Show's name is Anupamaa

Indian TV makers are insanely obsessed with female leads. I've seen makers being obsessed with their female leads even when the show's name is not after her. But this show is the top contender for this position.

I recently watched Korean drama Extra ordinary Attorney Woo (thanks to Soul❤️) in which the female lead is an autistic person and an attorney which makes her unique.

The show's name is on her name. But I assure you, they are not obsessed with her.

• She was a genius but forgot a simple fact such as the client had herself surrendered which makes the law go easy on her.
• She made a mistake, sided with the wrong, knowing that she was doing wrong, because she didn't want to lose to her colleague, won the case, realised her mistakes, cried and decided to do better from then on.
• She never gave unnecessary bhashans, silently observed how the world around her reacted to her and made decisions accordingly.
• She never patched up or tried to reconcile with her mother who had abandoned her and her father and kept the truth of her birth hidden from the world.
• She had dilemmas, had to be on the side of her client against those who fought for justice and truth.
• She lost cases, didn't always win.
• They didn't butcher a single character to make her look better.
• There were people who were against her but one could sympathise even with them. They were humanised.
• She was brilliant as far as law was concerned but she was not a great cook, a sacrificing queen (even though she did, once, make a conscious choice of giving up on her boyfriend for his own sake, she had evidence to believe she did right), didn't indulge in self pity.

And here's Anupa, who thinks she's sooraj and the world revolves around her. Actually this is how the makers' mindset regarding her is. Just because the show is named after her, she doesn't have to be the best, for God's sake

I am rigorously watching the show Dr. Cha on Netflix made on same lines as Anupamaa and it's so awesome.

Jeong-suk, or known by her family name Dr. Cha is also a self-sacrificing multi-tasker but unlike Anupamaa she is not the besht doctor ever.

She decides to resume residency which she had given up after her son was born, despite objections from her doctor husband who is egoistic and also doesn't want his affair revealed. She is also coping from her liver transplant recovery.

She was a topper when she discontinued studies but she doesn't resume with perfection like 20 years had never passed. She makes mistakes like falling asleep at work, forgetting specifics while making prescriptions, struggling with her job as well as her daughter's studies who is still in 12th grade, makes emotional puppy faces to her son to get his help on her hospital job, falls sick when she forgets her immunity and surgery recovery medicines, electrocutes herself by mistake (and not to sacrifice), shows anger, hurls abuses when too angry, shows insecurity, and knows when to say no.

She has a son who is smart like Toshu but loves his mother like Samar and a daughter who is snobbish like Pakhi but wants to study arts instead of medicine like Samar. Both maintain impeccable character consistency and are not flippity flops.

Even the other characters are human and neither too mahaan nor downright evil, except the mother-in-law.

In short the show is Dr. Cha and about Dr. Cha but without making her caricaturish, even by Korean drama standards, and keeping things real and relatable. Her motivation is not a God complex but the fact that she was happy her life was saved by a doctor from the verge of death and also that she regretted that she once couldn't save a lung collapse patient in a bus inspite of being a doctor because she was out of practice and had to wait for a real doctor to save him.

It will not be unnecessarily stretched so I recommend you try it for some relief. New episodes are uploaded on Saturday and Sunday.

Sounds interesting. I hope it ends on a good note. ❤️

Ooh you watched it, you watched it! I had a strong feeling it'd be your cup of tea.

I feel this deep connection with the way you make observations...it feels like you have a way of grasping the things that matter quickly...which I think is a reflection of how you live - and the way you kept contrasting it with Anupama...made for such a good read!

This show handles the nuances so well - bringing in a autistic character as the lead and doing justice to it just can't be easy - but what I love the most is not only have they handled it with sensitivity, they also handle it with a refreshing honesty and don't shy away from humour too. Her autism is a significant part of the narrative, but the story is told in such a way that you see her as a complicated human being with all her intricacies and quirks.

And the point you're making - there is absolutely no forced glorification here, so the times when she gets a win feels so well-deserved!

Very well-written characters!

Only one point I wish to add is, which is of course something you already know - bringing coherence and retaining the essence of characters will be much easier in a finite series compared to a long-running show. But even considering that metric, Anupamaa, the way it is now, seems to lack every kind of soul and moral compass - which shows a lot about the decision-makers of it...like you've pointed out!

It was. It was my cup of tea.

Thank you Generous Soul❤️

The points you have made are what makes it for an interesting watch, unlike our beloved show Anupama😆

There's so much more I would've said but due to time constraint and this being Anupamaa forum, refrained from doing so😆

If I get some time in my hands, I'll tell you in our place😉

The mantra of Television shows:

1. The titular character is usually a female.

2. The titular character endures a world of torture.

3. The titular character usually marries more than once only to realise love for the previous spouse after re-marriage.

4. ALL other characters are either props, cheerleaders or Vamps. The female population rrumps here roo.

5. The titular character always gets caught trying to spy or do something on a sly, a feature that the vamps ace. The vamps always scheme and land at the place at the right time.

6. The titular character cries buckets.

7. The titular character is usually clad in tattered/worn out Indian attire while the vamps are clad in either western or contemporary or fusion attire.

8. The titular character is a know-it-ALL.

9. The titular character miraculously gains super powers when encountered with dangerous situations.

10. The titular character can do no wrong.

Originally posted by: Bodhianveshika

The mantra of Television shows:

1. The titular character is usually a female.

2. The titular character endures a world of torture.

3. The titular character usually marries more than once only to realise love for the previous spouse after re-marriage.

4. ALL other characters are either props, cheerleaders or Vamps. The female population rrumps here roo.

5. The titular character always gets caught trying to spy or do something on a sly, a feature that the vamps ace. The vamps always scheme and land at the place at the right time.

6. The titular character cries buckets.

7. The titular character is usually clad in tattered/worn out Indian attire while the vamps are clad in either western or contemporary or fusion attire.

8. The titular character is a know-it-ALL.

9. The titular character miraculously gains super powers when encountered with dangerous situations.

10. The titular character can do no wrong.

But I would like to add something to point no. 3. It was a truth in the past. But now, the female lead gets to be married to the next person and the male lead is often turned into a villain from a white or grey character to make the second pairing look better.

I don’t get it the show should run around one character because it’s the “titular character” thought process.

It’s a television show, not a one-person act. The titular character has a story to tell because of the 10s of people and characters around the “titular character” which shows the “titular character’s” trials and triumphs. You don’t show the daily activities of the character but how people and situations around affect them. For this to happen, the characters surrounding the “titular character” need to have an arc or story to tell and not just be a wooden block to just praise the “titular character” for say correctly drinking water. If the surrounding characters have their own arc and side story, it would enhance the show and not hamper. You don’t need to be rotating and revolving around the “titular character” to make a good show.

Originally posted by: TheSunShine

I don’t get it the show should run around one character because it’s the “titular character” thought process.

It’s a television show, not a one-person act. The titular character has a story to tell because of the 10s of people and characters around the “titular character” which shows the “titular character’s” trials and triumphs. You don’t show the daily activities of the character but how people and situations around affect them. For this to happen, the characters surrounding the “titular character” need to have an arc or story to tell and not just be a wooden block to just praise the “titular character” for say correctly drinking water. If the surrounding characters have their own arc and side story, it would enhance the show and not hamper. You don’t need to be rotating and revolving around the “titular character” to make a good show.