Anupamaa is a middle-aged housewife who toils for her family but is always insulted by her husband, Vanraj, and her mother-in-law, Leela, for being uneducated. Anupamaa's constant emotional supports are her younger son, Samar, and her father-in-law, Hasmukh. However, on her 25th wedding anniversary, upon discovering that Vanraj has cheated on her with his colleague, Kavya, she feels heartbroken and sets out to create her identity. Meanwhile, Anupamaa's elder son, Paritosh, marries Kinjal, while Samar and Nandini, Kavya's niece, fall for each other. Anupamaa and Vanraj divorce, and he marries Kavya soon after her divorce from her husband, Aniruddh.
Anupamaa, along with Samar and Nandini, opens a dance academy due to their shared passion for dance. However, Nandini breaks up with Samar and leaves him forever because of her misunderstandings and insecurities towards him. Anupamaa later reconnects with her college classmate, Anuj Kapadia, who has been in love with her since her college days. Anupamaa eventually falls in love with Anuj, and they marry. Together, they adopt a girl, Chhoti Anu. Anupamaa struggles to balance her responsibilities between her two families. Amidst all this, Kinjal gives birth to a baby girl, Aarya, and learns that Paritosh has cheated on her, but they reconcile for the sake of their child. Anupamaa's daughter, Pakhi, marries Adhik, who is the younger brother and foster son of Anuj's sister-in-law, Barkha. Samar marries a rape victim, Dimple, who herself was divorced by her husband after her rape.
Later on, Chhoti Anu's biological mother, Maya, arrives and takes Chhoti Anu with her. Anuj and Anupamaa feel devastated on Anu's departure, and Anuj leaves Anupamaa to stay with Maya and Chhoti Anu. Maya and Barkha conspire to keep Anuj and Anupamaa apart. Later on, Anupamaa has a chance to be a part of Malti Devi's Academy, Gurukul. Malti Devi is impressed with Anupamaa's hard work and dedication, and offers her a three-year contract to work with her and declares that she would be the heir of Gurukul. Maya realizes her mistake when she tries to separate Anuj and Anupamaa and asks for their forgiveness, but a truck hits her, and Maya dies. Before leaving for America, Anupamaa learns that Anu's health has deteriorated, and she rushes back to her. This angers Malti Devi, so she expels Anupamaa from her Gurukul. Meanwhile, Kavya is pregnant with Aniruddh's child, and Vanraj learns about that and avoids her. Later on, Anupamaa finds Malti Devi roaming in the streets, in a deteriorated condition, and brings her to her house. On Anuj's birthday, the entire family is shocked to know that Malti Devi is Anuj's biological mother, but Anuj refuses to accept her. Later on, Samar is murdered at a party, leaving behind Dimple, who is pregnant with his child. Anupamaa, Vanraj, and Anuj find out Samar's murderer and have him arrested. Paritosh, Kinjal, and Aarya move out of India.
Pakhi, Barkha, and Malti Devi instigate Chhoti Anu against Anupamaa, and she goes against her, whereas Dimple meets a dancer, Tapish, and they become friends. Vanraj tells Dimple to stay away from Tapish, or else he will keep Dimple's child away from her. Kinjal, Paritosh, and Aarya return to India to celebrate Aarya's first birthday. Anupamaa comes to meet Aarya, but Vanraj asks her to leave and tells her to never return to the house. Kavya also leaves the house after Vanraj tells her that her child has no place in this house. Malti Devi and Barkha collaborate to expel Anupamaa from Anuj's life and start instigating Chhoti Anu against Anupama. Anupamaa, Kinjal, Aarya, and Chhoti Anu go out for a picnic, but the car meets with an accident. Although Anupamaa rescues everyone, she is berated by Vanraj and Paritosh. Anupamaa decides to never return to the Shah house and returns to the Kapadia house. Chhoti Anu berates Anupamaa and avoids her. Anuj feels that Anupamaa has never paid attention to Chhoti Anu and the Kapadia family, and has always paid attention to the Shah family, and feels that he has married Anupamaa hastily. Anupamaa then decides to leave Anuj and Chhoti Anu forever and leaves the house. Anuj divorces Anupamaa and renames Chhoti Anu to Aadhya and leaves India.
