Saraswatichandra (TV series)

Last updated

Saraswatichandra
Saraswatichandra-StarPlus.jpg
GenreSoap opera
Created by Sanjay Leela Bhansali
Based on Saraswatichandra
by Govardhanram Tripathi
Written byShruti Vaidya
Utkarsh Naithani
Saba Mumtaz
Gautam Hegde
Ved Raj
Abhijit Sinha
Shilpa D'Mello
Directed by Arvind Babbal
Sharad Pandey
Mayank Gupta
Himanshu Singh
Arshad Khan
Starring Gautam Rode
Jennifer Winget
Varun Kapoor
Monica Bedi
Theme music composerAadil-Prashant
Opening theme"Kuch Na Kahe" by Shreya Ghoshal and Javed Ali
Country of originIndia
Original languageHindi
No. of episodes403
Production
Producers Sanjay Leela Bhansali
Sunjoy Waddhwa
Comall Sunjoy W.
CinematographyDeepak Pandey
Arjun Rao
Running time22 minutes
Production companiesSLB productions (2013)
Sphere Origins (2013–2014)
Original release
Network STAR Plus
Release25 February 2013 (2013-02-25) 
10 October 2014 (2014-10-10)

Saraswatichandra is an Indian Hindi-language musical romance drama television series produced by Sanjay Leela Bhansali, written by Saba Mumtaz, Shruti Vaidys, Utkarsh Naithani, Ved Raj and Abhijit Sinha, and is based on Govardhanram Tripathi's 1887-1901 four volume novel of the same name. [1] It aired on Star Plus from 25 February 2013 to 20 September 2014. [2]

Contents

Due to issues arising from the original production company, in August 2013, Saraswatichandra switched its production house to Sphere Origins. [3]

Plot

Young aristocrat Saraswatichandra Laxminandan Vyas, a.k.a. Saras, who lives in Dubai is introverted due to his mother's suicide and rejects an arranged marriage by his father with his friend Vidyachatur Desai's daughter Kumud, informing her by letter. She challenges him to inform her father and so Saras travels to her village named Ratnanagari in Ahmedabad district, Gujarat, India, gains familiarity with her family and gradually falls in love with her. On his return to Dubai, Saras finds a letter from his mother Saraswati, explaining that she committed suicide due to his father having an affair with Ghuman. That letter was written by his step mother Ghuman. Saras disowns his father and decides not to marry Kumud because he cannot support her without his family's wealth.

To save her family's reputation, Kumud rushes into a marriage with Pramad, the son of a politician. Saras realizes his mistake and tries to stop the wedding, but is beaten up by thugs. Kumud finds that her husband is an abusive alcoholic but resolves to change him. Pramad's sister Alak finds Saras and brings him to the family home to recover. Saras vows to change Pramad's ways. Pramad's father also wants Pramad to change, and hires Saras as his secretary which makes Pramad jealous.

Pramad pretends to be a changed man, but tries to kill Kumud with the help of maid Kalika. Saras rescues Kumud, who separates from Pramad and returns to her family home. However, Kalika enters the household by marrying Kumud's cousin Yash. Pramad attempts to abduct Kumud but his goons take her sister Kusum. Saras saves Kusum, who develops feelings for him but agrees to marry another. Pramad sends evidence of Kusum's kidnapping to the groom's family, who call off the wedding. To save the family's reputation, Kumud convinces her family to allow Saras to marry Kusum. Saras agrees, but plots to have Kusum married to his younger step brother Danny, who loves her. Kusum gradually recognizes Danny's love and returns his feelings. Pramad travels abroad for medical treatment, abandoning Kumud and facilitating her divorce. Kumud marries Saras, who reconciles with his father Laxminandan. Laxminandan meets with an accident with car of a man, Kabir.

