage Kuhu Maheshwari (2016–2017)
  • Harbandna Kaur as Child Kuhu Maheshwari (2016)
• Zarina Roshan Khan as Gopi: Bhairavi's friend and househelp (2009–2014)
• Anand Mani as Bhajinder Singh: Maheshwari's househelp; Dhaniya's husband (2009–2012)
• Amardeep Jha as Shankari Tai: Maheshwari's match maker (2009–2016, 2018)
• Bhuvan Chopra as Ratan Goyal: Ramola's son; Rajshri's brother; Tanu's father (2009)
• Ruma Sengupta as Ramola Goyal: Rajshri and Ratan's mother; Shaurya, Akshara and Tanu's grandmother (2009–2011)
• Pragati Chourasiya as Tanu Goyal: Ratan's daughter; Shaurya and Akshara's cousin (2010–2012)
• Charu Asopa as Sneha: Naitik's employee; Kuhu's mother (2010)
• Tiya Gandwani as Dr. Priyanka: Soumya's sister; Keerti and Kartik's aunt (2017–2019)
• Rituraj Singh as Purushottam "Puru" Ajmera: Suhasini's brother; Ila's father (2019)
• Aleya Ghosh as Ila Ajmera: Purushottam's daughter (2019)
• Pankhuri Awasthy Rode as Vedika: Kartik's friend and former fiancée. (2019–2020)
• Tejaswanee Bhadane as Krishna "Chhori" Goenka: Goenkas' adoptive daughter (2020–2021)
• Shrey Pareek as Kabir: Naira's stalker (2018)
• Priyamvada Kant as Rhea: Surekha's niece; Kartik's one-sided lover (2021)
• Ashita Dhawan as Sheela Shekhawat Rathore: Kaushalya's daughter; Mukesh's wife; Sirat and Sonu's mother; Aarohi's grandmother (2021)
• Hrishikesh Pandey as Mukesh Rathore: Sheila's second husband; Sonu's father (2021)
• Krishang Bhanushali as Sonu Rathore: Sheila and Mukesh's son; Sirat's half-brother (2021)
• Amita Khopkar as Kaushalya Shekhawat: Sheila's mother; Sirat and Sonu's grandmother; Aarohi's great-grandmother. (2021)
• Karan Kundrra as Ranveer Chauhan: Narendranath and Saroj's son; Nidhi's brother; Sirat's first husband (2021)
  • Mayank Padia as Teenage Ranveer Chauhan (2021)
• Shahbaz Khan as Narendranath Chauhan: Saroj's husband; Ranveer and Nidhi's father (2021)
• Anjali Gupta as Saroj Chauhan: Narendranath's wife; Ranveer and Nidhi's mother (2021)
• Ashwini Shukla as Nidhi Chauhan: Narendranath and Saroj's daughter; Ranveer's sister (2021)
• Vrushika Mehta as Dr. Riddhima: Kairav's psychiatrist (2020)

Filming of the show began on 11 September 2008.[26] It was launched at Rambagh Palace in Jaipur, Rajasthan. In January 2009, the series was promoted through a campaign at six main cities by StarPlus along with Jagran Solutions. A contest was held in the country among over 1000 married couples out of which fifty of them were selected through events like quizzes and on air test on radios. They were made to remarry with the rituals along with the games and events held in Rambagh Palace.[27]

In January 2010, a sequence was shot without any dialogue, with only background music used during dramatic scenes when the Singhania family learn that the character Akshara motivates the love between her sister in law Nandhini and Naitik's friend Mohit, against them.[28]

In January 2013, Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai was sent notice by channel for its ending due to decreasing ratings. However it received extension until June 2013 while the ratings rose and the decision of ending was dropped.[29] Besides, twice again it received notice for ending but soon when the ratings increased after it, the plan was dropped and the series continued.