Cast
Main
Rupali Ganguly as Anupamaa Joshi: Owner of Anu Ki Rasoi; Kanta's daughter (2020–present)
Sudhanshu Pandey as Vanraj Shah: A businessman; Leela and Hasmukh's son (2020–2024)
Madalsa Sharma as Kavya Shah: A model; Annirudh's ex-wife (2020–2024)
Gaurav Khanna as Anuj Kapadia: Former business tycoon and event manager; Malti Devi's son (2021—2024)
Alisha Parveen Khan /Adrija Roy as Rahi "Aadhya / Chhoti Anu" Kapadia Kothari: Former tourist guide; Co-owner of Anu Ki Rasoi; Maya's daughter (2024–present)
Aurra Bhatnagar Badoni as Teenage Aadhya Kapadia (2023—2024)
Asmi Deo as Child Anu "Chhoti" Kapadia (2022—2023)
Shivam Khajuria as Prem "Tinku" Kothari: Chef at Anu Ki Rasoi; Gayatri and Parag's son (2024–present)
Parth as Child Prem (2025)
Recurring
Shahs
Alpana Buch as Leela "Baa" Shah: Jignesh's sister (2020–present)
Arvind Vaidya as Hasmukh "Bapuji" Shah: Leela's husband (2020–present)
Ekta Saraiya as Dolly Shah: Leela and Hasmukh's daughter; (2020–2023; 2024)
Aashish Mehrotra / Gaurav Sharma /Manish Naggdev as Paritosh "Toshu" Shah: Anupamaa and Vanraj's elder son; Samar and Pakhi's brother; Mahi's step-brother; Rahi's adopted brother; Kinjal's husband; Aarya's father (2020–2024) / (2024) / (2024–present)
Nidhi Shah / Milloni Kapadia as Kinjal Dave Shah: Rakhi and Pramod's daughter; Paritosh's wife; Aarya's mother (2020–2024) / (2024–present)
Paras Kalnawat / Sagar Parekh as Samar Shah: A dancer and former teacher at Anupamaa Dance Academy; Anupamaa and Vanraj's younger son; Paritosh and Pakhi's brother; Mahi's step-brother; Rahi's adopted brother; Nandini's ex-fiancé; Dimple's second husband; Ansh's father (2020–2022) / (2022–2023; 2025)
Alma Hussein as Sara Kapadia: Ankush and Barkha's daughter; Adhik's foster sister; Romil's half-sister (2022)
Viraj Kapoor as Romil Kapadia: Ankush and Sneha's son; Barkha's step-son; Sara's half-brother (2023)
Mehtas
Adhik Mehta as Adhik Mehta: Barkha's brother and foster son; Sara's foster brother; Pakhi's ex-husband; Ishani's adoptive father (2022–2024)
Viidushi Tiwari / Akshita Vatsayan as Ishani "Ishu" Mehta: A model; Pakhi and Adhik's adopted daughter (2024–2025) / (2025–present)
Aadhya Barot as Child Ishaani (2024)
Kotharis
Alka Kaushal as Vasundhara "Moti Baa" Kothari: Parag, Anil and Pankhuri's mother; Prem, Prarthana, Aryan, Raja and Badmash's grandmother (2025–present)
Rahil Azam as Parag Kothari: Vasundhara's son; Anil and Pankhuri's brother; Gayatri's widower; Khyati's boss-turned-husband; Prem, Prarthana and Aryan's father (2025–present)
Zalak Desai as Khyati Patel Kothari: Parag's employee-turned-wife; Aryan's mother; Prem and Prarthana's step-mother (2025–present)
Randeep Rai as Aryan "Mohit / Akela" Kothari: Khyati and Parag's son; Prem and Prarthana's half-brother; Mahi's first husband (2025)
Mazher Sayed as Anil Kothari: Vasundhara's son; Parag and Pankhuri's brother; Meeta's husband; Raja and Badshah's father (2025–present)
Shiwani Chakraborty as Meeta Kothari: Anil's wife; Raja and Badshah's mother (2025–present)
Jatin Suri as Raja Kothari: Anil and Meeta's elder son; Badshah's brother; Aarya’s estranged husband (2025–present)
Ishita Modi as Aarya "Pari" Shah Kothari: A fashion designer; Kinjal and Paritosh's daughter; Raja’s estranged wife (2024–present)
Princy Prajapati as Child Aarya (2024)
Noorain Khan as Baby Aarya (2022–2023)
Arisht Jain as Badshah Kothari: Anil and Meeta's younger son; Raja's brother (2025–present)