After the wedding, Kabir helps the families when Laxminandan falls into a coma. Kabir is secretly working for Saras's stepmother Ghuman to create problems between Danny, Kusum and Saras in order to gain Laxminandan's wealth. Actually he is pretending to help Ghuman to take revenge from her. Kumud finds out Kabir's truth. Kumud learns about Ghuman's elder sister Menaka and Ghuman's secret. Kumud goes to that place where Ghuman used to work as a dancer before marrying Laxminandan. Kumud is kidnapped and again rescued by Saras. Ghuman's friend Sunanda reveals to Saras and Kumud that Ghuman had paid a governess to kill a baby 21 years earlier. Vidyachatur's younger sister Dugba who was Saraswati's friend tells Saras and Kumud after that Saraswati was pregnant for a second time but she suffered a miscarriage and Laxminandan blamed her for the miscarriage, that's why she killed herself. Then she searches in that hospital in which Saraswati was admitted at the time of her delivery. She learns that her baby was alive and was swapped with a stillborn baby and Dugba tells this to Saras and Kumud. They doubt Ghuman. Saras and Kumud confront Menaka for her and Ghuman's secret and Menaka reveals Kabir's identity as Saras's younger brother, thought to have died in infancy, and that he is actually seeking vengeance on Ghuman for separating him from his family. He was raised by Menaka because Menaka wanted to take revenge from Ghuman and to take her property. Ghuman learns of this and has Kabir kidnapped in London, with Saras and Kumud going to save him. Meanwhile, Ghuman uses Kalika to try to separate Danny and Kusum. Kalika reveals the truth and is divorced and disowned by Yash. Ghuman tries to kill Saras, Kumud and Kabir, but they are saved. Laxminandan awakens and disowns Ghuman, who is arrested. Saras and Kabir both reconcile with their father.

Saras and Kumud move to Mumbai for a business project for six months. Their landlord Prashant Tyagi becomes obsessed with Kumud, who is a lookalike of his girlfriend he murdered. The landlord kidnaps them both and tries to murder Saras, but they find evidence and have him arrested.

During Kabir's wedding to Kusum's friend Anushka, a young man attempts to kill Saras and Kumud, extorting Anushka's cooperation because he had kidnapped her younger brother Avinash and blackmailed her. Saras is hospitalized saving Kumud and Kabir breaks off the engagement. Kabir and Danny save Avinash, and Kabir forgives Anushka. Ghuman is revealed to be behind the plot.

Ghuman feigns mental illness and is transferred from jail to a mental asylum, where she finds her rival, Saras's mother Saraswati who is alive and suffering amnesia. Ghuman informs Kumud but still tries to take revenge. Kumud helps Saraswati regain her memory and mental health, and the family is reunited. Ghuman is returned to jail. Saras and Kumud have their first child.

Cast

Main

Recurring

Guest

Production

The production of the series began in May 2012. [13]

The grand set of the series and the production cost ₹5.5 crore (55 million rupees). [14] Initial scenes were shot in Dubai and Rajkot. [15] In August 2013, Sphere Origins took over the production of the series from Sanjay Leela Bhansali Films Pvt Ltd, [16] after which, in January 2014, the storyline deviated from the novel as Saras and Kumud marry. [17] [18]

Reception

Critics

Hindustan Times said, "Style is good but substance is better." [19]

Ratings

The series garnered an average rating of 2.5 TVR in its first episode and 2.1 TVR in the premiere week. [20] However, the following weeks it improved. [21]

Awards and nominations

YearAwardCategoryCastResultRef
2013 Gold Awards Best Actor Gautam Rode Nominated
Indian Television Academy Awards Best Actress – Drama Jennifer Winget Won [22]
Best Actress – Popular Jennifer Winget Nominated
Best Actor – Popular Gautam Rode Nominated
2014 Gold Awards Best Actor Gautam Rode Won [23]
Indian Telly Awards Best Actor in a Lead Role Gautam Rode Won [24]
Best Actress (Jury) Jennifer Winget Won

Related Research Articles

<i>Saraswatichandra</i> (film) 1968 Indian film

Saraswatichandra is a black-and-white Hindi film released in 1968. It starred Nutan and Manish among others and was directed by Govind Saraiya.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Honey Irani</span> Indian actress and screenwriter

Honey Irani is an Indian actress and screenwriter, who works in Hindi cinema. She started her career as a child actor with roles in films such as Mahesh Kaul’s Pyar ki Pyas. She was probably four to five years old when the shooting of the movies Chirag Kahan Roshni Kahan and Bombay Ka Chor started.

<i>Sapna Babul Ka... Bidaai</i> Indian television series

Sapna Babul Ka... Bidaai is an Indian soap drama that aired from 8 October 2007 to 13 November 2010 on STAR Plus during weekdays. It tells the story of a father and his two daughters and explores the social impacts of skin colour. The series was replaced by Gulaal. In August 2022, rerun of the series started on StarPlus's sister channel Star Bharat.

<i>Mata Ki Chowki</i> Indian drama television series

Mata ki Chowki is an Indian television series produced by Swastik Pictures, which aired on Sahara One from 9 June 2008 to 7 October 2011. The series produced 845 episodes.

<i>Uttaran</i> Indian television soap opera

Uttaran is an Indian soap opera that aired on Colors TV from 1 August 2008 to 16 January 2015. The third longest-running Indian television series of Colors TV, it starred Tina Datta, Rashami Desai, Nandish Sandhu, Rohit Khurana, Sreejita De and Mrunal Jain.

