Karthika Deepam (Telugu TV series)

Karthika Deepamis an IndianTelugu-languagetelevision series that airs onStar Maa. The show has two seasons. The first season is a remake of theMalayalamtelevision seriesKaruthamuthu, which aired onAsianet.Karthika Deepampremiered on 16 October 2017 and ended on 23 January 2023.The second season of the show titledKarthika Deepam –- Idi Nava Vasanthampremiered on 25 March 2024 which is a remake of Tamil TV seriesChellammaairing onStar Vijay.
Karthik, a doctor, begins to fall in love with his friend Deepa, admiring her kindness and generosity. Karthik's brother, Aditya, falls in love with Deepa's half-sister, Shravya. Aditya and Karthik's mother, Soundarya, arranges with Shravya's parents for Aditya and Shravya's wedding. Shravya is initially happy, believing that her marriage is arranged with Karthik. However, when she discovers she is to marry Aditya, she threatens to commit suicide.
Meanwhile, Karthik arranges to marry Deepa, but Deepa's parents are unsure. The couple marry in secret and announce their marriage at a party, angering Soundarya and Shravya. Aditya and Shravya marry but she is unhappy.
Some time later, Karthik's childhood friend Mounitha returns, and she tries to steal him from Deepa. Mounitha causes Shravya to miscarry, and falsely convinces Karthik that Deepa is having an affair with her friend, the novelist Vihari. Deepa becomes pregnant and is finally accepted by Soundarya. It is also revealed that Mounitha was responsible for the death of Hima, Karthik's college girlfriend.
Karthik takes a fertility test, but Mounitha alters the test to make Karthik think that he is infertile. She botches several attempts to have Deepa killed, and hires Durga to kill Deepa. After seeing Deepa's kindness, however, Durga protects her. Mounitha then unsuccessfully tries to have them killed in a car accident. Durga reveals his truth to Deepa, but because he is in love with Monitha, he blames Karthik for the attempted murders. Karthik, believing he is infertile, tells Deepa that he is not the father of her child, and thinks that Vihari is the father. Deepa leaves, Karthik's father and brother ask him to be retested, but Mounitha convinces him not to do so.
Deepa gets a job at apetrol station. Vihari explains to Soundarya about his brother-sister relationship with Deepa and proves that he did not have an affair with her. Soundarya feels guilty for misunderstanding Deepa and asks her to return, but she refuses. Later, Deepa gives birth to twins while under anaesthetic, and Soundarya takes one home without Deepa knowing there was a second child. Karthik begins to love the child, and names her Hima after his late girlfriend. Deepa leaves the city with her other child, Souurya.
Deepa runs a tailor shop in a small village with Souurya. The two travel to the city for medical treatment, where Deepa encounters Karthik and his family. A misunderstanding occurs where Deepa thinks that Karthik has married Mounitha.
Deepa begins working as a cook, and gets a job cooking in Hima's school. The two become friends, not knowing that they are mother and daughter. When Karthik finds out about their friendship, he is furious, and decides to take Hima away to America. However, Hima becomes sick and is unable to travel. Karthik and Deepa talk; Deepa finds out that Hima is her other unknown child, and Karthik finds out that Souurya is Deepa's daughter. For the sake of the children, Karthik and Deepa move back in together. Souurya learns that Karthik is her father.
Despite Karthik and Deepa moving in together, Karthik is reluctant to tell Hima that Deepa is her mother. Thinking that Souurya will tell Hima the truth, he tries to move Hima to a new school away from Souurya, but stops when she gets upset at the idea. Hima discovers who the original Hima was when helping a woman who fainted in the street, and Souurya helps her deduce that Deepa is her mother. She feels betrayed by Karthik, and refuses to speak to him. Karthik, however, still believes he is not Souurya's and Hima's father, and is shocked when he finds out from Deepa that he is the father.
