Iss Pyaar Ko Kya Naam Doon - Ek Baar Phir is a story of Shlok Agnihotri and Astha Kirlosker. Shlok is a business man, belonging to the richest family in Poona - Agnihotris, whereas Astha belongs to a middle class family.
Agnihotri Family
Niranjan Agnihotri, Shlok's father, runs many educational institutes and also owns a multinational company. His wife Anjali appears from the beginning to be a stern woman who is rigid in her traditions and rituals. Besides Shlok, the youngest son of the family, they have three other children - Varad (the oldest son), Jyoti and Puja.
Varad is a journalist and is constantly demeaned by Niranjan who does not approve of Varad or his accomplishments. He is married to Sojal, a girl from a middle class family, and has a greedy mother Jaya who has moved in as a guest, but continues to stay with Agnihotris because of all the comforts and luxuries she receives there. Varad and Sojal have a cute five year old daughter Kavya, who is not allowed to play with anythingconsidered masculine. Sojal loves her daughter and does try to give her gifts (cars and balls) considered unfit for Agnihotri girls. Varad and Sojal have an unhappy marriage as both have different expectations from their marriage, and Varad has not been able to marry the girl he had loved in the past.
Jyoti is in an abusive relationship as she is married to an abusive guy Abhay. Abhay and his aunt Sulbha tortures Jyoti constantly and have made her abort several times, when she is found to be carrying a female child. Abhay forces Jyoti to stay with him as he wants to take advantage of Agnihotri wealth and wants a share of it. Niranjan and Anjali are aware of the abuse, but Anjali refuses to help her daughter as Niranjan does not want to keep a married daughter at home. Puja, is another daughter of the family, who has been missing. Shlok is estranged from his mother, as he holds Anjali responsible for something that relates to his relationship with his ex-girlfriend Swati. After his fight with Anjali, he moved out of Agnihotri mansion and lived alone in Mumbai for three years. However, he adores his father Niranjan whom he considers his idol. He of course does not know that Niranjan, who has a perfect image in the society and the rest of the family, is a sadistic person who abuses his wife Anjali constantly in the privacy of his room. Niranjan also is an extremely manipulative person who uses Anjali to do all his evil work.
Other members of the family include Niranjan's younger brother Vinayak who does not get along with his brother, but is sympathetic to Anjali and is close to Varad. He was a youngkid when Anjali got married to Niranjan and considers Anjali to be his mother figure. Vinayak is the only one who knows Niranjan's true colors. Niranjan also has an older sister, a child widow, who lives in some ashram. Agnihotri household has a robotic maid servant Rani who does everything very slowly and is seen scared and quiet all the time. Sojal sarcastically refers to her as "slow motion".
Kirloskar Family
Astha is an only daughter of Avdhoot and Kalindi, and she has a paternal grandmother whom she calls Ajju. She has been brought up in a pampered manner by her parents and grandmother. In contrast to Agnihotri family, Kirloskers believe in equality of men and women. In fact, Avdhoot is Kalindi's second husband. Kalindi was in an abusive relationship in her first marriage. After she escaped her first marriage, Ajju and Avdhoot provided her with a safe haven and both Avdhoot and Kalindi love each other a lot. Kalindi always wanted a career, but circumstances did not allow her to pursue it. Avdhoot, though a high official in the Department of Education, has limited means because he is very honest. Niranjan, on the other hand is a corrupt person, who unethically buys government property at subsidized prices for his educational institutes. For that purpose, he keeps a fake friendly relationship with Avdhoot so that Avdhoot can help him get the properties. Kalindi and Avdhoot had high dreams for their daughter and she also wants to make her parents happy . So Astha finished her MBA and is looking for a job. Her passion is social work, and she works in an old home in her spare time, where the old ladies of the home are her friends.
