View source for Astitva...Ek Prem Kahani

{{in-universe|date=December 2015}}
{{Use Indian English|date=May 2015}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2015}}
{{Infobox television
| image                = AEPK Intro.jpg
| caption              = [[Niki Aneja Walia]] in the opening credits
| runtime              = {{approx|22 minutes}}
| director             = Ajai Sinha<ref>{{cite web |title=Society belongs to women as much as it does to men: Ajai Sinha |url=https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/television/society-belongs-to-women-as-much-as-it-does-to-men-ajai-sinha/ |website=[[The Indian Express]] |access-date=16 July 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190905203923/https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/television/society-belongs-to-women-as-much-as-it-does-to-men-ajai-sinha/ |archive-date=5 September 2019 |language=en |date=31 January 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref>
| starring             = [[Astitva...Ek Prem Kahani#Cast|see below]]
| opentheme            = "Astitva" by [[Mahalaxmi Iyer]]
| country              = India
| network              = [[Zee TV]]<br>[[9X (TV channel)|9X]]
| first_aired          = {{start date|2002|11|17|df=y}}
| last_aired           = {{end date|2006|1|13|df=y}}
| num_episodes         = 668
| producer             = Sangita Sinha
| theme_music_composer = [[Pritam]]
}}
 
'''''Astitva{{snd}}Ek Prem Kahani''''' ({{trans|'Existence{{snd}}a love story'}}) was a Hindi-language [[soap opera]] that aired on [[Zee TV]] channel for more than three years. The story focuses on the concept of a woman's identity through the character of Dr. Simran, who embodies [[patience]], [[consistency]], and suppression in a subtle way. She is a [[gynecologist]] who enters a complex situation when she marries a man ten years younger than herself.<ref>{{cite web |title=Astitva Ek Prem Kahani TV Serial - Watch Astitva Ek Prem Kahani Online All Episodes (1-668) on ZEE5 |url=https://www.zee5.com/tv-shows/details/astitva-ek-prem-kahani/0-6-105 |website=[[ZEE5]] |access-date=16 July 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230716130057/https://www.zee5.com/tv-shows/details/astitva-ek-prem-kahani/0-6-105 |archive-date=6 December 2022 |language=en-IN |url-status=live}}</ref> It shows the ensuing struggles in her life.<ref>{{cite web |title=Ajai Sinha wanted to change the outlook towards women in relationships through Hasratein & Astitva |url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/brunch/director-ajai-sinha-on-hasratein-and-astitva-ek-prem-kahaani/story-l6IulzWt2AIoPTOZUipxXI.html |website=[[Hindustan Times]] |access-date=16 July 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210729134209/https://www.hindustantimes.com/brunch/director-ajai-sinha-on-hasratein-and-astitva-ek-prem-kahaani/story-l6IulzWt2AIoPTOZUipxXI.html |archive-date=29 July 2021 |language=en |date=9 January 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref>

== Synopsis ==
Dr. Simran Mathur, a renowned gynecologist, is the eldest daughter of senior government officer Saurabh and homemaker Padma. Simran has two younger sisters, Kavita and Rashmi. Simran’s parents worry that their eldest daughter is unmarried and in her mid-thirties.

Simran operates on a critically ill patient, Anandi, saving her and her baby. Anandi’s brother, Abhimanyu Saxena (Abhi), is smitten by Dr. Simran. Abhi, a photographer, woos Simran, who resists his advances because he is ten years younger than she.

Eventually, Simran falls in love with Abhi, and when Abhi proposes to her, she agrees. Simran's and Abhi’s parents are against this match because of the age difference. Abhi and Simran elope and get married with the help of Simran’s good friend Dr. Manas. Urmila, Dr. Manas’s wife, is jealous of her husband's friendship with Simran.

Saurabh renounces his daughter and resigns from his job. He is depressed and angry because he believes his favorite daughter ruined her life, and he finds solace in the arms of his [[Mistress (lover)|mistress]], Anjali. Kavita, who lives at her parents' home with her husband Rohit, reveals that she has always been jealous of Simran for monopolising their father’s attention. Kavita takes this opportunity to get back at Simran by fueling fights with Saurabh.