Saee Barve as Gayatri Kothari: Parag's late wife; Prem and Prarthana's mother (2025) (in flashbacks only)
Gandhis
Satya Tiwari as Gautam Gandhi: Prarthana's ex-husband; Mahi's second husband (2025–present)
Spreha Chatterjee as Mahi Gandhi: Kavya and Aniruddh's daughter; Vanraj's step-daughter; Anupamaa's adopted daughter; Paritosh, Samar and Pakhi's step-sister; Rahi's adopted sister; Aryan's widow; Gautam's second wife (2024–present)
Pahal Chaudhary as Child Mahi (2024)
Singhs
Manish Goel as Raghav Singh: Pankhuri's estranged husband (2025)
Neetu Bhatt as Pankhuri Kothari Singh: Vasundhara's daughter; Parag and Anil's sister; Raghav's estranged wife (2025) (in flashbacks only)
Sharmas
Kanwarjit Paintal as Pandit Manohar Sharma: Raahi, Lily andDance Ranis's dance teacher; Anupamaa's employer; Tarun's estranged father (2025)
Unknown as Tarun Sharma: Manohar's estranged son (2025) (cameo appearance)
Sanghvis
Jay Zaveri as Viren Sanghvi: Rahi's foster father; Megha's husband; Priya's father (2024)
Rushad Rana as Aniruddh Gandhi: Kavya's ex-husband; Mahi's father (2020–2021; 2023)
Shekhar Shukla as Jignesh "Mamaji": Leela's brother (2020–2022; 2025)
Jaswir Kaur as Devika Mehta: Anupamaa's best friend (2020–2024; 2025–present)
Payal Nair as Parul Sharma: Pakhi's principal (2020–2021)
Bhakti Chauhan as Jhilmil: Gudiya's mother; Shah family's former house help (2020)
Anagha Bhosale as Nandini "Nandu" Iyer: A dancer and former teacher of Anupamaa Dance Academy; Kavya's niece; Samar's ex-fiancée (2020–2022)
Tulika Patel as Kaamini (2020)
Vivan Singh Rajput as Siddharth "Sid" Desai: Pakhi's classmate (2020)
Riyaz Panjwani as Mr. Dholakia: Vanraj, Kavya, and Kinjal's former boss (2020; 2021)
Arup Pal as CEO: New CEO of Vanraj's office (2020; 2021)
Parull Chaudhary as Dr. Mona Chopra: Pakhi's psychiatrist (2021)
Apurva Agnihotri as Dr. Advait "Adi" Khanna: Owner of Blissdom's Wellness Resort; Anupamaa's doctor; Vanraj, Anupamaa and Shahs' guide and friend (2021)
Sunita Rai as Manasi Jain: Food critic at Vanraj's café (2021)
Kiara Khantwal as Kiara: Video blogger at Vanraj's café (2021)
Varun Sharma as Rohan: Nandini's former boyfriend and obsessive lover (2021)
Deepak Gheewala as Gopichand "GK" Karodia: Anuj and Malvika's caretaker (2021–2022)
Adhik Mehta as Adhik Mehta: Barkha's brother and foster son; Sara's foster brother; Pakhi's ex-husband; Ishani's adoptive father (2022–2024)
Rishabh Jaiswal as Nirmit: Dimple's ex-husband (2022)
Kunwar Amar as Tapish aka Titu: A dancer and former teacher at Anupamaa Dance Academy; Sushma Devi's son; Dimple's widower; Ansh's step-father (2023–2024)
Nitesh Pandey as Dheeraj Kapoor: Anuj's best friend (2023)
Amit Pachori as Mohit: Kavya's modeling photographer (2023)
Chhavi Pandey as Maya aka Uttara: Priest's daughter; former prostitute; Raahi's mother; Anuj's former obsessive one-sided lover (2023)
Renuka Sharma as Sushma: A former prostitute and Maya's friend (2023)
Mahi Soni / Yashti Pamnani as Bhairavi: Student at Anupamaa Dance Academy (2023) / (2023)
Apara Mehta as Malti “Gurumaa” Devi: Owner of Gurukul; Anuj's mother; Anupamaa's former dance teacher (2023)
Khushali Jariwala as young Malti Devi (2023)
Aman Maheshwari as Nakul: Malti's student and accomplice (2023)
Lovish Saini as Shivansh "Sonu" Rathore: Suresh's son; a goon; Samar's murderer (2023; 2025)
Kumar Hegde as Suresh Rathore: A politician; Shivansh's father (2023)
Kaddy Trawally as Kaddy: Waitress at "Spice and Chutney" restaurant (2023–2024)
