Kesar

About the show

Kesar centers around Kesar, a young girl from rural Punjab. Kesar is an innocent, fun-loving girl who is the darling of her family. Her family consists of her grandfather Kuljeet, her parents Parmeet and Teji, her younger brother Shammi, her widowed sister-in –law Vidya and Vidya’s children.

The story opens with Kesar and her family waiting for their close friends from Mumbai to arrive and celebrate Lohri with them. These friends are Dharam Mallyaa childhood friend of Kuljeet, his wife Saroj, Dharam’s secretary Happy Singh, Happy’s wife Shanti and Jaswant and their son.

Dharam arrives with an agenda. During the visit Dharam asks Kuljeet, Parmeet and Teji if they would agree to marry Kesar to his grandson Rudr. Rudr, a city slicker comes to Ambala with his PA Abhi to meet Kesar and her family. Kesar and Rudr take to each other and Kesar goes to her brother, niece and nephew to meet the Mallyas in Mumbai. Though she is radically different from the sophisticated Mallyas, she does not fit into their lifestyle.

Despite being from a small town, a mentally emancipated Kesar makes the lofty decision to leave her adulterous husband and refuses to adhere to the society norms that expect her to put on a pedestal a husband who does not deserve to be revered.

This is the question Kesar raises and refuses to confine to the predefined rules of existence.

Characters

Kesar

She’s the central figure of the story. She’s a fun loving girl from Jamalpur, Punjab. Her values are deeply rooted and Western values are alien to her. She doesn’t want to leave her village but she falls in love wih Rudr and moves to Mumbai and tries to fit in with the sophisticated Mallya family. She desires nothing more than to be a good wife and daughter-in-law, but when the neccessity arises she proves to be a woman of high principles and stands up for what she believes in.

Kuljeet

Kuljeet is Kesar’s grandfather. He has been a friend of Dharam since childhood. He agrees to Dharam’s proposal to get Rudr and Kesar married. He is a simple man who follows traditional values. But he is ready to adjust to modern life.

Parmeet

He is Kesar’s father and Kuljeet’s son. He has a government job and is a sincere worker. He loves his daughter very much and is devoted to his family. He lost his elder son and takes full responsibility of his daughter-in-law Vidya’s well-being and two children - Nikki and Chintu. His younger son Shammi is a source of worry because he’s irresponsible. But Parmeet doesn’t nag hoping that he will make something of his life soon.

Teji

Teji is Kesar’s mother and Parmeet’s wife. She is very close to Kesar and the two are more like friends than a mother and a daughter. Like all mothers, she worries if Kesar will be able to adjust to married life, especially since Kesar happens to be so playful. But she teaches Kesar the right values and traditions and is proud of her.

Shammi

He is Kesar’s younger brother and her ardent admirer. He follows her around and when he comes to Mumbai he falls in love with the city and with Binita and is anxious to settle there. He also feels he cannot live without Kesar and at first his grandfather refuses to let him stay at the sasural. But he relents later when Dharam insists.

Vidya

Vidya is the elder daughter-in-law of Parmeet and Teji. She was widowed at an early age and lives with her children and in-laws. She’s very fond of Kesar and the two are good friends.

Dharam

He’s the patriach of the Mallya family. He left Punjab and came to Mumbai to do business and is now a successful businessman. But he has not forgotten his roots and still enjoys the simple ways of Jamalpur. During his visits, he is very attched to Kesar and decides that she will be an ideal match for Rudr.

Saroj

She’s Dharam’s wife and the two are a very close couple. She’s a good natured and loving woman whom life has made wise and understanding. She is not very happy with life in Mumbai, but she accepts it. She likes Kesar and takes good care of her.

Manmeet

He’s Dharam’s son and is completely engrossed in family business. He is a large hearted and generous man and treats his cousin Vikram like a trusted and loved younger brother. This makes him blind to Vikram’s sly and conniving ways. He trusts his wife Pam and leaves her to take care of the children.

Pam

She’s Manmeet’s wife and while she’s beautiful and sophisticated, she is also very arrogant, manipulative and domineering. She is happy leaving the running of the household to Saroj while she runs one of the Mallya businesses. She sees through Vikram’s ways and instead of telling her easy-going husband to deal with him, she takes it upon her self. She’s deeply attached to her son Rudr.

Rudr

He’s the only son of Manmeet and Pam and the heir to the Mallya empire. He’s attracted to beautiful and smart women and is not interested in long term relationships. He’s spoilt by his mother making him selfish and self-centered. Dharam decides to change all this by making him marry Kesar. But he finds Kesar’s simplicity and innocence affected and is irritated by her ways. He uses his friend and secretary Abhi to fool Kesar while he continues his old ways.