Deepa learns that Mounitha switched the fertility tests, and that Vihari is in fact the infertile one, not Karthik. She unsuccessfully tries to prove her innocence to Karthik. She leaves again, and goes to run a successfultiffincentre, but again becomes ill; Karthik decides to retake the fertility test. Realising that the initial test was wrong, Karthik finds Deepa and the children and they reconcile. Karthik learns that Deepa is seriously ill, and he organises her medical treatment. He invites Mounitha to a family gathering, and shepoisonsDeepa's medicines. Karthik tells Deepa about her illness, and she fears for her children's future if she dies; Soundarya comforts her.
Karthik learns about Vihari's infertility and that Deepa never had an affair with Vihari. Guilty about accusing Deepa, he decides to apologize at apujaheld for her. Mounitha accuses Karthik of impregnating her, and Deepa moves into a rented house. Karthik and the girls join Deepa, and he tries to reconcile with her. Deepa begins to suspect that Mounitha is lying, and Karthik tries to find out if he is the father of Mounitha's child. Mounitha approaches ACP Roshini, and accuses Karthik of impregnating and deceiving her. Roshini investigates, and Deepa finds Anji, a former hitman who killed Karthik's girlfriend. Mounitha kidnaps Anji after gloatingly confessing her crimes to Deepa, but Deepa secretly records her confession, and plays it for Karthik.
Karthik confronts Mounitha, who says that she impregnated herself with his sperm sample. Deepa's stepmother, Bhagyam, is held captive by Mounitha and she hears a gunshot from the hall, and thinks that Mounitha is dead. The police arrive, and Roshini arrests Karthik for killing Mounitha and hiding her body, as they cannot find the body. Mounitha is in fact not dead, and a disguised Mounitha tries to kill Deepa, who recognizes her. She escapes to her house, but Deepa's family does not believe her.
Mounitha disguises herself as a police officer, and approaches Karthik. She gives him pills which makes him ill and he is hospitalized. Mounitha then infiltrates the hospital disguised as a doctor, and threatens to kill Karthik's family unless he marries her. Deepa takes Mounitha to court, and she is sentenced to 18 months of imprisonment. Karthik is acquitted. Mounitha fakes aheart attackin prison to be sent to Karthik's hospital.
Mounitha'smaid, Priyamani, gets a job at Karthik's house to pass information to her, but Deepa soon catches her and expels her from the house. Mounitha is freed from prison under excuses of maternity problems and starts to torment Karthik's family once again. Hima and Souurya reconcile with Karthik, but Mounitha tries to manipulate Deepa into believing that her newborn child is Karthik's son through natural means. Deepa does not believe Mounitha, and supports Karthik after finding out that Mounitha's child is named after Karthik's father, Ananda Rao. Mounitha is exposed as a liar during the naming ceremony.
Later, Karthik goes to work at the hospital, where Mounitha disrupts him during surgery, resulting in the patient's death. Horrified, Karthik donates all of his properties to the victim's wife and daughters, and decides to leave to a village with his family.
Without informing their extended family, Deepa and Karthik leave the city with their children to the remote village of Thatikonda. The village is ruled by mercilessmoney lenderRudrani, who torments the family of Kotesh and Srivalli. Deepa and Karthik shelter Kotesh and Srivalli when Srivalli suffers from a miscarriage. Kotesh abducts Mounitha's son Anand and adopts him. After Rudrani has Kotesh and Srivalli killed, Deepa and Karthik adopt Anand, unaware that he is Mounitha's son.
Souurya suffers from a heart attack, but Karthik saves her by operating on her without a licence. The hospital lets him operate due to his reputation as a cardiologist. Hima is kidnapped by Rudrani, but Soundarya comes to her rescue, and the family reunites. Mounitha arrives in the village too, and states that she can restore Karthik's medical license if he operates on her sick uncle and Karthik accepts.