Rituraj Singh as Yashpal Dhillon: Owner of "Spice and Chutney" restaurant; Anupamaa's former boss; Manjeet's elder son; Yashdeep's brother (2023–2024)
Sunny Sadhwani as Vikram: Chef in "Spice and Chutney" restaurant; Anupamaa's friend (2023–2024)
Sukirti Kandpal as Shruti "Shru" Ahuja: A photographer; Anuj's ex-fiancée; Raahi's caretaker (2023–2024)
Rahul Ojha as Rahul: Chef in "Kebabs & Curries" restaurant; former chef in "Spice and Chutney" restaurant (2023–2024)
Dishi Duggal as Manjeet Kaur Dhillon: Yashpal and Yashdeep's mother (2024)
Vaquar Shaikh as Yashdeep "Deepu" Dhillon: A retired army officer; Manjeet's younger son; Yashpal's brother; Anupamaa's ex-boss and business partner (2024)
Parakh Madan as Diya: A dancer; Yashdeep's friend; Anupamaa's dance teacher (2024)
Aman Sachdev as Aarush: Pakhi's friend and business partner (2024)
Yajuvendra Singh as Mr. Gulati: Owner of "Kebabs & Curries" restaurant; Rahul's boss; Anupamaa and Yashdeep's rival (2024)
Akshita Tiwari as Nandita: Resident at Asha Bhavan; Asha's mother (2024)
Parveen Kaur Hoogan as Indira: Resident at Asha Bhawan; Dhruv's grandmother (2024)
Raaj Gopal Iyer as Bala: Resident at Asha Bhavan; Hasmukh's friend (2024)
Nitin Babu as Sagar: Resident at Asha Bhavan; an autorickshaw driver and law student; Meenakshi's husband (2024)
Shahab Khan as Mr. Vyas: Owner of "Shishu Chhaya Ashram" (2024)
Nidhi Pandya as Babli aka Bubbles: Raahi's best-friend and helper from "Shishu Chhaya Ashram" (2024)
Sejal Shah as Janki: Anupamaa's well-wisher and head chef in "Anu Ki Rasoi" (2024)
Hera Mishra as Radha: Anupamaa's employee; Srishti's daughter (2024–2025)
Gurpreet Kaur as Jaspreet "Jassi / Jass / Preeto" Kaur: Anupamaa and Bharti's roommate (2025–present)
Arti Birajdar as Bharti: Anupamaa and Jaspreet's roommate; Mangesh's ex-wife; Sumit's ex-fiancée (2025–present)
Reeta Prajapati as Reeta: Anupamaa, Jaspreet, Bharti and Sarita's neighbour (2025)
Unknown as Anita: Anupamaa, Jaspreet, Bharti and Sarita's neighbour (2025)
Nishtha Kesarwani as Deepa: Anupamaa, Jaspreet, Bharti and Sarita's neighbour (2025)
Unknown as Neeta: Anupamaa, Jaspreet, Bharti and Sarita's neighbour (2025)
Unknown as Chintu: Anupamaa, Jaspreet, Bharti and Sarita's neighbour (2025) (cameo appearance)
Unknown as Lily: Manohar's student (2025) (cameo appearance)
Unknown as Neha: Raahi's former student (2025) (cameo appearance)
Unknown as Riya: Raahi's former student (2025) (cameo appearance)
Unknown as Makaanmalik: Jaspreet, Bharti and Anupamaa's landlord (2025) (cameo appearance)
Production
Development
In February 2020, Rajan Shahi, the producer ofAai Kuthe Kay Karte, announced his plan to produce its Hindi remake,Anupamaa, stating, "This interesting concept around a mother's journey has been so inspirational that Star wants to bring it in Hindi too".[10]
To celebrateRaksha Bandhan in 2020, the cast of the series created a special song titledAaj Rakhi Nau Tyohaar Chhe (Today is Raksha Bandhan's festival). This unique song blended Gujarati, Hindi, and English languages.[11]
The story took a five-year leap on 20 December 2023, with Anuj and Anupamaa's divorce and Anupamaa visiting the USA.[12] On 15 July 2024, the show took another leap of six months showcasing Anupamaa and Anuj separately living miserable lives without Aadhya.[13] On 14 October 2024, the show took a ten-year leap showcasing Anupamaa finding Aadhya/Raahi and Raahi's love story with Prem Kothari.