During November 2014, lead Hina Khan could not attend shooting for a few days due to her other work schedules and the track was altered for her absence.[30] In December 2014, a scene where characters Naman and Karishma kiss was cut from the broadcast to avoid offending the show's audience.[31]

The show took its first leap of 4 years on 30 November 2012 after the car accident of Naitik as he slips into a coma.[32] It then took a leap of 10 years on 30 March 2015 after Kaveri banished Akshara from the house owing to Mahendra Pratap's death.[33] Then a leap of some years was taken on 16 May 2016 after teenage Naira running away from her home fearing imprisonment.[34] Another leap of 2 years was taken on 21 May 2018 after Shubam's death as Suvarna ousts her.[35] It took a leap of 5 years on 7 June 2019 after Naira leaves the Goenka house on Kartik's misconception about her.[36] On 18 October 2021, The show took a leap of 8 years where Sirat was shown a single mother to Aarohi and Akshara while Kartik was abroad to drop teenaged Kairav and Vansh to hostels. On 27 October 2021, a leap of 12 years was taken after Kartik and Sirat's deaths and the story started focussing on Abhimanyu and grown up Akshara and Aarohi. On 25 August 2022, the show took a leap of 1 year where Akshara was helping Dr. Kunal's sister, Maya, and was living away from her family and Abhimanyu.[37] On 6 January 2023, show took another leap of 6 years and it was shown that while Akshara is raising her son Abhir after legally marrying Abhinav in Kasauli hiding the truth of him being Abhimanyu's biological son and Aarohi is raising her and Neil's daughter Ruhi as a single mother post Neil's death with Abhimanyu fulfilling her fatherly responsibilities.[38] On 6 November 2023, the show took another 20 year leap.

The 10 year leap in March 2015 was slightly delayed as the casting of adult Naksh was not finalised. Producers auditioned over 200 people before choosing Rohan Mehra.[39] In April 2016, both Hina Khan and Karan Mehra refused to play the role as in-laws after the on-going wedding track of their onscreen son Naksh and Tara. Thus, the track was altered such that the wedding was called off.[40]

During January 2017, at the filming of pre-wedding sequences of the lead characters Naira and Kartik, fire broke out on the sets due to a short circuit.[41] Common people were auditioned at Delhi during 4 and 5 February 2017 and cast for Baraati in Naira and Kartik's wedding.[42]

In August 2017, the wedding dress of the character Keerti, for her and Naksh's marriage sequence, was designed by Bollywood fashion designer Neeta Lulla.[43]

Pankhuri Awasthy was cast in June 2019 as Vedika, whose role was supposed to be for three months.[44] However, with the increased ratings, becoming most watched Hindi GEC for few weeks in urban, her role was extended with her exit in January 2020 while in between she took a break in October and re-entered in November 2019.[44][45]

Speaking about Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai's success producer Rajan Shahi said, "Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai doing well is something we have to strive for each and every day. When a show completes this number of episodes, it becomes a challenge as to how to sustain the show. There are so many topics to choose from and there are so many relationships, so that becomes a major challenge, to keep the freshness alive. Drama, intrigue, etc is just a part of storytelling but to still keep the essence alive that is the challenge, it is always a day to day battle".[46] He also quoted that the elaborate festival celebrations shown is the strength of the series.[47]

Speaking about the introduction of transition in the story from Akshara and Naitik to Naira and Kartik, Shahi said, "We were losing out on the young audience when things were going sweet between (original protagonists) Akshara and Naitik. With the introduction of Kartik and Naira -- a couple that is imperfect, makes mistake and learns from the mistakes -- the audience again found a connection with the on-screen characters. That is how our show has stood strong against the test of time".[48] In May 2017 Shahi stated:

For his above statement both Khan and Mehra expressed their displeasure where Khan stated:

Mehra stated:

In May 2022, actress Pranali Rathod worn a bridal lehenga worth ₹2.5 Lacs approximately for Akshara and Abhimanyu's wedding sequence, the costliest lehenga ever worn by any YRKKH actress.[5] It was also reported that the whole wedding sequence which was shot in Samode Palace of Jaipur costed a budget around ₹2 Crores including whole cast's stay and special Rajasthani traditional costumes, the highest ever budget spent on marriage sequence of any Indian television series.[50]

