Chunauti is a hard-hitting trendsetter amongst serials. Chunauti is a window into the psyche of college life in India. The serial profiles an idealist college principal Mr. Shastri and his travails with the problems that plague students including admissions, donations, ragging, miserable hostel conditions, drug addiction, irresponsible teachers, mass copying, and other malpractices. Intensely strong character graphs and a well-crafted emotional drama covering every aspect of college life in detail, made Chunauti a big hit. During telecast SAMVAAD and Principal Shastri had become household names in India. Chunauti highlighted the higher education system and generated tremendous response from thinkers, planners and common masses. In the serial, Principal Shastri faces adversity. In the end however, with the assistance of many of his students and colleagues he emerges victorious. This serial put SAMVAAD in an exclusive bracket of makers of quality programmes.