Casting
Casting of the series started in February 2020 withRupali Ganguly being cast as the protagonist Anupamaa Shah, returning to television after seven years.[14] She said, "When I joined Anupamaa, I was a little plump and I told our producer Rajan Shahi that you want a heroine and at this age, let me lose some weight. But the producer told me that he didn't want a heroine but a mother instead. ‘I want a mother and you are perfect for the role because mothers are like this."[15]
Sudhanshu Pandey was cast as Anupamaa's husband Vanraj Shah,[16]Paras Kalnawat, Muskaan Bamne and Aashish Mehrotra as Anupamaa's children Samar Shah, Pakhi Shah and Paritosh Shah respectively, Alpana Buch and Arvind Vaidya being cast as Anupamaa's in-laws Leela Shah and Hasmukh Shah respectively.[17][18][19][20][21][22] Later Madhavi Gogate andMehul Nisar joined as Anupamaa's mother and brother, Kanta Joshi and Bhavesh Joshi, respectively, while Ekta Saraiya, Paresh Bhatt, Stuti Zakarde and Bhakti Chauhan were cast to play Dolly Shah Dhamecha, Sanjay Dhamecha, Meenakshi Dhamecha and Jhilmil respectively.[23][24][25] However, days before the filming resumed after the COVID-19 outbreak in late June,Additi Gupta was confirmed to be infected with the virus.[26][27] She was replaced byMadalsa Sharma and the sequences earlier shot by Gupta as Vanraj's girlfriend Kavya Gandhi, were reshot by Sharma.[28]
Days after premiering in July 2020, Shekhar Shukla was cast to play Leela's brother Jignesh whileNidhi Shah was cast opposite Mehrotra as Kinjal Dave andTassnim Sheikh and Farooq Saeed were signed to play Kinjal's parents Rakhi Dave and Pramod Dave respectively.[29][30][31][32] The next month Anagha Bhosale was cast opposite Kalnawat as Nandini Iyer whileRushad Rana was cast as Kavya's husband Aniruddh Gandhi.[33][34] In April 2021,Apurva Agnihotri[35] joined the cast as Dr. Advait Khanna for a cameo and completed his role in June 2021.[36]
In June 2021, rumours of "conflicts and groupism on sets" arose between cast members, one group led by Ganguly with Buch, Mehrotra and Bamne, and another by Pandey, with Sharma, Kalnawat and Bhosale which cast denied.[37][38]
In late August 2021Gaurav Khanna was cast opposite Ganguly as Anuj Kapadia.[39]
In September 2021, Deepak Gheewala was cast to play Anuj's helper Gopichandra Karodia.[40] Also that month,Varun Sharma was cast to play a cameo as Nandini's ex-boyfriend and obsessive lover Rohan and he finished off his role in October 2021. Next,Savita Prabhune replaced Madhavi Gogate (due to the latter's death) as Kanta Joshi in late October 2021.[41] In December 2021, actressAneri Vajani joined the cast to play Anuj's sister, Malvika Kapadia.[42]
In January 2022, there were rumours of "ego clashes" between Pandey and Khanna, which they both publicly denied.[43]
In March 2022, Anagha Bhosale playing Nandini announced her decision to take a break from acting,[44] and later quit acting forever, ending Nandini's character and shot her last scene in February 2022.[45][46] Later that month,Aneri Vajani playing Malvika also announced that her role was just a cameo and right now its shown on a long break due to viewers' disconnect with her role's negative development.[47]
Later that month,Rohit Bakshi[51] andAshlesha Sawant[52] were cast to play Anuj's brother and sister-in-law, Ankush Kapadia and Barkha Mehta Kapadia respectively while Alma Hussein[53] and Adhik Mehta[54][55] were cast to play Barkha's daughter and brother, Sara Kapadia and Adhik Mehta opposite Kalnawat and Bamne respectively. In an interview after being cast as Adhik Mehta, Mehta revealed that "he earlier auditioned for the role of Samar (which eventually locked to Kalnawat) in the casting phase of the series but it didn't happened at that time".[56] Child artist Asmi Deo was also cast as an orphan Anu but her track was put on hold and resumed in July 2022 as Anuj and Anupamaa's adopted daughter.[57]
