Anupamaa

Anupamaa is an Indian drama television series that premiered on 13 July 2020 on Star Plus.[1] It is a remake of Star Jalsha's Bengali series Sreemoyee.[2] Produced by Rajan Shahi under Director's Kut Productions, it stars Rupali Ganguly.[3]

Anupamaa
Anupamaa–Poster
Genre	Drama
Developed by	Shahi Productions
Written by	Leena Gandhapadhay
Screenplay by	Bhavna Vyas
Story by	Namita Vartak
Directed by	Romesh Kalra
Creative director(s)	Ketaki Walawalkar
Starring	Rupali Ganguly
Country of origin	India
Original language(s)	Hindi
No. of seasons	1
No. of episodes	34!--as of 15 August 2020-->
Production
Producer(s)	Rajan Shahi
Camera setup	Multi-camera
Running time	20–24 minutes
Production company(s)	Director's Kut Productions
Release
Original network	StarPlus
Picture format	576i 1080i (HDTV)
Original release	13 July 2020 (2020-07-13) – present
Chronology
Related shows	Sreemoyee
External links
Hotstar
Director's Kut Production

Plot

Anupamaa is a devoted housewife, mother and daughter-in-law who loves her family and fulfills all their needs ignoring her own. Bereft of same love and respect in her house from her own family members, she realises the bitter truth and sets out to live her life on her own terms.

She often gets humiliated from her husband Vanraj, mother in law Leela and her children Paritosh and Paakhi for being a simple housewife alone while her son Samar,Mamaji, Sanjay her brother in law and her Hasmukh father in law stands for her support. Devika visits Anupamaa and takes her for a reunion to Purani Bawdi but coincidentally Vanraj comes home early and finds Anupamaa not at home and in fit of rage he ousts Anupamaa out of the house but Hasmukh confronts him and says that your mom Leela breaks the rules of the house every day but he never throwed her out of the house and made him convince to bring her inside the house.Later Hasmukh confronts Leela and asks her that it's been 25 years and still you always mistreats her if you can't be a mother to her it's ok but don't be a vamp like in serials to which Leela replies that she was her choice as her daughter in law but Hasmukh's mother's choice to make Anupamaa their daughter in law .Vanraj develops attraction towards his colleague Kavya while Kavya feels insecure due to Anupamaa. Anupamaa wins the fun fair held at Paakhi's school and receives a job offer as a cooking teacher. Thereafter Hasmukh had a fight with Leela and maintains distance by going to Jamnagar his in law's place and send Jignesh his brother in law to his house to stay there and take care of Anupamaa and support her and also to keep an eye on Leela for her misbehavior towards Anupamaa. As Kavya convinces Vanraj for it, Anupamaa wishes to prove herself and accepts the offer but soon gets fired owing her unpunctuality caused due to Vanraj. But, the Shahs, except Samar, Sanjay and Mamaji, blames herself for losing the job which makes her heartbroken. She further breaks down when Paritosh and Paakhi humiliate her for not being reputed after Kinjal's mother becomes sceptical for Paritosh and Kinjal's marriage because of Anupamaa's reputation as she is also not an entrance pass. Devika Anupamaa's best friend comes to stay with her and enjoys a lot and opens about Anupamaa's school days and a boy named Anuj who had a crush on Anupamaa hearing these conversations of Devika,Anupamaa and his kids Vanraj gets jealous and confronts Anupamaa. Later Devika notices something strange about Kavya and Vanraj and warns Anupamaa about it to which she gets angry and says she cannot hear a word against her husband.