Mounitha learns that Anand is being raised by Karthik and Deepa. She keeps this a secret, and challenges Karthik that she will leave him alone if he finds her missing son. Karthik accepts, unaware of her conspiracy, while Soundarya and Deepa learn that Kotesh and Srivalli had adopted Mounitha's son. Soundarya makes Mounitha reveal Anand as her son by performing anadoptionceremony, and returns Anand to Mounitha, warning her to stay away from her family. Hima initially hates their idea, as she had grown close to Anand, but comes to terms with it.
Karthik, Deepa, Hima and Souurya go on a trip toChikmagalur, and Hima becomes keen about learning to drive. Hima starts to drive on a hill, but she panics when the car starts to move uncontrollably. The car hits a rock and falls off a cliff. Karthik, Deepa and Hima are presumed dead, while Souurya falls unconscious.
Karthik and Deepa's families mourn their demise, while Mounitha considers herself widowed and starts distributing Karthik's property to her family. While Souurya remains unconscious, Karthik's estranged elder sister Swapna reconciles with her family except for Soundarya after mourning his and Deepa's deaths. Meanwhile, Hima recovers in the hospital, and returns to see her family but upon hearing Souurya blaming her for Karthik and Deepa's deaths and expressing her hatred towards her, she leaves home without telling anyone of her existence.
At Swapna's house, Soundarya tries to settle the dispute between Swapna and her ex-husband Satyam, who are separated and their two sons live with each of them. However, Soundarya's attempts are foiled due to Swapna's unwillingness and insecurities about reuniting with her husband. While Soundarya is travelling with Prem and Nirupam (Swapna and Satyam's twins), the former spots Hima and she is brought home. Souurya refuses to come home and forgive Hima, but instead insults her. Next morning, Soundarya finds Souurya to be missing, as she has left the home out of disgust towards Hima, who is heartbroken.
Hima is now a generous, soft-hearted and innocent doctor, while Souurya is a benevolent, daring and outspoken auto-rickshaw driver going by the name of "Jwala", who has been raised by former small-time thieves Indrudu and Chandramma. Souurya and her foster parents arrive at Hyderabad where Indrudu and Chandramma work as cooks for Prem, a professional photographer who lives with Satyam but Swapna wants him to live with her and Nirupam, a doctor. Aditya and Shravya have not returned from America since Karthik and Deepa's deaths. Souurya befriends Nirupam, Prem and Hima, but is unaware that Hima is her sister. Souurya clashes with Swapna but does not know that she is her aunt, as she had not seen her as she was initially estranged to the family. Hima learns the truth about Jwala being Souurya, and tries to make sure that she does not learn that she is Hima. She thwarts Souurya's attempts in learning about her grown-up sister Hima. Meanwhile, Hima and Souurya simultaneously but separately discover that Anand is their half-brother. Anand lives in poverty with Aruna's elder sister who treats him badly. Anand is Souurya's friend and as he is unaware of his actual name, he goes by Rava Idli while running a tiffin centre that finances his medical studies. Hima and Souurya learn that Rava Idli is Anand, but hide it from him.
Swapna criticizes Hima and Soundarya and insults the latter's secret desire in getting Hima and Nirupam married, but does not know that both Nirupam and Prem love Hima. Swapna hates Souurya (Jwala) for being close to Nirupam and Prem, and burns her autorickshaw for bringing Satyam to Prem's photography exhibition. Nirupam and Hima buy a new rickshaw for Souurya.
Nirupam, Souurya, Hima and Prem plot and compel Swapna into having a twenty-fifth anniversary party arranged for her and Satyam. At the party, Soundarya unexpectedly announces that Nirupam and Hima will marry. This upsets Prem, while Swapna vows to break the marriage up. Souurya loves Nirupam and is unaware of the engagement as she could not attend the party. On the engagement day, Swapna steals the engagement rings, but Soundarya manages to get them back. Hima refuses to be engaged as she knows that Souurya loves Nirupam.