The Beginning - Meeting of Astha and Shlok and the Start of their Enmity
While returning home after 3 years to participate in a puja, Shlok and Astha run into one another. Shlok has gone to one of his schools to attend the function where he had invited some foreign dignitaries for some business deal. Astha took her old friends to watch the function as a granddaughter of one of the old lady was performing in that. Astha however did not have tickets and ended up using tickets meant for Shlok's guests that spoilt his business deal. Shlok is angry with Astha and they have war of words where Astha calls him "demon", thus provoking Shlok as that reminded him of words that Swati had thrown at him in the past. Astha and Shlok part only to meet in a train that Shlok is forced to take because his car breaks down. Shlok is in a hurry to reach home as Niranjan's rule is to break his fast only after taking the first sip from Shlok's hand. Shlok loses his wallet and is thrown off the train due to a lack of ticket. Shlok mistakenly thinks that Astha deliberately hid his wallet so that he can be publicly humiliated. He vows revenge against her.
Meanwhile, Niranjan sees Astha in his home when she comes there to give some papers to her father who was at Niranjan's place to get them signed. Niranjan likes Astha and asks Avdhoot for Astha's hand in marriage to his son. But Astha refuses the proposal and Kalindi/Avdhoot declines it to Niranjan. In the meantime, another misunderstanding happens between Astha and Shlok. Shlok rusticates a girl and her three male friends for cheating, but punishes the girl more because she is named Anjali. Astha fights with himpublicly in a function organized to award Shlok for promoting female education. This causes Shlok to lose his reputation as he is branded a hypocrite who has no respect for women. Shlok also is sent to jail briefly because he has an altercation with a reporter. After this incident, an angry mob ransacks his office and Shlok also comes to know that Astha had declined his proposal. Shlok decides to teach a lesson to Astha while also taking his revenge.
Revenge - Fake Love and Marriage
Shlok tricks Astha into working for him where she is hired as an event manager to organize a party to celebrate Niranjan's wedding anniversary and anniversary of the start of Agnihotri Business. While working for Shlok, Astha meets other family members. Her opinion about Shlok starts changing when he returns an old home that Niranjan has bought to start an educational institute which Abhay is supposed to handle. Astha sees a vicious side of Abhay when he tries to kick out old ladies from the old home. Astha also meets Jyoti when Shlok and Astha go to another city for some work. Astha befriends Jyoti and finds out that Jyoti is forced to abort her unborn child by her inlaws, though she remains unaware that Jyoti is Shlok's sister. She also finds out that Shlok had an ex-girlfriend Swati. She starts falling for Shlok when he rescues her couple of times. Slowly her opinion about Shlok changes and she decides that she misunderstood him and that he was a nice guy. Shlok too starts showering her with gifts and proclaims his love for her.
Shlok then announces his engagement to her in a party. Astha's parents who by this time have been insulted by Anjali few times, no longer want her to marry into Agnihotri household because they do not like Anjali's contemptuous attitude and archaic views about the superiority of men. Also, Niranjan starts putting subtle pressure on Avdhoot to sign the land deal for his new educational institute which Avdhoot refuses to sign as it is illegal. However, Astha is adamant about marrying Shlok. Also Shlok marries Astha in a temple wedding where he puts a makeshift mangalsutra on her - a locket containing their picture on a black thread. Also Shlok tears up land deal papers to assure Avdhoot that his love for Astha is unconditional. Finally, Avdhoot and Kalindi give in and agree for the formal wedding. Meanwhile, Astha finds out about Jyoti being Shlok's sister and tells Agnihotris about Jyoti's torture. She refuses to marry Shlok until Jyoti is rescued from her inlaws. Astha falls for Shlok even more when he supports her and brings back Jyoti to live with them. He and Varad also refuse to let Sulbha take Jyoti away though she apologizes and pretends to repent.
Astha invites all her friends from the old home. After the wedding, she finds out that one old couple are parents of Anjali whom she has disowned, because they sent Niranjan to jail. She also finds out that Shlok hates his grandparents because he does not like anybody who hurts Niranjan. Eventually, Anjali asks her parents to leave the venue. Later on, Anjali is shown to be beaten by Niranjan who is angry at Anjali's parents for reminding him of his humiliation. Here it is revealed that Niranjan is an extremely abusive person who controls Anjali. So it is Niranjan's rules that are being followed in his house, while he presents a lily white image to the outside world of a benevolent patriarch.
Astha - Broken Dreams
Astha meanwhile is ecstatic to be married to Shlok who continues to be attentive and romantic towards her. She does not like many of Agnihotri traditions, but tolerates them because of Shlok. For some traditions, she protests and gets away with her rebelliousness because either Shlok or Niranjan supports her. Astha is impressed with Niranjan whom she thinks of as a kind man. Shlok finally also receives the award he was supposed to get earlier regarding his work for women education. Astha declares to the media that she was wrong about Shlok and Agnihotris and that they were the best family, and Shlok is the kindest person who holds liberal views about women.