Title screen featuring Hina Khan and Karan Mehra

Title screen featuring Shivangi Joshi and Mohsin Khan

Hina Khan was cast to play Akshara Singhania, making her acting debut.[51] Khan stated that she knew nothing about acting while signing the series quoting, "I didn't learn acting from anywhere. I think it's because of luck that I landed up in TV. Even after that I had to do a lot of hard work. It was more difficult for me when I began acting and straight away I had to perform. I never got to learn".[52] Karan Tacker was initially roped for the role of Naitik, but was replaced by Karan Mehra a day before the promo shoot as Tacker became skeptical.[53] Speaking about it producer Rajan Shahi said, "Karan refused to be a part of the show a day and a half prior to shooting the promo. I needed to hunt for a new face on immediate basis. I accidentally met Karan Mehra, a real life replica of my fictitious character Naitik".[54]

In June 2016, Mehra quit the show, because of health issues.[55] Two sequences were shot before his exit: one was his death track and other was his kidnap track and decision was made to take the story with the kidnapping track.[56] Then, he was replaced by Vishal Singh in August 2016, making his entry with the kidnapping sequence in Switzerland.[57][58] In November 2016, Hina Khan quit as her character became monotonous for her and she was shown killed in a car accident.[59] Shivangi Joshi playing Naira and Mohsin Khan playing Kartik, who entered in May 2016, became the leads as the story focused on their journey.[60]

In 2012, Sanjay Gandhi playing Mahendra quit due to the issues between him and his co-actors Sonali Verma and Sandeep Mehta who was then replaced by Abhijit Lahiri.[61] The latter also quit after the death of his character in March 2015. In 2012, Urmila Sharma was replaced by Sunitha Rao as Rukmini.[62][63] In September 2013, Ather Habib playing Shaurya quit as he felt nothing more was there to explore in his character and was replaced by Yash Gera.[64] Gera also quit in 2017 due to the same reason as that of Habib.[65] He was replaced by Sameer Sharma in the spin-off series during March 2019.[66] In December 2013, Sonali Verma quit her role as Gayathri Singhania, because Verma planned to get married and move to the United States. Her character was killed after a fall from a cliff.[67]

In 2015, Aman Sharma playing Anshuman quit as he wanted to search for better opportunities and was replaced by Dheeraj Gumbar who also quit in mid 2016.[68]

In 2015, Ayush Agarwal quit due to personal reasons and was replaced by Shamik Abbas. In May 2016, Umang Jain playing Nayantara and her on-screen family members quit as the story started to focus on other tracks after the cancellation of her and Naksh's wedding in the show after Hina Khan playing Akshara refused to play the role of a mother-in-law.[69]

In September 2016, Rohan Mehra playing Naksh quit to participate in Bigg Boss and was replaced by Rishi Dev.[70] Dev also quit in December 2018 as he wished to focus on his YouTube channel and was replaced by Shehzad Shaikh.[71][72] In September 2017, Kanchi Singh playing Gayatri Deora quit as her character was sidelined and was replaced by Deblina Chatterjee in November 2018.[73][74]

Anshul Pandey playing Naman quit in October 2016 who was replaced by Jay Pathak in the spin-off series during March 2019.[75] In January 2018, Priyanka Udhwani playing Karishma quit as nothing was left for her character.[76] In July 2018, Vaishnavi Rao was cast as Mansi which was earlier played by Shreya Sharma as the makers considered the former better for the role.[77] Shirin Sewani who was last seen in November 2018 playing Jasmeet in this series was replaced by Soniya Kaur in the spin-off series in March 2019.[78]

Parul Chauhan quit in April 2019 as she did not want to play a grandmother and was replaced by Niyati Joshi as Swarna.[79][13] As the story was about to take a leap, in May 2019, Mohena Singh playing Keerti quit after getting married, and was replaced by Harsha Khandeparkar in August 2020.[80][81] Deblina Chatterjee playing Gayatri quit as she was not interested in playing a mother, and was replaced by Simran Khanna.[82][83] Sreshth Saxena and Shubh Saxena also quit due to the leap as their characters need to be shown as grown up teenagers.[84] Shaurya Shah, who entered in June 2019 as Kairav, quit the following month due to health issues, and was immediately replaced by Tanmay Rishi.[85][86]