Abhi’s parents invite the couple to live with them, but Simran is mistreated at Abhi’s house. Abhi's immaturity causes some friction in their relationship, but the couple is able to work things out. Abhi tastes success at work and employs a new assistant, Kiran. Simran is thrilled to learn that she is pregnant, but Abhi gets nervous about impending parenthood. He starts an extramarital affair with Kiran. Abhi abandons Simran emotionally while she goes through a complicated pregnancy. Simran gives birth to a girl, whom she names Aastha. Abhi wins accolades for his work and rises in his career. He introduces Kiran to his mother, who is impressed. Eventually, Saurabh breaks up with Anjali, and Kavita changes her attitude towards Simran. Soon they learn that Kavita has cancer, and she leaves for [[Switzerland]] for her treatment. Abhi marries Kiran after divorcing Simran. Kiran is pregnant with Abhi's child and aborts it on the advice of rich businessman Anil Shourie. Kiran leaves Abhi and goes to live with Shourie. Abhi marries Neha, and she is soon pregnant. Simran helps Neha give birth to a daughter, but shortly after, Neha dies. Simran takes a trip to [[London]] with Abhi,where someone kidnaps Aastha. Abhi's family want Simran to look after Neha's daughter. Simran agrees to raise her as her own, naming her Aastha, while Abhi disappears.

=== 18 years later ===
Abhi is a famous writer using the pen name Anand and lives as a recluse in [[Goa]]. A girl named Sia meets him, and after some misunderstandings, it is revealed that she is actually Abhi and Simran's daughter Aastha. Sia was raised by the childless and [[mentally disturbed]] woman who had kidnapped her. Sia and Abhi reunite, and he takes her to Simran. Simran and Neha's daughter, Aastha, are living as mother and daughter. Aastha grows increasingly jealous as her best friend, Dr. Siddhant, starts to take an interest in Sia. Aastha herself has feelings for Siddhant, who is Manas and Urmila's son. Kiran tries to influence Aastha, who eventually sees through her intentions and reunites with Simran. Sia and Siddhant get engaged. The bus in which Simran and Astha are traveling becomes the target of a [[bomb blast]]. Aastha is killed, and Simran loses her eyesight. In the end, Simran gets her eyesight back through surgery. She and Abhi reunite.