However, her illusions about Shlok are shattered on the wedding night, when Shlok breaks the mangalsutra he had tied on Astha in the temple wedding He also reveals to Astha that he had faked the love to marry her so that he can torment her for the rest of their lives. He tells that their marriage is only in name and that she would never get his love because he hates her for humiliating his father. He then ruthlessly breaks her family photo and tears up the wedding night room. Astha is left crying helplessly where she regrets not heeding Kalindi's warning about Shlok, while Shlok is shown drinking in enjoyment at the completion of his revenge.
Astha decides to leave Shlok the next morning, but is stopped by Shlok, who blackmails her into staying back with him. He had used his influence to prepare a false case against Avdhoot on corruption charges. He tells Astha that he would release the file to police and would send Avdhoot to jail if she leaves him. Astha has no choice, but to stay with him unwillingly. Both Astha and Shlok continue to pretend to both his and her family that things are fine between them.
Meanwhile, Kavya's fifth birthday comes and she is sad because she is not allowed to have birthday parties as girls are not allowed to celebrate their birthdays in Agnihotri household. Astha decides to break the tradition and makes plans with Varad to celebrate the birthday. When Anjali objects, Niranjan sides with her to maintain his image in front of Astha. Shlok too takes part in the preparation as he also loves Kavya a lot.
The Honeymoon - Mangal in jungle (or Merriment in Jungle)
Meanwhile, Varad gifts Astha a honeymoon package for organizing Kavya's birthday. However, Astha refuses to go on a honeymoon with Shlok and hurts her feet deliberately to avoid going. But Shlok uses the threat of sending Avdhoot to jail to blackmail Astha into going with him on a trip. Abhay steals Astha's passport, and thus Shlok is forced to cancel the trip to Singapore and instead decides to go to Goa. Their car breaks down in the middle of a road and the clumsy Astha escapes into the nearby jungle . Shlok eventually finds her in a pit, where she had fallen while being chased by a wild dog. He rescues her from the pit and they find shelter in a run-down house in the wilderness of jungle. They share a intense romantic moment here. Eventually, they find a nearby villagers who promise to show them the path out of jungle if Shlok does a patni-puja (wife worshipping) ritual in exchange. A chauvinistic Shlok is forced to do the puja - a perfect payback for his earlier action of forcing Astha to do pati-puja, a repulsive Agnihotri tradition followed religiously by Niranjan.
While leaving the jungle, Astha gets pricked by a poisonous spine, loses consciousness and is on the verge of death. Shlok get very concerned and worried; and saves her life by carrying her to a temple after climbing hundreds of stairs, so that the temple priest can use herbs to cure her. This softens Astha's feelings towards Shlok, and again sparks a ray of hope and love in Astha.
The glass Castle of Hope Breaks
Meanwhile, Abhay overhears Suresh, Shlok's PA talking to a minister about a file on Avdhoot that can send him to jail. As Shlok had no intention of sending Avdhoot to jail, Suresh tells the minister to hold the file. Abhay uses Shlok's office and phone to call minister by pretending to be Suresh. He then gets Avdhoot arrested by asking the minister to forward the file to anti-corruption bureau.
On reaching the town, Astha and Shlok are shocked to find the news of Avdoot arrest in newspaper. Astha gets furious and broken that Shlok betrayed her trust once again. She breaks off the relation with Shlok and declares to him that she also now hates him with passion. Meanwhile, Niranjan bails out Avdhoot and gets in good book of Kirlosker. He also emotionally manipulate Avdhoot to sign the land deal to him, the deal Avdhoot had once adamantly refused to approve.
Shlok and Astha argue further after reaching the hometown. They walks away from each other and reach their respective homes alone. Astha ends up missing Niranjan's birthday and it displeases Niranjan greatly. He sends Anjali to bring her back and also to kick out her parents from the old home, as now the lease of that old home is in Anjali's name. Anjali forces her parents to leave the old home. Then after reaching Astha's home, she asks Astha to choose between her maayka and saasural.
