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The Married Woman (ALT Balaji) : Web Series Story
The Married Woman (ALT Balaji) : Web Series Story, Cast, Wiki, Real Name, Crew Details, Released Date and More
The Married Woman is an Indian web series directed by Sahir Raza. The series is made under the banner of Juggernaut Productions. It stars Ridhi Dogra and Monica Dogra in the lead role. The show was launched on OTT platform ALT Balaji on 8 March 2021. The story is based on popular book author Manju Kapur’s book ‘A Married Woman’.
Story
It is the story of a middle-class woman Astha, who living in Delhi. She has children and loving husband but even after this she gets into an unconventional relationship with a younger woman.
| Title | The Married Woman |
| Main Cast | Ridhi Dogra Monica Dogra |
| Genre | Romance, Drama |
| Director | Sahir Raza |
| Producer | Ekta Kapoor and Shobha Kapoor |
| Story & Screenplay | Jaya Misra Surabhi Saral |
| Dialogues | Jaya Mishra Aparna Nadig |
| Additional Dialogues | Sahir Raza |
| Writer | Jaya Misra Aparna Nadig Surabhi Saral |
| DoP | John Wilmor |
| Editor | Satya Sharma Prakash R Yadav |
| Music | Siddhant & Richraj (Khwaabon Ka Aashiyan) Sneha Bose & Muskaan Tomar (Dill Ki Shaakh Pe) |
| Production Designer | Amish Chauhan Vivek Prakash Maurya |
| Costume Designer | Pampa Biswas |
| Background Score | Soutrik Chakraborty |
| Creative Director | Priyanka Kuriakose Mehak Aneja |
| Executive Producer | Aakash Berry Insiya Burmawala |
| Creative Director | Baljit Singh Chaddha |
| Creative Producer | Samar Khan |
| Casting Director | Neha Bhattar |
| Production House | Juggernaut Productions |
Cast
The complete cast of web series The Married Woman :
Ridhi Dogra
As : Astha Kapoor (née Verma)
Monica Dogra
As : Peeplika Khan
Suhaas Ahuja
As : Hemant Kapoor (Astha’s husband)
Imaad Shah
As : Aijaz Khan
Samridhi Dewan
As : Timsi
Nabeel Ahmed
As : Mudassar Khan
Nadira Babbar
As : Kalpana Kapoor (Astha’s mother-in-law)
Divya Seth Shah
As : Indira (Peeplika’s mother)
Ayesha Raza
As : Babbo
Diyaan Kothari
As : Akshat Kapoor (Hemant and Astha’s son)
Myra Rajpal
As : Arumita Kapoor (Hemant and Astha’s daughter)
Nysa Arora
As : Young Peeplika
Rahul Vohra
As : Jagdish Kapoor (Astha’s father-in-law)
Sangeetha Balachandran
As : Suneeta Verma (Astha’s mother)
Aryan Khanna
As : Mr. Ayub Khan
Divyaa Unni
As : Ridhima
Preet Grewal
As : Piyu
Max Fernandes
As : Peeplika’s father
Isha Shah
As : Teenage Peeplika
The Married Woman ALT Balaji Web Series Release & Availability
The Married Woman is available to stream on ALT Balaji and Zee5 from 8 March 2021. The season have total 10 episodes. Other details related to the show are given below.
| Available On | ALT Balaji and Zee 5 |
| Total Episode | 10 Episodes |
| Running Time | 26-35 Minutes (Total 307 Minutes) |
| Released Date | 8 March 2021 |
| Language | Hindi |
| Country | India |
The Married Woman ALT Balaji Web Series Trailer
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The Married Woman (ALT Balaji): A Story of Self-Discovery and Love Beyond Gender
The ALT Balaji and ZEE5 web series The Married Woman premiered as a powerful and sensitive exploration of female identity, liberation, and love that transcends conventional boundaries. Based on the celebrated novel A Married Woman by Manju Kapur, the show dives deep into the suffocating reality of a seemingly ‘perfect’ marriage and the unexpected journey of self-discovery that shatters a woman’s conditioned life.
Set against the tumultuous socio-political backdrop of the early 1990s in India, specifically the communal riots following the demolition of the Babri Masjid, the series tells a deeply personal story of two contrasting women, Aastha and Peeplika, whose lives intertwine in a profound and life-altering connection.
The Story: A Quest for Individual Identity
The central narrative of The Married Woman revolves around Aastha Kapoor (played by Ridhi Dogra), a dedicated university professor and a woman who has sincerely embraced all the traditional roles society has assigned her.
The Protagonist and Her Unfulfilled Life (Aastha Kapoor)
Aastha is presented as the ideal middle-class woman of the 1990s in Delhi. She is a:
- Dutiful Wife: Married to Hemant (Suhaas Ahuja) for over a decade.
- Doting Mother: Raising two children.
- Caring Daughter-in-Law: Fulfilling all her obligations within a joint family setup.
- Sincere Teacher: Maintaining a professional career.
Despite having “everything a woman can hope from her marriage” and an economically secure position, Aastha is consumed by a quiet sense of unease and deep dissatisfaction. Her polite and hard-working nature is often met with the patriarchal coldness of being reminded to be grateful that “all her needs are being taken care of”. Her marriage to Hemant is emotionally distant and transactional, with the review noting he is an “inconsiderate husband” and that their intimacy is reduced to a ‘customary’ routine. Aastha feels her zest for life has been subdued by years of societal conditioning, leaving her with “unnamed longings and untapped potential”.