<i>Saraswatichandra</i> (novel) Gujarati novel by Govardhanram Tripathi

Saraswatichandra is a Gujarati novel by Govardhanram Madhavaram Tripathi, an author of early twentieth century from Gujarat, India. Set in 19th-century India, It is acclaimed as one of the masterpiece of Gujarati literature. Though the novel was published in four parts, each part has a distinct thematic content, its own cast of characters and independent beginnings and ends. It was adapted into several plays, radio plays, films and TV series. It was well received by the number of critics, and was translated into several Indian languages, along with English. However, Suresh Joshi, a strong proponent of formalism theory, criticized the novel for its structural failure.

<i>Sasural Simar Ka</i> Indian television soap opera

Sasural Simar Ka is an Indian Hindi-language television soap opera produced by Rashmi Sharma Telefilms that aired from 25 April 2011 to 2 March 2018 on Colors TV. It stars Dipika Kakar Ibrahim, Avika Gor, Dheeraj Dhoopar, Shoaib Ibrahim, Manish Raisinghan, Vaishali Takkar, Varun Sharma, and Rohan Mehra. It is the second longest-running Indian television series on Colors TV after Balika Vadhu, which also featured Avika Gor.

<i>Ek Hazaaron Mein Meri Behna Hai</i> Indian Hindi-language soap opera

Ek Hazaaron Mein Meri Behna Hai, also known internationally as The Inseparables, is an Indian Hindi-language family drama television series that aired on StarPlus during weekdays from 3 October 2011 to 13 September 2013. It is digitally available on Disney+ Hotstar.

<i>Na Bole Tum Na Maine Kuch Kaha</i> Indian television series

Na Bole Tum Na Maine Kuch Kaha is an Indian Hindi-language drama television series that premiered from 9 January 2012 to 12 September 2013 on Colors TV. Produced under Sunshine Productions, it starred Kunal Karan Kapoor, Aakanksha Singh.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Indian Telly Award for Best Actress in a Lead Role</span>

Indian Telly Award for Best Actor in a Lead Role Female is an award given by IndianTelevision as part of its annual Indian Telly Awards for TV serials.

Ragini Shah is an Indian film, stage and television actress, and a veteran of Gujarati theatre. She had numerous supporting roles on Indian television, with her portrayal of Dugba in the daily Hindi soap Saraswatichandra being one of the most remembered.

Indian Telly Award for Fresh New Face - Female is an award given by Indiantelevision.com as part of its annual Indian Telly Awards for TV serials.

Indian Telly Award for Best Onscreen Couple is an award given by Indiantelevision as part of its annual Indian Telly Awards for TV serials, to recognize a pair that have stood out and been appreciated by the Indian audience and given an outstanding performance as a couple onscreen.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Varun Kapoor</span> Indian actor

Varun Kapoor is an Indian actor known for playing Sanskaar Maheshwari in Colors TV's Swaragini - Jodein Rishton Ke Sur and Dr. Veer Malhotra in Savitri Devi College & Hospital. In 2022, Kapoor made his Bollywood film debut with Gangubai Kathiawadi.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shiny Doshi</span> Indian television actress (born 1989)

Shiny Doshi is an Indian actress who primarily works in Hindi television. She made her acting debut with Saraswatichandra in 2013, portraying Kusum Desai. Doshi is best known for her portrayal of Sarojini Singh in Sarojini - Ek Nayi Pehal, Mahi Sengupta Khurana in Jamai Raja and Dhara Patel Pandya in Pandya Store.

<i>Kkusum</i> Indian drama television series

Kkusum is an Indian television series produced by Ekta Kapoor's Balaji Telefilms which aired on Sony Entertainment Television from 14 May 2001 to 30 November 2005. It was directed by Jasbir Bhati. The show follows the journey of a young, hardworking and middle class girl, Kkusum and later, after a 20 year leap on her daughter Kkumud.

<i>Piyaa Albela</i> Indian television soap opera

Piyaa Albela is an Indian soap opera by Rajshri Productions broadcast on Zee TV. The show focuses on a modern retelling of the love story of Menaka and Vishwamitra. It was produced over about eight years by Sooraj Barjatya, while Raghvendra Singh wrote the lyrics. The soap opera stars Akshay Mhatre and Sheen Das. The show began airing from 6 March 2017, replacing Jamai Raja, and went off air on 24 August 2018. It was replaced by Tujhse Hai Raabta.