In July 2022,Paras Kalnawat signed on to appear on the dance-based reality showJhalak Dikhhla Jaa 10 on rival networkColors TV.Anupamaa makers objected and terminated his contract overnight on 26 July 2022.[58] Kalnawat revealed that "after Bhosale's exit his character never evolved, and that he was unhappy with his role being reduced to a mere family member standing in background with nothing to do anything."[58][59][60][61] Later after facing several controversies related to the series, makers replaced Kalnawat overnight by Sagar Parekh in the same month.[62]
In September 2022, Alma Hussein who was cast opposite Kalnawat also quit the series, saying she was unhappy with the lack of character development and shot her last scene in early August 2022.[63][64]
In January 2023, actressChhavi Pandey was cast to do an extended cameo of Anu's biological mother, Maya, who wrapped up in July 2023 following her character's death.[65] In May 2023,Apara Mehta was cast as Anuj's mother Malti Devi, while her daughter Khushali Jariwala played her younger version on screen and she quit the series prior to the first leap in December 2023.[66][67]
In August 2023, Ekta Saraiya, who portrayed Vanraj's sister Dolly, quit the series for her showKyunki... Saas Maa Bahu Beti Hoti Hai onZee TV. In same month, Viraj Kapoor entered the show as Ankush's illegitimate son Romil Kapadia.[68]
In October 2023, Sagar Parekh, who replacedParas Kalnawat in the role of Samar in July 2022, was confirmed exiting the show with storyline showcasing Samar's death due to decreasing TRP ratings of the show.[69][70][71] In the following month actor and dancerKunwar Amar joined the cast as Tapish opposite Nishi Saxena.[72]
In December 2023, the show took its first leap of five years. Post-leap, child actress Asmi Deo was replaced byAurra Bhatnagar Badoni to play the adolescent version of Aadhya Kapadia[73] whileSavita Prabhune's character Kanta was shown dead thus marking an end to her character. Child actor Trishaan Shah was cast to play Samar and Dimple's son Ansh Shah.[73] The same month Muskan Bamne portraying Pakhi quit the series after three years as "she doesn't wish to play mother at such a young age and wants to move ahead in her career"[74] and was later replaced byChandni Bhagwanani[75] while child actor Aadhya Barot was cast as her daughter Ishani Mehta the same month.[76]Sukirti Kandpal too entered the show as Anuj's fiancée Shruti Ahuja the same month.[77] Following thisRituraj Singh and Dishi Duggal too entered the show as Yashpal and his mother.[78][79]
In April 2024, Aashish Mehrotra, who portrayed Paritosh, quit the series the following month after playing it for four years[80] to participate inFear Factor: Khatron Ke Khiladi 14[81] and was replaced by Gaurav Sharma the same month.[82][83] In July 2024,Sukirti Kandpal aka Shruti's track ended marking her exit.[84] In same month show took its second leap, a small leap of six months and Nitin Babu and Akshita Tiwari entered the show as Sagar and Nandita respectively[13] while Sonal Khilwani entered the show as the adult Meenakshi Dhamecha thus replacing Stuti Zakarde.[85]
On 28 August 2024,Sudhanshu Pandey announced his decision to quit the series after playing it for four years via his Instagram handle and said "his last appearance was in Raksha Bandhan special episodes and he will continue entertaining his audience through new roles."[86][87]
In 2024 after Sudhanshu Pandey quit the show, Ekta Saraiya Mehta, who played Dolly Shah Dhamecha from 2020 to 2023, rejoined and reprised her role the following month whileMadalsa Sharma playing Kavya also quit the series as she felt she was "sidelined after removal of grey element from her character".[88] Later she said thatRupali Ganguly was "two-faced" thus confirming the earlier reported split amongst cast members in 2021.[89]