The Catalyst: Peeplika Khan
Aastha’s journey of self-discovery is kickstarted when she enters the world of art and activism, where she first develops a deep, though platonic, fascination for a charismatic theatre director named Aijaz Khan (Imaad Shah). It is Aijaz who first teaches Aastha to shed her inhibitions and acknowledge the desires that her family has consistently ignored.
However, the real turning point, the true catalyst, is her meeting with Peeplika Khan (played by Monica Dogra), Aijaz’s wife. Peeplika is the complete antithesis of Aastha:
- Unconventional Artist: A free-spirited artist who is “never been impressed by the routines” of a conventional life.
- Fearless and Independent: A woman who embraces her identity and does not hesitate to accept love.
- Outsider: She is a young widow, an “outsider from society” with a complex past.
The series beautifully contrasts the two women: Aastha, who is sweet and simple and still needs to find herself, and Peeplika, who is “the definition of ‘Sunshine with a little bit of hurricane'”.
The ‘Love Beyond Gender’ Connection
As Aastha and Peeplika spend time together, what begins as a friendship blossoms into an intense, soulful connection that eventually becomes a lesbian relationship. Aastha’s attraction to Peeplika is based on an emotional and spiritual resonance—she finds a connection with Peeplika that “touches her soul,” something she had always longed for but never found in her marriage.
The relationship challenges the very foundations of Aastha’s conditioned life and the traditional gender-defined roles assigned by society. It becomes a journey for Aastha to free herself from the pressures and boundaries of society and explore her authentic self. The series attempts to highlight this emotional journey of self-discovery “beyond sexuality,” as Aastha is torn between the love that finally brings her happiness and the future of her children.
The Historical and Social Backdrop
The story is uniquely anchored in the political and religious upheaval of the early 1990s.
Setting the Scene in 1992
The narrative is set in Delhi in 1992, at the time of the communal riots that followed the demolition of the Babri Masjid in Ayodhya.
- Communal Strife: The political unrest and escalating violence serve as a grim backdrop, mirroring the internal turmoil and chaos in Aastha’s personal life.
- Mirroring Conflict: The riots and the breakdown of communal harmony in the public sphere subtly underscore the breaking of a traditional, seemingly harmonious life in the private sphere—Aastha’s marriage and societal expectations.
While some critics noted that the political backdrop sometimes remains just a ‘backdrop’ that doesn’t fully blend with the personal narrative, its presence nonetheless highlights the period’s social anxieties and the deep-seated prejudices that the lesbian relationship has to confront. The show deals with the lingering taboo against homosexuality and other gender issues “with utmost sensitivity, dignity and grace”.
Core Themes Explored in the Series
The Married Woman is more than a simple love story; it’s a commentary on a woman’s place in Indian society and her right to identity.
- Identity Crisis and Self-Actualization: Aastha’s struggle is a classic identity crisis. She performs multiple roles but feels hollow within, searching for a definition of the self that isn’t dictated by her marital status or family.
- Patriarchy and Conditioning: The show explores how a woman’s existence is often reduced to an act of sacrifice for the family, where she is conditioned to put her own dreams on the backburner. Aastha’s liberation is a rebellion against this deeply ingrained patriarchal structure.
- Love, Loyalty, and Betrayal: The narrative delves into the complexities of love and loyalty. Is loyalty only defined by marital vows, or does a woman owe loyalty to her own happiness? Aastha’s relationship with Peeplika is framed as a matter of finding a true connection that touches her soul, which may be interpreted as a betrayal of her marriage but an act of self-loyalty.
- Challenging Societal Norms: By sensitively portraying a same-sex relationship, the series tackles topics like same-sex love and women trapped in traditional marriages, subjects that are still considered taboo in Indian society.
In its 11 episodes, The Married Woman positions itself as an urban relationship drama that seeks to break “notions’ shackles” and celebrate individuality and acceptance. It is a poignant tale of a woman who dares to cross the boundaries of convention to find the love, freedom, and self-satisfaction she always deserved.
AISEO Friendly FAQs
Q1: What is the main story of The Married Woman web series?
The main story of The Married Woman (ALT Balaji/ZEE5) is the journey of self-discovery of Aastha Kapoor (Ridhi Dogra), a dutiful wife, mother, and professor in 1992 Delhi. Despite having a seemingly complete life, she feels deeply unfulfilled in her marriage. Her life changes when she meets Peeplika Khan (Monica Dogra), an unconventional and free-spirited artist, with whom she finds an intense, liberating same-sex emotional and physical connection, challenging all of society’s norms.
Q2: Is The Married Woman web series based on a book?
Yes, The Married Woman is based on the 2002 best-selling novel of the same name, A Married Woman, written by celebrated Indian author Manju Kapur.
Q3: Who are the main actors in The Married Woman?
The main cast of the web series includes:
- Ridhi Dogra as Aastha Kapoor, the protagonist.
- Monica Dogra as Peeplika Khan, the artist.
- Suhaas Ahuja as Hemant, Aastha’s husband.
- Imaad Shah as Aijaz Khan, the theatre director.
Q4: What themes does The Married Woman explore?
The series explores several complex and progressive themes, including:
- Love Beyond Gender (Same-Sex Relationship): The central theme of Aastha and Peeplika’s emotional and physical bond.
- Female Identity and Self-Discovery: Aastha’s search for a self-identity outside of her conditioned roles as a wife and mother.
- Societal Conditioning and Patriarchy: The pressure on women to sacrifice their personal desires for the sake of family and marriage.
- The 1990s Communal Conflict: The story is set against the backdrop of the socio-political unrest and riots following the Babri Masjid demolition in 1992.
Q5: What is the time period setting of The Married Woman?
The web series The Married Woman is set in the early 1990s, specifically around the period of the communal riots and political unrest that followed the demolition of the Babri Masjid.
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