Cast

• Rupali Ganguly as Anupamaa Shah (née Joshi) - Vanraj's wife and Paritosh, Samar and Paakhi's mother. She is an ideal housewife, a talented Kathak dancer and cooks well but she is only 11th pass and because of that humiliated by everybody except Samar, Jignesh, Sanjay, Jhilmil and her father-in-law Hasmukh. (2020-present)
• Sudhanshu Pandey as Vanraj Shah-Anupamaa's husband and Paritosh, Samar and Paakhi's father. He has an affair with his colleague Kavya without the knowledge of Anupamaa.(2020-present)
• Madalsa Sharma as Kavya-Vanraj's colleague and girlfriend and Anirudh's wife. She has an affair with Vanraj. (2020-present)
• Aashish Mehrotra as Paritosh Shah-Anupamaa and Vanraj's elder son and Samar and Paakhi's elder brother. He often humiliates Anupamaa for being a housewife.(2020-present)
• Nidhi Shah as Kinjal-Pramod and Rakhi's daughter and Paritosh's girlfriend. Kinjal likes Anupamaa and also supports her.(2020-present)
• Paras Kalnawat as Samar Shah-Vanraj and Anupamaa's second son, Paritosh younger brother and Paakhi's elder brother. He has passion in western dance and he drops out of college. He always stands by Anupamaa under any circumstances. (2020-present)
• Anagha Bhosale as Nandini Iyer-Kavya's niece and Samar's love interest. Nandini likes the Anupamaa.(2020-present)
• Muskaan Bamne as Paakhi "Sweety" Shah -Anupamaa and Vanraj's daughter and Paritosh and Samar's sister. She also humiliates Anupamaa for being a housewife just like Paritosh.(2020-present)
• Ahsaas Channa as Kritika Zaveri-Kavya and Anirudh's daughter
• Ekta Saraiya as Dolly Patel (née Shah) -Vanraj's younger sister, Sanjay's wife, Alpaa's daughter-in-law and Meenali's mother.(2020-present)
• Unknown as Sanjay Patel-Dolly's husband and Alpaa's son and Meenali's father.(2020-present)
• Stuti Zakarde as Meenali "Meenu" Patel-Sanjay and Dolly's daughter, Alpaa's grand daughter and Anupamaa and Vanraj's neice. (2020-present)
• Arvind Vaidya as Hasmukh Shah-Vanraj and Dolly's father and Sanjay and Anupamaa's father in law.(2020-present)
• Alpana Buch as Leela Shah-Vanraj and Dolly's mother and Anupama and Sanjay's mother-in-law.(2020-present)
• Shekhar Shukla as Jignesh aka Bhayilu-Leela's brother and Vanraj and Dolly's uncle. (2020-present)
• Bhakti Chauhan as Jhilmil-Shah family's household helper who also supports Anupamaa.(2020-present)
• Madhavi Gogate as Anupamaa's mother. (2020-present)
• Mehul Nisar as Bhavesh Joshi-Anupamaa's brother and he is a cable mechanic.(2020-present)
• Jasveer Kaur as Devika-Anupamaa's childhood best friend.(2020-present)
• Rushad Rana as Anirudh-Kavya's husband.(2020-present)
• Tasneem Sheikh as Rakhi- Pramod's wife and Kinjal's mother. She is the owner of a coaching centre.(2020-present)
• Farrukh Saeed as Pramod-Rakhi's husband and Kinjal's father. He is a businessman. (2020-present)
• Payal Nair as Parul Sharma-Paakhi's school principal.(2020)



Production

Development

Rajan Shahi, the producer of the Marathi remake of Sreemoyee titled Aai Kuthe Kay Karte on Star Pravah planned to produce its Hindi remake Anupamaa stating, "This interesting concept around a mother’s journey has been so inspirational that Star wants to bring it in Hindi too."[4]

In early August 2020, the cast of the series recorded a special song for Raksha Bandhan in their own voices.[5]

Filming

Based on the backdrop of Gujarat, the series is mainly filmed at the sets at Film City in Mumbai.[6] Some initial sequences were shot at Ahmedabad in early March 2020.[7]

Premiere and broadcast

Earlier locked to be premiered on 16 March 2020, it was indefinitely postponed to 13 July 2020 amid COVID-19 outbreak when the filming of Indian television and films were stalled indefinitely.[8] Speaking on it Rupali Ganguly said, "Anupamaa is a show that will strike an emotional chord with audiences. Due to the coronavirus outbreak in our country, it is in the best interest of the show and the unit to delay the launch. This is a very special project for all of us and it’s a big decision to postpone the launch. When I see Anupamaa from an audience’s perspective, I feel each episode is shot beautifully. Blessed to be a part of this show and to get so much love from everyone. May we tide over these trying times with safety and precaution."[9] After more than three months, the filming resumed and the series premiered on 13 July 2020.[10][11]

Casting

Rupali Ganguly was cast as the main lead Anupamaa, returning to television after seven years.[12] Sudhanshu Pandey was cast as Anupamaa's husband Vanraj.[13] Besides Muskan Bamne, Paras Kalnawat, Aashish Mehrotra, Alpana Buch, Madhavi Gagote, Ekta Saraiya as Dolly, Stuti Zakarde as Meenu/Meenali, Mehul Nisar, Arvind Vaidya as Hasmukh ,Sarita Joshi as Alpaa and Madalsa Sharma as Kavya and Bhakti Chauhan as Jhilmil were cast.[14][15][16][17] However days before the filming resumed after Covid-19 outbreak in late June, Additi Gupta was confirmed infected with the virus and thus she was replaced by Madalsa Sharma and the sequences earlier shot by Gupta were reshot by Sharma.[18][19] Days after premiere in July 2020, Shekhar Shukla was roped in to play Jignesh and soon after, Nidhi Shah, Farrukh Saeed, Anagha Bhonsle, Tasneem Sheikh and Rushad Rana entered the show.[20][21][22]

Due to the Covid19 pandemic as per the new guidelines by government for actors aged 65 or above are restricted to shoot on the sets as they can easily get contacted to the virus hence, In meanwhile actors Arvind Vaidya and Sarita Joshi have not started shooting on the sets till they do not get permissions so they are shooting from their phones for little shots.