Swapna invites another doctor, Shoba, to marry Nirupam. Shoba conspires to marry Nirupam so that she could pay back the loan she took for building her hospital. While Nirupam is desperate to know why Hima rejected him, he starts flirting with Shoba to make Hima jealous, but she is happy, thinking that Nirupam has found someone else. Soundarya asks Souurya to search for grown-up Souurya, believing her to be Jwala.
Shoba employs her maid to befriend Indrudu and Chandramma to learn gossip about Souurya to humiliate her as revenge because Souurya had slapped her. Shoba learns that Indrudu and Chandramma were once thieves. In the party, Shoba and Swapna accuse Indrudu and Chandramma of theft but Hima proves their innocence. To have Nirupam married to Souurya, Hima lies to everyone that she hascancerand wishes to see Nirupam married. She plans to place a condition to Nirupam that he should marry Jwala (Souurya). Shoba learns that Jwala is Souurya, Hima's sister, and phones Souurya pretending to be Hima, antagonizing the latter in Souurya's mind. Hima asks Souurya to propose to Nirupam but it fails due to Shoba. Soundarya learns that Hima never had cancer.
Hima divulges to Soundarya and Ananda Rao that Jwala is Souurya, and Souurya learns that her friend is Hima. Souurya believes that Hima is taking Nirupam away from her and marrying him by gaining sympathy from claiming that she has cancer.
Meanwhile, Shoba gains Swapna's trust and affection. Soundarya and Anand Rao plead with Souurya to return home, and she does. Hima and Souurya begin rebuilding their relationship. Hima and Nirupam are forced to marry, despite Hima's wishes. Soundarya slaps Hima, telling her to stop trying to get out of the marriage. On the day of the engagement ceremony, the family travels to the temple. At the temple, Varanasi reveals to the family that Karthik and Deepa are still alive.
Having survived the car crash, Deepa regains consciousness. Dr. Hemachandra, the one who saved her life, accommodates her in his house. She also learns that Soundarya, Anand Rao, Hima and Souurya had sold the house in Hyderabad and left for America. She continues her search for Karthik.
Souurya, who leaves the house because of Hima, is adopted by a couple and adopts the new name of Jwala. She still believes that Karthik and Deepa are alive, and searches for them with help of Varanasi.
Deepa gets information that Karthik is admitted in hospital nearby and enquires about him in that hospital. To her surprise, someone had already taken Karthik with them, stating she is his wife. Deepa suspects that this is Mounitha's doing. Later Deepa spots Karthik in a market, but Karthik does not recognise her, and she faints in distress. She continues her search for Karthik in a park where she spots Mounitha. Mounitha tricks Deepa into believing that she knows nothing about Karthik and is searching for him too. In fact, Mounitha is living with Karthik who does not remember his past because of the accident, and believes that Mounitha is his wife. Mounitha gives Karthik pills to erase his past completely from his mind.
Deepa discovers Mounitha's plan when she sees Karthik for a second time. She tells Mounitha that she will win Karthik back, just as she did before. Deepa rents a house opposite to Mounitha's boutique, and once again becomes Vantalakka, and cooks for Karthik and Mounitha. Mounitha, who fears Karthik and Deepa's closeness, tries to separate them. She stages an incident, stating that Deepa poisoned her, making Karthik furious. Deepa promises in front of God at the temple that she is innocent, and Karthik believes Deepa.
Meanwhile, Soundarya, Anand Rao and Hima learn about Souurya's whereabouts and plead with her to return home. She resolves that she will return only when her parents do.
Mounitha continues to plot against Deepa and provokes Karthik against her. In the meantime, she leaves to Hyderabad to bring her son home so that Karthik will get closer to her and believe her. Karthik, who notices Mounitha's fear about Deepa, starts doubting her. To make sure that Karthik believes her, she pays people to say that she is Karthik's wife and make him believe that too. Everything goes on as per her plan, and Karthik lashes out at Deepa for lying.
