Alpviram
Alpviram (translation: Comma, half pause) is a TV show that aired on Sony TV in India in 1998. Produced by Shobhana Desai, the show was directed by veteran director Vipul Shah[1] and starred Pallavi Joshi and Amir Bashir in lead roles.[2][3]
| Alpviram | |
|---|---|
| Screenplay by | Aatish Kapadia Vipul Shah |
| Directed by | Vipul Shah |
| Composer | Uttank Vora |
| Original language | Hindi |
| No. of episodes | 90 |
| Production | |
| Producer | Shobhana Desai |
| Cinematography | Indrajeet Bansal Deepak Malbankar |
| Editor | Tapas Ghosh |
Plot summary
The show, set in the city of Pune, 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
- Sulbha Deshpande as Subhadra Bajaj, Amrita's grandmother[4]
- Vikram Gokhale as Mr. Munshi, Hospital Administrator
- Rajendra Gupta as Dr. Pradeep Gupta, Amrita's doctor
- Mohan Gokhle as Raju, a ward boy at the Hospital
- Arun Bali as Dr. Mathur, Dean of the Hospital
- Parikshit Sahni as Rohit's father
- Lalan Sarang as Rohit's mother
- Rasik Dave as Amit, Rohit's elder brother
- Apara Mehta as Suneeta, Amit's wife
- Sejal Shah as Madhvi, 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.[5][6] It has been praised for the maturity with which it portrayed a rape survivor and her struggle.[7]
References
- ""It's just a question of being honest to each medium" : Vipul A Shah". Indian Television. 26 August 2002. Retrieved 19 August 2019.
- "Alpviram". Retrieved 24 June 2016.
- "Tribuneindia... Film and tv". www.tribuneindia.com. Retrieved 19 August 2019.
- "Sulabha was a motherly figure to me: Pallavi Joshi". t2online.com. Retrieved 19 August 2019.
- "Throwback to The 90s TV Serials We Can Still Watch In 2018". PopXO. 25 February 2018.
- "From Alpviram to Just Mohabbat, TV shows that were ahead of their time". The Times of India. 1 June 2018. Retrieved 19 August 2019.
- Bains, Grace (20 March 2017). "'Alpviram' Dealt With Rape In A Sensitive Manner But Paid The Price For Being Ahead Of Its Time". ScoopWhoop. Retrieved 19 August 2019.