In January 2020, Anmol Jyotir who played teenage Nishanth Maheshwari until 2017 was cast along with his real life twin Apoorva Jyotir to play teenage Kush and Luv.[87] As a result of COVID-19 pandemic restrictions, actors younger than ten years of age were prohibited from performing on set, so when shooting resumed in June 2020, Tanmay Rishi Shah and Maaz Champ shot their sequences from home.[88] However, due to the requirement of characters Kairav and Vansh on the sets, they were replaced by Aarambh Trehan Sehgal and Siddharth Dubey in October 2020.[89] Actress Vrushika Mehta was cast to do a cameo Dr. Riddhima in November 2020 and completed her sequences in December 2020.[90]

In October 2021, Mohsin Khan playing Kartik left the show as well as child actors Aarambh Trehan Sehgal and Siddharth Dubey.[91] Shivangi Joshi playing Sirat and actresses Shilpa Raizada and Simran Khanna playing Surekha and Gayatri respectively left the show after the 8 year leap sequence post the next generation leap, Pranali Rathod was cast to play Akshara Goenka and Harshad Chopda was cast to play Dr. Abhimanyu Birla. About her role, Rathod said "I relate to the character so much that I instantly fell in love with the way it has been written. Also, in real life, I'm free-spirited just like Akshara". Karishma Sawant was cast as Aarohi Goenka, making her acting debut. Mayank Arora and Sharan Anandani played Kairav Goenka and Vansh Goenka post the generation leap. Ami Trivedi was cast as Manjari Birla and Paras Priyadarshan as Neil Birla. Vinay Jain, Pragati Mehra and Ashish Nayyar were cast as Dr. Harshvardhan Birla, Dr. Mahima Birla and Dr. Anandvardhan Birla.[92] Neeraj Goswami, Niharika Chouksey and Sehrish Ali were cast to play Parth Birla, Nishtha Birla and Shefali Birla. However Ali was replaced by actress Nisha Nagpal days after introduction of the third generation.[93]

In February 2022, Kashish Rai joined the cast as Anand and Mahima's elder daughter Anisha Birla,[94] and she quit the following month. But she returned and permanently left the series in August 2022 through her character's death.[95]

In June 2022, Niharika Chouksey portraying Nishtha Birla quit the series quoting, "I waited for six months but there was nothing for me to do in the show".[96] In August 2022, Mrunal Jain was cast to play Dr. Kunal Khera.[97] Actress Navika Kotia, who previously played Prerna Singhania from 2013 to 2014 joined the cast again in August 2022 to play a new character Maya Khera.[98]

In December 2022, Sharan Anandani playing Vansh Goenka quit the series and said, "My character never had any growth since long and was unhappy with tracks as I can't remain silent actor standing in background at this stage of my career".[99][100] In the same month, Paras Priyadarshan who portrayed Neil Birla quit the series as "he didn't wanted to play role of a father owing to the following leap in the show".[101] Jay Soni entered the show as Abhinav Sharma.[102] Mayank Arora who portrayed Kairav Goenka quit the series as "he wished to explore more as an actor and felt that now he should bid adeau to Kairav".[103] Following the pre-leap exists child actors Shreyansh Kaurav and Hera Mishra were cast to play Akshara's son Abhir Birla and Aarohi's daughter Ruhi Birla respectively for post-leap sequences in January 2023.[104] In the same month actor Abeer Singh Godhwani replaced Mayank as Kairav Goenka[105] while actress Shambhavi Singh was cast opposite him as Muskan.[106]

In late February 2023 actress Saee Barve entered the series as Surekha Goenka which was previously played by actress Shilpa Raizada from 2016 to 2021.[107]

The series is mainly filmed in the Film City at Goregaon in Mumbai.[108] As the story is based in Udaipur of Rajasthan, some scenes were filmed there.[109][110] In December 2013, a sequence was shot at Wai.[111] Sequences were also filmed in Rishikesh during 2016 and March 2018.[112][113] In March 2017, the wedding track of Kartik and Naira was filmed in Bikaner, Rajasthan.[114]

The show as also filmed in various foreign locations including Bangkok in 2014, Cape Town in 2015, Hong Kong in 2015, Switzerland in 2016 and Greece in 2017.[115][116][117][118][119]