Soundarya is suspicious of Mounitha when she takes Anand with her from Saroja. Mounitha gets caught when she mentions Karthik while talking over the phone. Soundarya and Anand Rao come to her house in search of Karthik, but Mounitha tricks them by hiding Karthik and Deepa.
The members of their neighbourhood plan for a festival where Deepa is requested to cook for them all. In the village meeting, she asks permission to perform a play. Everybody claps and suggests her to play the main role in the show. Deepa invites Karthik to the show, and promises him that she will introduce her husband to him if he comes. Karthik agrees to come and shouts out Deepa's name after watching the skit but loses consciousness. Deepa admits him in the hospital and hopes that he remembers the past. However, Karthik does not remember anything, and goes home with Mounitha. Doctors advise Deepa to not make him remember the past forcefully, as it might lead to his death.
On the way home, Mounitha spots Durga, who follows her. He finds Deepa and learns who she really is, and starts planning a scheme to make Karthik doubt Mounitha's character. He promises Deepa that he will make sure Mounitha divulges the truth to Karthik, so that Deepa and Karthik can be reunited. Karthik starts doubting Mounitha's character due to Durga's attitude towards her, and begins to doubt whether Mounitha is really his wife as she does not appear in the few memories he has of the past. Mounitha gets caught when she forgets to wish Karthik for his birthday, but Deepa does.
Mounitha takes Karthik to the village where she had set up people to make Karthik believe she is his wife. Deepa, Hemachandra and his mother reach the village and explain the situation to Rajalakshmi, the village head and the doctor's aunt. Rajalakshmi promises to help Deepa.
At a festival, Rajalakshmi reveals in front of everyone that she has never seen Mounitha in the village and that she does not belong here. At the same time, Mounitha spots Souurya, and tries to make sure that Karthik and Deepa do not spot them. Mounitha and Deepa have an heated argument, and Karthik overhears everything and confronts Mounitha. Mounitha threatens Karthik that she will kill Deepa if she comes between them. Karthik is confused and is unable to deduce the truth. Rajalakshmi spots a confused Karthik and advises him to believe Deepa, and not Mounitha. Varanasi arrives, and shows Karthik some photos of him and Deepa. Karthik tries to believe Varanasi but is confused, so he asks Varanasi to leave him alone.
Mounitha, meanwhile, orders some henchmen to kill Deepa. Varanasi spots them trying to kill her and saves her by fighting them off long enough for Deepa to escape. Karthik sees this happening and arrives to see that Varanasi has been knocked unconscious. At the same time, Souurya, who is furious at Mounitha for lying about her parents, tries to hit her with a rock. Mounitha dodges, and the rock hits Karthik's head. The head injury causes Karthik to regain his memory, and he shouts for his wife and children. He tries to wake up Varanasi to ask for their whereabouts. Karthik rushes Varanasi to a nearby hospital. Doctors inform him that Varanasi is in a critical condition, and there is a chance that he will be put into a coma.
After regaining his memory, Karthik knows that Mounitha has wronged him, and he becomes determined to seek revenge. Deepa and Mounitha are worried as Karthik goes missing. Deepa accuses Mounitha of hiding Karthik and lying to her once again. Durga, Hemachandra and his mother calm her down, telling her that Karthik has gone missing in the market. Deepa goes searching for him. The two bump into each other.
Karthik does not reveal that he regained his memory to Deepa for her safety, and acts as if he does not remember anything. Karthik plans to reveal the truth only when he has obtained his vengeance against Mounitha. Deepa accompanies Karthik to Mounitha's house, and Mounitha starts blaming Deepa for Karthik going missing. Karthik lashes out at Mounitha for accusing Deepa, and Durga continues to trouble Mounitha in front of Karthik. After a while, Durga confronts Mounitha about her attempt to kill Deepa. Mounitha asks Durga to get out. Deepa and Karthik overhear their conversation. Karthik lashes out at Mounitha for attempting to kill Deepa.