The show took its first generation leap on 14 October 2024 with Aurra Bhatnagar Badoni being replaced by Alisha Parveen[90][8] as grown-up Aadhya playing the new female lead whilst Shivam Khajuria was cast opposite her as Prem Kothari, the new male lead.[91][92] Prior to leap Nishi Saxena portraying Dimple too exited the series as the storyline showcased her character's death[93] whileKunwar Amar playing Tapish too announced his exit.[94] Gaurav Sharma was also replaced byManish Naggdev as older Paritosh due to Sharma's refusal to play and be typecast "as a father of 21-year-old Aarya".[95][96] Additionally,Nidhi Shah, who has portrayed Kinjal since the show's inception, announced her exit before the leap as she "wants to focus more on other platforms and lead roles" and was replaced by Milloni Kapadia as older Kinjal.[92][97][98]Chandni Bhagwanani too announced her exit from the show prior to the leap as she too "didn't wanted to play mother to a 22-years-old Ishani" and was replaced by Krutika Desai as older Pakhi.[99][100][98] Child actors Trishaan Shah, Princy Prajapati, Aadhya Barot and Pahal Chaudhary were replaced byVarun Kasturia, Ishita Modi, Viidushi Tiwari and Spreha Chatterjee as grown-up Ansh, Aarya, Ishani and Mahi, respectively.[101][98]
In December 2024,Gaurav Khanna portraying Anuj Kapadia confirmed his exit quoting"He felt it was best time for him to move on and expose himself to new opportunities" while the storyline had already showcased Anuj dead.[102] On 20 December 2024, leading actress Alisha Parveen Khan was terminated overnight without any prior warning. Regarding her termination Khan said,"It is shocking and disappointing. I am not sure what exactly happened and why I am being replaced! Today was my last day on the set of Anupamaa."[103] Within few hours she was replaced byAdrija Roy.[104][105][9]
In early January 2025,Zalak Desai andRahil Azam stepped in to play Prem's parents Khyati Kothari and Parag Kothari whileAlka Kaushal stepped in as his grandmother thus bringing the track of a new Kothari family to the series while Sheersha Tiwari already started portraying his sister Prarthana Kothari in December 2024.[106][107][108] whileMazher Sayed who earlier worked with the production house in 2015 in another showYeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai and Shiwani Chakraborty joined in as Prem's uncle and aunt.[109]
In March 2025, actorsRandeep Rai andManish Goel joined as Prem's half-brother, Aryan Kothari and Raghav Singh respectively.[110][111] However, Rai quit in June 2025, following the death of his character while Manish Goel playing Raghav also quit.[112][113] In the same month, the show took a leap of eight months, and Aarti Birajdar and Gurpreet Kaur entered as Bharti and Jaspreet respectively.[114] while veteran actorKanwarjit Paintal entered as Pandit Manohar.[115]
In October 2025, Sagar Parekh, who quit in 2023 owing the death of his character Samar, returned for a special segment as Samar's spirit.[116] In the same month, Vidushi Tiwari playing Ishani, quit owning health issues and she is replaced by Akshita Vatsayan.[117]
Filming
Set in Gujarat, the series is mainly shot at Film City in Mumbai.[118][119] Some initial sequences were shot inAhmedabad during early March 2020.[120]
On 13 February 2021, the filming was halted for a day for sanitisation whenParas Kalnawat playing Samar, tested positive forCOVID-19 virus.[121] The sequences of Kalnawat with Anagha Bhosale playing Nandini were cancelled including proposal sequence of their characters and were replanned until his recovery and return in late February 2021. However he shot some sequences from his home under his and his mother's quarantine period.[122][123]