On 13 April 2021, Maharashtra's Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray announced a sudden curfew due to increased Covid cases in Maharashtra, while the production halted from 14 April 2021 and the production and filming location was soon shifted temporarily from Mumbai to Silvassa along with other shows Anupamaa, Aai Kuthe Kay Karte and Mann Kee Awaaz Pratigya 2 of the same production house.[120] After two months of shooting in Silvassa, the team shifted back to Film City, Mumbai on 10 June 2021.[121]

In October 2021, the team flew to Udaipur to shoot initial episodes after the generation leap including introduction sequences.[122]

In April 2022 to May 2022, the team flew to Jaipur to shoot Abhimanyu and Akshara's wedding sequence.[123]

The series which was in a continuous production since its premiere was halted indefinitely in March 2020.[124] Owing COVID-19 outbreak in India, the filming of the television series and films were halted on 19 March 2020, expected to resume the works from 1 April 2020 and the series airing was halted on 25 March 2020 after the bank episodes got over.[125][126] However, later on imposing the nationwide lockdown, which was extending with the increasing cases, filming could not be resumed since March end.[127] After three months, the shooting of the series resumed on 26 June 2020 and airing resumed from 13 July 2020.[128][129]

The production once again halted on 24 August 2020 when the cast Sachin Tyagi, Swati Chitnis and Samir Onkar along with four crew members were tested positive for the COVID-19 virus and resumed with others on 28 August 2020.[130][131][132] Since 2 October 2022, it is broadcast daily along with other Star Plus's shows.[133]

A special segment named Rishton Ka Utsav[147] aired from 26 November 2018 to 5 December 2018 where Kartik and Naira organize a unique festival which brings all generations with most of the family members of the show through all these years come together and celebrate their reunion.[148] This segment also marked the entry of Deblina Chatterjee as Gayatri Deora replacing Kanchi Singh who quit the show in 2017.[74]

The cast of Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai participated as a team in the musical game show Ravivaar With Star Parivaar.[149] It competed with the teams of other Star Plus's shows.[150] Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai emerged as the winner of the show winning the trophy and a prize money of 10 lac rupees.[151]

This Hindi soap is the fourth longest-running Indian television soap opera.[152] It was the first Hindi show to cross 2,500 episodes.[153] It completed 3,000 episodes on 11 September 2019 creating a history in the Indian television.[154] On 1 September 2021, It completed 3500 episodes.[155] On 4 March 2023, It completed 4000 episodes successfully.

Hina participated in the 'Power of 49' campaign, in which soap opera actors used their influence to urge women to vote.[156]

Khan was paid with ₹1to 1.25 Lacks per episode as of in 2015 and 2016 making her one of the highest paid Indian television actress.[157][158]

In 2020, it became the third most tweeted Indian television show on Twitter.[159]

Shoma Munshi in their book Prime Time Soap Operas on Indian Television said the show has "simplicity and highly emotional content" and was noted for placing female characters in the historical tradition of a large joint family.[160]

The Indian Express stated, "Simple story, simple treatment, easy pace, small tiffs, grouse, grief, happiness, sadness, celebrations, rituals, customs but no melodrama and no scheming and plotting....that's every day life beautifully captured and which pleases eyes, ears and other senses. Not that it has not resorted to TRP gimmicks like misunderstanding, pregnancy and miscarriage to come out of its lows, but the show has chronicled post-marriage journey of an arranged married couple quite well".[161] They also quoted, "There is a sense of positivity and reality in the show, that no other serial offers on the small screen".[154]

Praising the two shows Bidaii and Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai of Rajan Shahi's Director's Kut Production as game changers of Starplus which do not have excessive camera moves and mother in law - daughter in law melodramas unlike previously aired dramas, The Times of India stated, "The shows adequately highlighted the quintessential emotions with loads of romanticism and simplicity in story-telling".[162]

Speaking on the success of the series, The New Indian Express said, "Like most successful television series in our country, "Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai" has always banked heavily on the great Indian family. However, the show, along with its cast, has changed over the decade, to accommodate changing times. Perhaps that is where the winning formula lies—in retaining its old core values in an ever-changing set-up".[163]