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Aapki Antara

Aapki Antra is a Zee TV soap opera which premiered on June 1, 2009. The story is about a young girl, Antara, who is diagnosed with autism and who positively affects the lives of those she encounters during her journey of life.
The show follows Antara from her early life with her mother, Anuradha, and relates her relationships with various relatives and others. During the first episode her mother dies, and in the next few episodes we see the effect of that death on the life of the child. When Antara is rescued from an orphanage life by her father, Aditya, we experience with him the various problems caused by him taking in not only his “illegitimate” child, but a seemingly emotionally challenged child at that. His wife, Vidya, soon finds out that not only is Antara Aditya’s daughter, but she is the product of an affair he carried on with Anuradha even while married to her. Vidya leaves the marital home with her father after he found out that Aditya had been unfaithful. Almost everyone, including Aditya’s family, hate Antara and blame her for the family upheaval. But Aditya grows to love Antara more and more. Aditya’s friend, Sameer, convinces him to set up his life again and to take Antara to an orphanage. Aditya is told by Sameer that there is no way for Vidya to come back as long as Antara lives in the same household. But, Aditya does not find the need to take Antara to the orphanage because Vidya comes back just in time. She allows Aditya to keep Antara in the house but still remains aloof around him. She still dislikes Antara, and is highly jealous of the love that Antara receives from Aditya. Finally, Vidya begins to love Antara.

The show in later episodes seems to have lost its appeal, not only to the audience but also to its founding actors. Show now dwells on the issues of Sameer being impotent. One can foresee that the future focus is now shifting from issues dealing with autism to those dealing with and treating the impotence. Founding characters have also moved onto other projects. The father of Sameer is now being played by another person. Sameer’s wife has also been replaced by another person and now to add further, a new person acts as Sameer himself in the show. A kid, earlier presented as a competing love interest for Billoo, now comes as the adopted daughter of Arti.

Characters

Antara Verma (age 11)

Antara (played by Zynah Vastani) is a cute and innocent little girl who suffers from autism. She appears to not react to the turbulence around her. Her mother Anuradha (Rupali Ganguly) died in a car accident. Unlike other children of her age, Antara doesn’t have any friends. In fact, she even finds it difficult to bond with her family. Still, Antara observes the world very closely and her outlook is very different from others. She is shown to love her step-mother Vidya more than anyone else.

Aditya Verma (age 40)

Aditya (played by Darshan Pandya) is Antara’s father. Before Antara was brought to them, he lived with his wife Vidya and their son Abhishek. He is a loan officer at ICBI Bank. He also is struggling harshly from financial issues. Aditya is shown to be very wise, generous, truthful, honest and moreover, an understanding husband to Vidya. He is generous enough to provide needed intimacy to a lonely female friend thereby impregnating her yet not honest or truthful enough to tell his wife about this affair. Also, he may be wise but not wise enough to wear a condom when having an extra-marital affair.

Vidya Verma (age 35)

Vidya (played by Prabhleen Sandhu) ^[1]) is Aditya’s wife and a teacher. After Aditya’s affair with Anuradha is revealed, her father encourages her to leave home and study law, but her mother convinces her to go back to Aditya. She is thereafter cold to both Aditya and Antara. Recently, Vidya has grown to love Antara and wants to help fulfill the void of a mother in Antara’s life.

Abhishek Verma (age 10)

Abhishek (played by Aditya Maheshwari)is Aditya and Vidya’s son. After Vidya takes him away from his home and his father, he runs away from school and is found walking along the road on his way to find his father. When Antara was taken into Aditya’s home, Abhishek was initially jealous of the love and attention Antara receives from Aditya. However, Abhishek eventually grows to love Antara as his elder sister. Now, he is shown to care Antara the most.

Billu Gupta (age 12)

Billu (played by Aarav Velhal is Abhishek’s best friend who stays in the same apartment complex as the Verma family. Initlally, Billu ridiculed Antara frequently, but he becomes attracted to her later. Additionally, Billu is comical and mischievous, particularly when he tries to act smart in front of all the adults. Particularly, he has a missing front teeth.

Aarti (age 31)

Aarti Verma is Aditya Verma’s sister and has a strong dislike of Antara at the beginning, but later starts liking her. Later, she gets married to Sameer, who is Aditya’s best friend and a co-worker in ICBI Bank. This role has recently been awarded to Tulika Upadhyay

Sameer (age 37)

Sameer (played by Himansoo Malhotra is Aditya’s best friend and also Aditya’s co-worker in ICBI Bank. Later, he gets married to Aarti, Aditya’s sister. This role has recently been awarded to a new man.

Dr. Vikram (age 39)

Dr. Vikram is Antara’s Autistic doctor. He really cares for Antara and Antara slowly learn from Mr. Vikram’s and Mr.Mehta’s Therapies that they give out to the Cute and Adorable child

' ' ' Aashman (Bhola) (age 38)' ' '

A person who tries to kidnap antara, and works at Dr. Vikrams office. People say he is good with children ,but that’s a big no. He just pretends.

Cast

* Aaina Mehta …Antara Verma
* Prabhleen Sandhu …Vidya Verma
* Darshan Pandya …Aditya Verma
* Rupali Ganguly …Antara’s mother
* Sujata Kumar …Antara’s grandmother
* Sahil Deshmukh…Abhishek Verma/Antara’s brother
* Sandeep Upadhya…Billu, Abhishek’s friend
* Sachin Khurana …Vikram, Antara’s doctor
* Himanshoo Malhotra …Sameer, Aditya’s friend
* Tulika Chaudhary…aarti,aditya`s sister ans sameer`s wife
* Apurva Paranjpe…mili,sameer and aarti`s adopted daughter
* Alka Moghe…mr`s verma,billu`s mother
* Nikhil Ratanpuri…mr verma`billu`s father