==Cast==
{{div col|colwidth=25em}}
*[[Niki Aneja Walia]] as Dr. Simran Mathur / Dr. Simran Saxena, Saurabh and Padma's daughter Abhi's first and fourth wife, Sia's original mother, Aastha and Yash's adopted mother
*[[Varun Badola]] as Abhimanyu Saxena a.k.a. Abhi (Dr. Simran's husband) / Writer Anand, Simran's first and third husband, Saurabh and Padma's son-in-law, Kiran's first husband, Sia, Yash and Aastha's father
*Ajit Mehra as Mr. Mehta (Mehta Sab) (Abhimanyu Saxena / Anand and Bhavani's publisher) in [[Goa]]
* Komal Kumari as Baby Aastha
*[[Yuvika Chaudhary]] as Aastha Saxena (Abhi and Neha's daughter - dead, died in bomb blast)
* Upasana Shukla as Sia Saxena / Aastha Saxena / Aastha Siddhant Awasthi (Abhi and Simran's daughter; she changes her name from Sia to Aastha in memory of her late sister Aastha)
* Vineeta Thakur as Neha (Abhi's third wife - dead, died soon after pregnancy and giving birth to Aastha)
*[[Rajendra Chawla]] as Bhavani Shankar; Abhimanyu Saxena (Anand)'s friend 
*[[Alok Nath]] as Saurabh Mathur (Padma's husband, Simran, Kavita and Rashmi's father, Abhi, Rohit and Pranay's father-in-law)
*[[Harshada Khanvilkar]] as Shaguna (Simran's housekeeper)
*[[Harsh Chhaya]] as Dr. Manas Awasthi (Simran's friend, Urmila's husband and Sid's father)
*[[Bhairavi Raichura]] as Urmila (Manas's wife, Sid's mother)
*[[Neeru Bajwa]] / [[Kamya Panjabi]] as Kiran (Abhi's second wife and Yash's mother)
*[[Abbas Khan (actor)|Abbas Khan]] / [[Vishal Singh (actor, born 1974)|Vishal Singh]] as Dr. Siddhant Awasthi a.k.a. Sid (Manas and Urmila's son; Aastha (Siya)'s husband; Abhi and Simran's son-in-law)
* [[Susheel Parashar]] as Mr. Saxena (Abhi's father, Simran's father-in-law)
* Kanika Shivpuri as Mrs. Saxena (Abhi's mother, Simran's mother-in-law)
*[[Parmeet Sethi]] as Dr. Brian
*[[Himani Shivpuri]] as Radha; Neha's mother, Aastha's (Abhi and Neha's daughter)'s grandmother
*[[Mahesh Thakur]] as Dr. Abhimanyu Joshi a.k.a. Manu
*[[Sindhu Tolani]] / [[Aanchal Saxena]] / [[Firdaus Dadi]] as Rashmi; Simran's sister
*[[Nitesh Pandey]] as Dr. Pranay (Rashmi's second husband)
*[[Resham Tipnis]] / [[Payal Nair]] as Kavita (Simran's sister) - dead, died soon after pregnancy
*[[Sanjeev Seth]] as Rohit (Kavita's husband)
*[[Nandita Puri]] as Padma (Saurabh's wife, Simran, Kavita and Rashmi's mother, Abhi, Rohit and Pranay's mother-in-law) - dead, died in sleep
*[[Sunita (TV actress)|Sunita]] as Anandi; Mr. and Mrs. Saxena's daughter; Abhi's sister - dead, died soon after pregnancy
*[[Ninad Kamat]] as Anandi's husband
*[[Iqbal Azad]]/[[Imran Khan (TV actor)|Imran Khan]] as Dr. Ashwin (Urmila's lover) - dead
*[[Sonica Handa]] as Naghma (Manu's wife)
*[[Anjali Mukhi]] as Gauri Joshi (Manu's sister)
*[[Naveen Bawa]] as Dr. Abhimanyu Joshi's elder brother
*[[Shalini Arora]] as Dr. Abhimanyu Joshi's sister-in-law
*[[Manju (actress)|Manju]] as Dr. Meena 
*[[Monaz Mevawala]] as Amisha Dalaal
*[[Abha Dhulia]] as Dr. Sarla Dalaal
*[[Neena Cheema]] as Sulochana
*[[Pallavi Joshi]] as Leela 
*[[Mrinal Kulkarni]] as Dr. Sakshi, Yash's girlfriend - dead, died in car accident
*[[Raja Sevak]] as Dr. Sakshi's husband
*[[Amit Raj]] as Yash Saxena, Abhi and Kiran's son; Dr. Sakshi's boyfriend; Simran's adoptive son
*[[Malvika Shivpuri]] / [[Ananya Banerjee]] as Poonam
*[[Nagesh Bhonsle]] as Shankar, Shaguna's husband
*[[Mushtaq Merchant]] as Nishant
*[[Trishna Vivek]] as Hospital Receptionist
*[[Tisca Chopra]] as Rhea
*[[Kiran Randhawa]] as Kiran's landlady
*[[Kavita Vaid]] as Nurse Leela
*[[Kunal Kumar]] as Rahul
*[[Mukesh Tiwari]] as Rashmi's father-in-law
*[[Seema Shinde]] as Dr. Simran Mathur / Dr. Simran Saxena's assistant 
*[[Naresh Suri]] as Satya, Amla's husband; Saurabh's brother-in-law
*[[Anju Mahendru]] as Amla, Satya's wife; Saurabh's sister; Simran, Kavita and Rashmi's aunt
*[[Vivek Gomber]] as Harsh
*[[Suzanne Bernert]] as Catherine
*[[Shalaka Ranadive]] as Archana Sareen - Sia (Aastha's kidnapper) dead, died in hospital after car accident
*[[Seema Bhargava]] as Archana's mother, Sia's grandmother
*[[Natasha Rana]] as Dr. Brian's wife
*[[Akshay Anand]] as Anil Shourey, Kiran's ex-boyfriend
*[[Daya Shankar Pandey]] as Inspector
*[[Richa Bhattacharya]] as Patient
*[[Romit Raj]] as Yash Kapoor (Saxena)

{{div col end}}

==Production==
The series had a crossover with [[Reth (TV series)|''Reth'']].<ref>{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=|title=Adding to the content|url=http://archive.indianexpress.com/news/adding-to-the-content/148330/0|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200704105227/http://archive.indianexpress.com/news/adding-to-the-content/148330/0|archive-date=4 July 2020|access-date=|website=The Indian Express}}</ref>

==Awards==

'''2003 3rd Indian Television Academy Awards'''

Best Actress (Drama) - [[Niki Aneja Walia]] as Dr. Simran Mathur

Best Director (Drama) - Ajai Sinha

'''2005 2nd Apsara Awards'''

Best Drama Series - Astitva...Ek Prem Kahani

Best Actress - [[Niki Aneja Walia]] as Dr. Simran Mathur / Saxena

Best Actor - [[Varun Badola]] as Abhimanyu Saxena / Anand

'''2005 Indian Television Academy Awards'''

Best Actor (Drama) - [[Varun Badola]] as Abhimanyu Saxena / Anand

Best Teleplay - Astitva...Ek Prem Kahani - Gajra Kottary & Purnendu Shekhar

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*[https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0400977/ Official site on IMDb.com]
*[http://www.rajshri.com/zee/astitva/index.asp/ Full episodes on Rajshri.com]

{{Zee TV Programmes}}

[[Category:Indian television soap operas]]
[[Category:Zee TV original programming]]
[[Category:2002 Indian television series debuts]]
[[Category:2006 Indian television series endings]]