''Alpviram'' (translation: Comma, half pause) is a drama television series that aired on
Sony Entertainment Television
Sony Entertainment Television (SET) is an Indian Hindi-language general entertainment pay television channel, that was launched on 30 September 1995, and is owned by Culver Max Entertainment, a subsidiary of the Japanese Sony.
SET India's ...
in India in 1998. Produced by Shobhana Desai, the show was directed by veteran director
Vipul Shah and starred
Pallavi Joshi and
Amir Bashir.
Plot summary
The show, set in the city of
Pune
Pune (; ; also known as Poona, ( the official name from 1818 until 1978) is one of the most important industrial and educational hubs of India, with an estimated population of 7.4 million As of 2021, Pune Metropolitan Region is the largest i ...
, revolves around the story of Amrita, a 21-year old vivacious girl who lives with her loving grandparents and has been dating Rohit Bakshi, a young boy from the well to do Bakshi family. On her 21st birthday, Amrita and Rohit's families plan a surprise outing for her where Rohit and Amrita get formally engaged to each other. But moments later, Amrita becomes unconscious and is rushed to the hospital where she is pronounced to be in a coma. Dr. Gupta explains that Amrita has brain aneurysms and would remain in a coma for an unspecified period of time.
Rohit and Amrita's grandparents are shattered but start taking care of Amrita till one day they realise she is pregnant and has been raped by someone at the hospital. Already reeling from financial troubles after spending their savings on her treatment, her grandparents decide to fight for justice against the hospital and its adamant administrator, Mr. Munshi, till they can find the culprit. A police investigation ensues in which everyone at the hospital is a suspect including, briefly, even Rohit. Meanwhile, the resulting scandal forces Rohit's family to ask him to choose between them and Amrita as he decides to stand by her.
Over time, as Amrita remains in a coma, Rohit eventually becomes engaged to another girl. Finally, when Amrita awakens from the coma, she must face her changed circumstances and make some tough decisions about her pregnancy, her relationship with Rohit, and her feelings towards her rapist as she attempts to comprehend her situation.
Cast
*
Pallavi Joshi as Amrita Bajaj
*
Aamir Bashir as Rohit Bakshi
*
Smita Bansal as Shweta Bhatnagar, a Journalist
*
Anjan Srivastav as Mr. Bajaj Amrita's grandfather
*
Sulabha Deshpande
Sulabha Deshpande ( mr, सुलभा देशपांडे; 1937 – 4 June 2016) was an Indian actress and theatre director. Apart from Marathi theatre and Hindi theatre in Mumbai, she acted in over 73 mainstream Bollywood films. She als ...
as Subhadra Bajaj, Amrita's grandmother
*
Vikram Gokhale
Vikram Gokhale (14 November 1945 – 26 November 2022) was an Indian film, television and stage actor, noted for his roles in Marathi theatre, Hindi films and television. He was the son of the Veteran Marathi theater and film actor, Chandrakan ...
as Mr. Munshi, Hospital Administrator
*
Rajendra Gupta as Dr. Pradeep Gupta, Amrita's doctor
*
Mohan Gokhale as Raju, a ward boy at the Hospital
*
Arun Bali as Dr. Mathur, Dean of the Hospital
*
Parikshit Sahni as Mr. Bakshi, Rohit's father
*
Lalan Sarang as Mrs. Bakshi, Rohit's mother
* Rasik Dave as Amit Bakshi, Rohit's elder brother
*
Apara Mehta as Sunita Amit Bakshi, Amit's wife
* Sejal Shah as Madhavi Bakshi, Amit and Rohit's sister
Reception
The show received positive reviews and years later is still considered to be a show that was ahead of its times in addressing issues of hospital malpractice, experiences of a rape survivor and Indian society's attitude towards women. It has been praised for the maturity with which it portrayed a rape survivor and her struggle.
References
External links
* {{IMDb title, id=6673402
1998 Indian television series debuts
1999 Indian television series endings
Sony Entertainment Television original programming
Indian drama television series