Posted:
Synopsis:
Ladies Special (Mon-Thurs, 9.30 pm) - it is a drama series that takes a peek into Mumbai's lifeline - the trains. It is about the popular Ladies Special train that runs during the peak working hours from one end of the metropolis to the other. This Special Train transports thousands of women to their place of work & back, thus making the train their 'second home'. This show salutes these 'unsung heroes' of our society who manage playing so many complex roles, day after day with dexterity & determination.
Characters:
| POOJA SINGH (23) |
| Born and brought up in a small town, Pooja is an innocent and vulnerable girl, who has been told by her mother that without a husband, there is nothing in this world for a woman. She is the kind of girl, for whom all dreams can be fulfilled only with marriage. Pooja is married to Karan Singh, a 26 year old boy who is making life very difficult for her. Pooja is still in a dreamy honeymoon state-of-mind when Karan pressurizes her to go out and work. That's how Pooja gets into the Ladies Special. It's Mrs. Joshi who helps Pooja to get a job and becomes her guiding light in story further. Karan's double standards and male chauvinist behavior forces Pooja to walk out on her husband. The women in the Ladies Special train compartment have become a family. They are all worried about Pooja and try and do as much as they can to help her overcome her difficulties. In her new family Pooja finds the strength in the simple girl she is to begin a new independent life. |
| SHUBHA JOSHI (55) |
| Shubha has been working for the last 25 years, not because she had to, but because she wanted to. Now, after so many years of service she has decided to spend more time at home with her family - which means, she will not be a part of the Ladies Special anymore. One Saturday morning Vipul is rushing off to Pune as usual, and for some reason he doesn't take her along. She gets a phone call informing her that Mrs. Joshi is dead. She dismisses the thought from her head thinking it's probably a prank call and decides to casually bring it up with Vipul when he is back. Vipul is devastated and decides to tell his wife the truth. Shubha shares his feeling of being broken but of a different kind. She is deeply hurt when she learns that she is not the only woman her husband is married to for 25 years. Shubha decides to leave her husband. Her daughter tries to persuade her not to take such a drastic step as it would cause her a lot of embarrassment in front of her in-laws. But after all these years of living a social life, Shubha really wants to break away from the social norms and do what she thinks is right for her. She decides to move to a flat that Sunny has bought in Mumbai as an investment. Mrs. Joshi needs to go back to work. She needs to come back to the Ladies Special, and this time she needs a new job. Shubha Joshi must have been very beautiful in her days, but youth is no longer on her side now and she finds it tough to get a job. Shubha finally finds a job at 'Sadhna School' where she looks after mentally challenged kids. Vipul on the other hand is very unhappy with the separation. Shubha finally agrees to meet him. As time passes, they become friends and Shubha discovers a side of her that she didn't know existed. Shubha is now an independent woman who enjoys Vipul's company strictly as a friend. |
| BUBBLY CHADDHA (33) |
| Bubbly lives up to her name. She is a chubby, charming, sweet Punjabi lady working as a receptionist in a mid-sized company. Her life revolves around EMIs. Everything she owns is bought on installments - the fridge, the TV, her couch, everything. She believes that if you pay somebody in full, you lose out on the possibility of getting to know them. And it's because of this belief, everyone in the Ladies Special knows her. Bubbly always talks big - she will refer to the Plasma TV in her house that doesn't exist, will never call a sandwich as a sandwich. It will always be a SUBWAY sandwich. Her uncle's car that picks her up (in her stories only) is never referred to as a car. It's a Mercedes Benz. She is a great movie buff and watches all the hit and flop films. It's a common incident in Bubbly's life that some object like a TV may be picked up because the installment has not been paid. Bubbly's husband Mintoo Chaddha keeps taking her jewelry to get it polished. It does come back shining but Bubbly does not realize that what comes back to her is fake. Mintoo Chaddha is trying to establish his business and has invested a huge amount into it by now. This investment is a bottomless pit and there are never any returns on it. One day, Bubbly is wearing beautiful bangles. They audience is likely to believe that they are fake, but these bangles are real solid gold. The show off that she is ' she wears the Bangles to impress all her Ladies Special friends. One of the women on the train loves them and requests her to make a replica. Bubbly takes the money home and gives it to her husband asking him to make a similar pair. Mintoo takes the money to the jeweler as payment for the earlier bangle which he had defaulted. Bubbly is now in a fix, since Mintoo cannot give her the bangle that the "Jhagdaloo" woman for the train has paid for. One day Mintoo comes home with some cash for an office payment that he needs to make. Bubbly assumes he has brought the money in lieu of the bangles as he had earlier made an excuse that the jeweler was not traceable. Mintoo panics when he discovers what has happened fearing that the office authorities will put him into trouble when they discover the truth. He writes a note to Bubbly telling her the truth. Bubbly discovers the note in his pocket and reads it. Ashamed to face her, he leaves the house... |
| NANDA SHINDE (35-38) |
| Nanda works at a government office and unlike other govt. employees, always wears a smile on her face. She is totally in love with her husband, who amongst other things has a very good sense of humor. She gifts DEO bottles to other passengers in the train and has two kids ' Gitika 15 yrs who is still in school. Her husband Shivam Shinde works in the Railway Office. Shivam is also a happy, cheerful person. As a matter of routine he drops her to the train and then catches his train. Nanda always reaches before him and waits for him at Churchgate. Shivam takes the next train and then they move out together. Nanda refers to this as peecha karte rehte hain ". This wonderful husband- wife relationship is the envy of many of the others. Both husband and wife work to give their kids a good life. Good education, ownership of a nice house, daughter's wedding - its things like these they work hard for and Pani Puri at the Borivali market is what they enjoy. Nanda's daughter Gitika left college early one day and was sitting with her friend Manu at Marine Drive. A policeman on duty took objection to them sitting together and brought them to the booth. He then asked for a big bribe to let them go. When Manu went to get the bribe he raped Gitika several times. This one incident changes Nanda and Shivam Shinde's life forever. Everything that they worked and aspired for loses its meaning. Their lives are completely shattered. Nanda now drops everything and vows to get justice for her daughter. A long dirty court case ensues and at some point Nanda realizes that she is not going to get justice from the system. The ever smiling Nanda now has a grim expression of determination ' her only goal is justice. When she can't get it from the system, he decides to avenge her daughter on her own. She purchases a weapon and kills the cop who raped her daughter in cold blood. |
