Karthika Deepam (TV series)

Karthik and Deepa frequently encounter each other, and Karthik is impressed by her kindness and selfless generosity. Karthik's brother Aditya falls in love with Deepa's stepsister Sravya, who is herself in love with Karthik. Aditya's mother Soundarya accepts Aditya's match – as Sravya is light skinned (unlike Deepa) – and Sravya's parents agree. Sravya is initially overjoyed as she assumes she will marry Kartik but on learning the truth she threatens suicide unless Kartnik marries her. However, Karthik meets the step-sisters' father and asks permission to marry Deepa, if Deepa can accept his sterility. Having previously failed to arrange a marriage for Deepa, her father withholds the information to gain her acceptance. Karthik and Deepa marry at a temple and announce this at a birthday party Soundarya is holding for Sravya, both of whom become furious.

Soundarya reluctantly allows Deepa into the household. Sravya marries Aditya, but wants to get rid of Aditya and Deepa. Her plans fail and, threatened with expulsion, she starts to become a better wife and daughter-in-law.

Karthik's childhood friend Monitha returns and schemes to have him to herself. She causes Sravya to have a miscarriage so that Deepa will be blamed. She also convinces Karthik to keep secrets from Deepa, follows the couple on their honeymoon, and convinces Karthik that Deepa is having an affair with novelist Vihari. Deepa ties a rakhi (ceremonial talisman) to Vihari as a surrogate brother. Deepa comes to believe she is responsible for their not having children, but Monitha's scheme backfires when Soundarya chooses another woman to be Karthik's second wife. Deepa's father learns of this and stops the engagement; as he argues with Soundarya, Deepa collapses and is revealed to be pregnant. Deepa is happy, swears that she was not responsible for Sravya's miscarriage, and is accepted by Soundarya as mother to the heir of the household.

Karthik has a medical test to see if he can father children but Monitha changes the reports to state that he cannot. It is revealed that Monitha has been responsible for Karthik's misconception, and that she was also responsible for the death of his college girlfriend. Monitha makes several failed attempts to have Deepa killed. She then convinces Durga, a vigilante killer, that Deepa is an adulteress and arranges for him to be her chauffeur. However, after witnessing Deepa's kindness, Durga decides to protect her. Monitha tries to have them both killed in a car accident, but fails. Durga confesses his identity to Deepa but, because he has fallen in love with Monitha, says that it is Karthik who wants her killed.

Deepa prepares to leave the house and tells Soundarya that Karthik wants to kill her. The family confront Karthik who denies this, but explains that he is upset because he isn't the father of the unborn child, showing the medical reports. Deepa leaves due to everyone's distrust, and confronts her father over doubting her and concealing information. Meanwhile, Karthik's father and brother ask him to be retested, but Monitha convinces him not to do so.

Deepa gets a job at a petrol bunk so she can provide for her baby. Soundarya confronts Vihari, who she suspects of being the child's father, but is convinced otherwise. She asks Deepa to return to the house or accept money but Deepa refuses, and Karthik again refuses to retake the tests. Deepa gives birth to twins and Soundarya takes one home in hopes that the babies will allow the parents to reconcile in the future. Karthik slowly begins to love one child, Hima, told that she is an orphan; Deepa leaves the city with the other child, Sourya.

• Premi Viswanath as Deepa

  Karthik's wife; Sourya and Hima's mother; Murali Krishna's eldest daughter; Bhagyam's step-daughter; Soundarya and Anand Rao's eldest daughter-in-law; and Sravya's half-sister. A dark-skinned innocent girl who is bold, talented and intelligent.

• Paritala Nirupam as Dr. Karthik

  Deepa's husband; Sourya and Hima's father; Monitha's love interest; Soundarya and Anand Rao's eldest son; Aditya's elder brother; and Murali Krishna's son-in-law. He is a successful cardiologist and loves his mother. He loves and marries Deepa despite her dark skin tone but later becomes distant from her due to a misunderstanding that she had an affair with her friend Vihari.

• Shoba Shetty as Dr. Monitha

  Karthik's colleague and childhood friend, a gynocologist. She is an imposter who successfully creates a rift between Deepa and Karthik with the intention of marrying Karthik. Both Deepa and Soundarya come to understand her true nature and try to save Karthik from her influence. She killed Karthik's first love, Hima, and tried to kill Deepa on multiple instances. (Main antagonist)

• Sangeetha Kamath / Niharika as Sravya

  Aditya's wife; Deepa's half-sister; Murali Krishna's younger daughter and Bhagyam's daughter; Soundarya and Anand Rao's younger daughter-in-law; and Deepu's mother. She's a fair-skinned girl who initially had feelings for Karthik and hated Deepa due to her mother Bhagyam's upbringing. However, she later regrets and supports Deepa in her efforts.

• Archana Ananth as Soundarya

  Anand Rao's wife; Karthik and Aditya's mother; Deepa and Sravya's mother-in-law; and Sourya, Hima and Deepu's grandmother. Initially, she hates Deepa for her skin tone but then she realizes her qualities and supports her. She's a bold and powerful businesswoman. She tries to unite Deepa and Karthik and hates Monitha for brainwashing her son.

• Gadiraju Arun Kumar as Anand Rao

  Soundarya's husband; Karthik and Aditya's father; Deepa and Sravya's father-in-law; and Sourya, Hima and Deepu's grandfather. He loves his wife and respects her every decision.

• Yashwanth as Aditya

  Sravya's husband; Soundarya and Anand Rao's younger son; Murali Krishna and Bhagyam's son-in-law; and Deepu's father. He is cool and carefree, unlike his brother Karthik. He loves and marries Sravya and later tries to unite Deepa and Karthik.

• Baby Kritika as Sourya

  Karthik and Deepa's elder daughter; Soundarya and Anand Rao's elder granddaughter. She's the eldest of twins born to Karthik and Deepa. She's so bold and talkative and stays alone with her mother in a poor house. She doesn't know about her father and her sister until Soundarya reveals it.

• Baby Sahruda as Hima (Jr)

  Karthik and Deepa's younger daughter; Soundarya and Anand Rao's younger granddaughter. She's the youngest of twins born to Karthik and Deepa. She's sensitive and stays with her father, uncle, aunt and grandparents in the rich villa, after Karthik adopted her thinking that she's an orphan.

• Umadevi as Bhagyalakshmi/Bhagyam

  Murali Krishna's second wife; Sravya's mother; Deepa's step-mother; Aditya's mother-in-law, and Deepu's grandmother. She is a greedy woman who ill-treats Deepa and hates her husband as he loves Deepa more than her daughter Sravya. Soundarya teaches her a proper lesson to mend her ways but she still remains greedy.

• Sri Divya as Priyamani

  Monitha's maid. Though she knew it's wrong, she supports Monitha and gives her suggestions to trap Karthik.

• Venugopal as Vihari

  Deepa's friend and a famous poet. Though he treats Deepa as a sister, Monitha tricks Karthik into believing that he had an affair with Deepa, eventually creating a misunderstanding.

• Seetha Mahalakshmi as Tulasi

  Vihari's wife; a nurse who assisted in Deepa's delivery. She concealed the secret about birth of twins, on Soundarya's request.

• Lahari Vishnuwazhala as Hima (Sr)

  Karthik's first love in college. She was killed in a car accident planned by Monitha. Karthik names his adopted daughter Hima after her.

• Narasimha Reddy as Durga Prasad
• Yashvi Kanakala as Srilatha
• Ayesha as Malathi

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