<i>Saath Nibhaana Saathiya 2</i> Indian television series

Saath Nibhaana Saathiya 2 is an Indian Hindi-language television series produced by Rashmi Sharma Telefilms. It aired from 19 October 2020 to 16 July 2022 on Star Plus. Initially based on Star Jalsha's Bengali series Ke Apon Ke Por, it is a sequel to the long-running series Saath Nibhaana Saathiya. It starred Sneha Jain, Gautam Vig, Akanksha Juneja, and Harsh Nagar.

<i>Shubh Laabh – Aapkey Ghar Mein</i> Indian drama television series

Shubh Laabh – Aapkey Ghar Mein is an Indian Hindi-language drama television series. It aired its first season from 13 September 2021 to 28 May 2022 and second season from 30 May 2022 to 20 August 2022 on Sony SAB, and starred Geetanjali Tikekar and Chhavi Pandey in lead roles.

<i>Woh Toh Hai Albelaa</i> Indian television series

Woh To Hai Albelaa was an Indian Hindi-language television drama series that aired from 14 March 2022 to 14 June 2023 on Star Bharat and is digitally available on Disney+ Hotstar. Produced by Rajan Shahi under Director Kut's Productions, it starred Shaheer Sheikh and Hiba Nawab in the lead roles, with Anuj Sachdeva playing a major cameo role. It is an official adaptation of Star Vijay's Tamil series Eeramana Rojave.

References

  1. "Saraswatichandra not a love story". Live Mint. 30 March 2013. Archived from the original on 28 March 2020.
  2. "Saraswatichandra to go off air, Gautam Rode tweets last day pics with Jennifer Winget and crew". daily.bhaskar.com. Archived from the original on 7 March 2017. Retrieved 16 November 2014.
  3. "Change is constant: Sanjay Leela Bhansali out of Saraswatichandra". Hindustan Times. 19 August 2013.
  4. "Varun Kapoor to enter Saraswatichandra". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 10 October 2016. Retrieved 19 March 2016.
  5. "I have never worked so hard in my life: Shiny Doshi". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 5 December 2015. Retrieved 19 March 2016.
  6. "Ashish Kapoor to play Gautam Rode's brother in Saraswatichandra". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 10 October 2016. Retrieved 19 March 2016.
  7. "Saras to die in Star Plus' Saraswatichandra!". Archived from the original on 28 March 2016. Retrieved 19 March 2016.
  8. "Vijay Badlani back; Shahrukh Sadri in Saraswatichandra". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 10 October 2016. Retrieved 19 March 2016.
  9. "Never felt sidelined by Jennifer Winget in 'Saraswatichandra': Monica Bedi". The Indian Express. 26 January 2014. Archived from the original on 30 March 2016. Retrieved 19 March 2016.
  10. "Bhansali turns to TV, with Saraswatichandra". Rediff. 16 May 2012. Archived from the original on 30 March 2016. Retrieved 19 March 2016.
  11. "Mehul Kajaria in Bhansali's Saraswati Chandra". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 10 October 2016. Retrieved 19 March 2016.
  12. "Vahbbiz Dorabjee in 'Saraswatichandra'". dna. 11 July 2013. Archived from the original on 12 October 2016. Retrieved 19 March 2016.
  13. "Bhansali turns to TV, with Saraswatichandra". Rediff. Archived from the original on 30 March 2019.
  14. "The super soaps". Archived from the original on 28 March 2020.
  15. "Saraswatichandra: A lavish love story". The Times of India.
  16. "Sphereorigins takes over 'Saraswatichandra'". India TV News . 27 August 2013. Archived from the original on 28 March 2020.
  17. "Saraswatichandra to go off air in May end?". DNA India. Archived from the original on 28 March 2020.
  18. "Saras, Kumud to tie the knot on 'Saraswatichandra'". The Indian Express. 23 January 2014. Archived from the original on 28 March 2020.
  19. "Game-changers in television: from saas-bahu sagas to controversial reality shows". Hindustan Times . 24 December 2013.
  20. "Bhansali's TV debut 'Saraswatichandra' opens with 2.5 TVR on Star Plus". Indian Television dot com.
  21. "Steady but now". The Indian Express.
  22. "Indian Television Academy Awards". awardsbyindianshows.weebly.com. Archived from the original on 17 April 2015. Retrieved 7 October 2019.
  23. Narayan, Girija (20 May 2014). "Zee Gold Awards 2014 Complete List Of Winners". filmibeat. Archived from the original on 7 October 2019. Retrieved 7 October 2019.
  24. "Gautam Rode claims Indian Telly Award". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 30 September 2018. Retrieved 7 October 2019.