Astha returns with Anjali to attend the party and asks Niranjan's permission to leave the Agnihotri house much to everyone's surprise. Astha reveals the truth about their marriage to the family, leaving everyone shocked as they had imagined Shlok to be wildly in love with Astha. Astha also declares that she chooses her mayka over sasural as her relationship with Agnihotri house is now meaningless. An enraged Shlok considers it another of Astha's attempts to humiliate his father and tells her that he hates her even more.
The Un-named Emotions...
Shlok forcefully takes Astha back to the Agnihotri house, after which Kalindi files a case of "Domestic violence" against him. Shlok is arrested by the police, but he tricks Astha by handcuffing herself with him and throwing away the key. The police is forced to take both Astha and Shlok to jail. While in the police station, Astha takes back the complaint against Shlok as she does not believe in meaningless revenge and because she respects his father immensely. Shlok is depressed for losing Astha, and starts drinking again because of his failure to get back Astha, as it is his father's wish to keep Astha as an Agnihotri daughter-in-law.
Kalindi forces Astha to file for divorce to end this sham of relationship to which Astha very reluctantly agrees. But fate has other plans for them. Astha finds herself in Shlok's power once again as Shlok is the boss of the company in which she gets a job. She is also unable to leave the job as she had unknowingly signed a one-year to hold the job. .Shlok continues to torment and irritate her, but Astha's feelings for Shlok's remain unchanged.
Kalindi fails in her attempts to get the divorce papers signed by Shlok, but to her surprise Astha herself get in signed by Shlok, after asking Niranjan a favor to make Shlok sign the papers. Niranjan has to accede to her wishes as he wants to maintain his image of a nice father for Astha. But a manipulative Niranjan advices Shlok to sign the paper, but use underhanded methods to bind Astha to him . Shlok decides to follow his father's advice. . Meanwhile, Shlok's office catches fire, and Shlok and Astha finds themselves in a cliff hanger moment between life and death as they get trapped in the office filled with the smoke. Shlok once again saves Astha by using the office shower to cool themselves until the fire fighters arrive to save them. This act of Shlok once again melts Astha. She further asks him if the revenge was the only motive to marry her and why did he saved her if she has no feelings for her.
A Chance to Heal...
The next day, the court decides in favor of Shlok because of a combination of a favorable article in the newspaper about Shlok saving Astha in an office fire, Shlok's efforts where he paints Astha as an immature girl, and because the judge is bought by Niranjan. As a result, the court orders them to stay together for six months and give another chance to this relationship. Astha comes back to Agnihotri mansion but decides to stay in a separate room from Shlok, which irks Niranjan. He orders Anjali to make an effort to get them closer by making Astha move back to Shlok's room. . Later Niranjan arranges a party to spread the word in the community that Astha and Shlok are together and have no differences. Healso asks Anjali to mold Astha into her (Anjali's) image so that he can forward his traditions through Shlok and his future kids. Sojal tricks Astha into coming to the party in a modern gown, so that Astha falls in the eyes of Niranjan. Shlok is furious to see Astha in an off-shoulder gown as he takes it yet another attempt of Astha to humiliate his father. But one of his college friend persuades him to dance with Astha instead. Shlok does so and is lost once again in Astha, thereby forgetting his baba and his traditions. This time, Anjali rescues Astha from Niranjan's wrath by whisking her away from the party and bringing her back in a traditional saree worn in the same style as Anjali does.. Niranjan and his Guru Joshiji are extremely pleased to see Astha in a traditional "mini Anjali avatar". Niranjan gifts her a 50 percent share in Shlok's new company; the papers are presented to Astha by Mr. Joshi - a huge honor in Nirnajan's eyes. This shocks everyone and makes both Sojal and Shlok extremely furious.
Later Astha overhears Shlok's and his PA's conversation and finds that it was not Shlok who framed her father but someone else. Astha feels guilty for misunderstanding Shlok. She tells Kalindi that Shlok did not frame Avdoot. However, Kalindi advises Astha to be careful and reminds her she is in Agnihotri mansion for six months only. A bunch of red roses in his cabin along with the words of his friend makes Shlok remember his past and makes him furious. Varad plans a secret Valentine's Day party for Astha and Shlok.
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