On 2 April 2021, Rupali Ganguly, Sudhanshu Pandey and Aashish Mehrotra who portray Anupamaa, Vanraj and Paritosh respectively and producer Rajan Shahi tested positive for COVID-19. Certain sequences were postponed and the story focused more on the characters Rakhi, Kavya and Leela while Ganguly, Pandey and Mehrotra shot for few sequences from their homes.[124][125] A few days later,Tassnim Sheikh, Alpana Buch andNidhi Shah also tested positive for COVID-19 and the story focussed more on Samar, Nandini and Pakhi's characters.[126]
On 13 April 2021, the Chief Minister of Maharashtra,Uddhav Thackeray announced a sudden curfew due to increased Covid cases in Maharashtra, while the production halted from 14 April 2021.[127] Hence, the production location was soon shifted temporarily toSilvassa alongside other shows of the production house.[128] In June 2021, the Maharashtra government permitted shooting within the state with certain restrictions, following which the whole cast and crew returned to Mumbai on 8 June 2021 and resumed shooting the following day.[129]
Controversy
On 14 November 2024, a 32-year-old, Vineet Kumar Mandal, who worked as a camera attendant was fatally electrocuted whilst filming. Following whichAICWA lodged a case against the production house for negligence in safety measures of crew members on sets and trying to suppress the matter by being backed by the channel.[130]
Release
Initially scheduled to premiere on 16 March 2020, it was postponed due to thecoronavirus scare.Anupamaa finally premiered on 13 July 2020 onStar Plus, replacingYeh Rishtey Hain Pyaar Ke.[131] Since 2 October 2022, it is broadcast daily along with other Star Plus's shows.[132]
The cast ofAnupamaa participated as a team in the musical game showRavivaar With Star Parivaar.[136] It competed with the teams of other Star Plus's shows.[137][138]Anupamaa emerged as the 2nd runner-up of the show.[139]
Crossovers
Anupamaa had three crossover withYeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai. The first was from 26 March 2022 to 28 March 2022,[140][141] the second from 21 December 2023 to 22 December 2023 and the third was on 19 August 2024.[142][143]
India Today stated, "Rupali Ganguly fits the character perfectly and aces the role of aGujarati homemaker. The show strikes a chord with the homemakers as they can identify with the protagonist. Anupamaa has the right amount of emotions, drama, and spice. The show has the right mix of family values and a modern outlook. The show is a heartwarming tale".[145]
ThePrint appreciated the series, along with few other Hindi GECs based on the story of a mother, mentioning that it delivered moral lessons and calling the character Anupamaa a paragon of virtue and farcical.[146]
On its popularity, Yashika Singla ofThe Print noted, "It has become a feminist movement in itself. From young women commuting in the Metro to mothers and grandmothers at home, everyone is watching it."[147]
Shephali Bhatt ofThe Mint stated, "At a time when the plot points of Indian TV shows get more outlandish every day — Anupama seems to be rewriting the Indian television playbook".[148]
In popular culture
Anupamaa's (Rupali Ganguly) "aapko kya" dialogue went viral on social media and was the subject of various memes and recreations.[149][150][151]
In October 2024, after the fifteen-year generation leap in the story, netizens spotted similarities between the Aadhya-Anupamaa reunion track and reunion track of "Akshara-Naira"(2016) fromYeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai, another popular soap of the same production house.The Times of India stated, "Now, fans have taken to theirInstagram handles to find the exact same scene from the showYeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai when "Akshara" (Hina Khan) reunited with "Naira" (Shivangi Joshi) after a leap. As the fanpage posted both promos, many of them have commented, a user wrote,"Kitna vi kar le Akshara or naira jaisa nhi ho sakta" (They can never match Akshara and Naira)."[152]