Reception

Critics

India Today stated, " Rupali Ganguly fits the character perfectly and aces the role of a Gujarati homemaker. The show strikes a chord with the homemakers as they can identify with the protagonist. Anupamaa has the right amount of emotions, drama and spice. The show has the right mix of family values and modern outlook. The show is a heartwarming tale.[23]

Ratings

Anupamaa had an average television rating point of 2.1 in the urban region during its debut week occupying the seventh position.[23] The next week, it jumped to second position garnering 5.9 million urban impressions and 7.8 million impressions overall.[24] The following week, it maintained its position in urban with 5.8 million impressions and 7.7 million impressions overall.[25]

Lingustic versions

Bengali channel Star Jalsha's series Sreemoyee is adapted in various Indian languages including this series as listed below.[26] Rajan Shahi produces both the Hindi and Marathi versions of the series under Director's Kut Productions.[10]

Sl.no	Language	Title	Original release	Network(s)	Episodes (23 June 2020)	Notes
1	Bengali	Sreemoyee শ্রীময়ী	19 June 2019 – present	Star Jalsha	Ongoing	Original series
2	Kannada	Inthi Nimma Asha[27] ಇಂತಿ ನಿಮ್ಮ ಆಶಾ	21 August 2019 – present	Star Suvarna	Ongoing	Remake
3	Marathi	Aai Kuthe Kay Karte![28] आई कुठे काय करते!	23th December2019-present	Star Pravah	Ongoing	Remake
4	Malayalam	Kudumbavilakku[29] കുടുംബവിളക്ക്	27th January 2020-present	Asianet	Ongoing	Remake
5	Telugu	Intinti Gruhalakshmi[30] ఇంటింటి గృహలక్ష్మి	3rd February 2020-present	Star Maa	Ongoing	Remake
6	Tamil	Baakiyalakshmi[31] பாக்கியலட்சுமி	27th July 2020-present	Star Vijay	Ongoing	Remake

References

1. "What to expect on your favourite television shows from tonight". The Indian Express.
2. "Rupali Ganguly- Sudhanshu Pandey starrer Anupamaa is a remake of a popular Bengali show 'Sreemoyee'". The Times of India.
3. "Rupali Ganguly back on a fiction show after seven years". The Times of India.
4. "Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai maker Rajan Shahi to remake his Marathi show Aai Kuthe Kay Karte for Star Plus".
5. "Telly Tattle: Cast Of Anupamaa Records A Song In Their Own Voice For Raksha Bandhan". Mid Day.
6. "Rajan Shahi: I have requested the CM to waive off rent to Film City studio". Mumbai Mirror.
7. "Rupali Ganguly dances barefoot on scorching floor of Sun temple in Ahmedabad". India Today.
8. "Coronavirus: TV channels to rely on episode banks, alternative content amid production halt". Outlook India.
9. "Anupamaa's launch gets cancelled". Tribune India.
10. "Anupamaa actress Rupali Ganguly shares her first day shoot experience post-lockdown; says, 'I was initially scared of coming to the sets'". The Times of India.
11. "Rupali Ganguly's show 'Anupamaa' to premiere on July 13". The Times of India.
12. "Rupali Ganguly on Anupamaa: Couldn't have asked for a better comeback". The Indian Express.
13. "Sudhanshu Pandey says he chose to be a part of Anupamaa for his wife". The Times of India.
14. "Rupali Ganguly on Anupamaa: Couldn't have asked for a better comeback". The Indian Express.
15. "Additi Gupta joins cast of Anupamaa". Outlook India.
16. "Ekta Saraiya: Every Indian woman relates with Anupamaa's character". The Times of India.
17. "I have been doing my own makeup for the last 10 years. So it's not really new to me: Mehul Nisar". The Times of India.
18. "Ishqbaaaz actor Additi Gupta tests coronavirus-positive: 'Chose to quarantine myself at home'". Hindustan Times.
19. "Madalsa Sharma Chakraborty's small screen debut". The Tribune.
20. "Anagha Bhosale to enter Anupamaa as Paras Kalnawat's love interest". India Today.
21. "Tassnim Sheikh: I am glad to have bagged a role in 'Anupamaa'". The Times of India.
22. "Hip Hip Hurray To Anupamaa: BFFs Mehul Nisar And Rushad Rana Meet Again!". Mid Day.
23. "Monday Masala: Rupali Ganguly-starrer Anupamaa has the right ingredients for a hit TV show". India Today.
24. "Most watched Indian television shows: Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah tops TRP chart". The Indian Express.
25. "Anupamaa and Taraak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah retain the top spots". The Times of India.
26. "This Mother's Day, the best movies/ shows to watch on Disney+ Hotstar: From 'Baahubali' to 'Badhaai Ho'". The Hindu.
27. "New daily soap 'Inti Nimma Asha' to premiere today". The Times of India.
28. "Rajan Shahi's Marathi venture 'Aai Kuthe Kay Karte' is all about discovering mother's unconditional love". The Times of India.
29. "Meera Vasudevan to play the lead in Kudumbavilakku". The Times of India.
30. "New daily soap 'Intinti Gruha Lakshmi' to premiere on February 3". The Times of India.
31. "TV show Baakiyalakshmi to premiere on March 16". The Times of India.

External links

• Anupamaa on IMDb