Karthik asks Shiva to search for Souurya, as she has run away. Shiva tells Karthik that Mounitha always gets tense when she sees Souurya, and even warned him to stay away from her. Karthik gets angry at Mounitha for hiding Souurya from him, and goes to search for Souurya. The next morning, Mounitha lashes out at Deepa for accommodating Karthik in her house. Deepa slaps Mounitha and tells her what happened. Mounitha questions Karthik's silence after Deepa slapped her, but Karthik sides strongly with Deepa. The next morning, Mounitha attempts to poison Deepa, but Karthik picks up her food. Panicking, Mounitha throws the plate out of Karthik's hands, claiming that Deepa poisoned it.
Mounitha learns from Durga that Karthik has gotten his memory back, and that he and Deepa are planning to flee from her. Deepa plans to go on a search for Souurya, but her health condition gets worse. Karthik notices Deepa's condition and fears that it might be a fatal disease. Despite Karthik's disapproval, Deepa leaves to search for Souurya in Sangharati. Karthik acts in front of Mounitha to learn her next moves. Deepa reaches Sangharati, and finds Karthik's photo hung with a garland on it. She question the house owner and learns that she is none other than the wife of the patient who died during Karthik's operation. She helps Deepa in her search for Souurya.
Karthik brings Deepa to the hospital and gets her tested, as she is becoming more sick, and the doctors there say that her condition is worse. Karthik tries to stop Deepa from cooking but she does not pay heed to him, and passes out when she tries to go and cook. Karthik takes her to the hospital, and tries to get her ready for an operation. Dr. Charuseela assists Karthik in Deepa's operation.
Soundarya manages to get Mounitha arrested for her past deeds with the help of Roshini, fearing that she might be planning further to hurt Karthik and Deepa. Karthik leaves to Mounitha's to tell her that he has regained his memory, but learns about Mounitha's arrest.
Deepa gets her test results from the hospital, and learns that she is not cured, but hides it from Karthik. The next day, Karthik and Deepa leave for home, and just as Karthik and Deepa arrive at the house, Deepa faints. Karthik brings Deepa to a hospital and finds out about her test results. However, it is revealed that Dr. Charuseela is Mounitha's friend and faked Deepa's reports to seek revenge. Rather than naturally becoming sicker, Charuseela had tricked Pandari into giving dangerous pills to Deepa to poison her.
Deepa overhears Karthik and Charuseela's conversation about her health. Charuseela plans to marry Karthik to obtain his assets after Deepa's death. Deepa and Karthik spot Soundarya in Hemachandra's house. Deepa asks Karthik to leave her and go to Soundarya but Karthik does not pay heed to Deepa.
One morning, Mounitha arrives at Karthik and Deepa's house, and starts mocking Deepa for her bad health, saying that she will marry Karthik after Deepa dies. Later, Mounitha takes Hima hostage, and begins threatening all of Karthik's family. Deepa shoots and kills Mounitha, and Karthik and Deepa flee in their car. Unknown to them, Mounitha had already placed a bomb in Karthik's car. Deepa, who is dying of her illness, asks Karthik to fulfill her dying wish of walking together. As they are walking away from the car, the bomb explodes, but Karthik and Deepa are far away enough to be unaffected. Karthik tells Deepa that nothing can separate them and stop them from living a good life together.
In late March 2020, the series' production and broadcast halted (along with that of all other Indian television series and films) due to theCOVID-19 pandemic.It resumed in June of that year. On 18 February 2024, Star Maa released the promo of the second season titled as "Karthika Deepam - Idi Nava Vasantham".
After a few months, the series became one of the top-rated Indian and Telugu television programs.Its highest rating had been 19.7TVR.In the first week of June 2021,Karthika Deepamset a ratings record of  20.8TVR, rivalling the legacy of Kyunki saas bhi kabhi bahu thi.
In January 2019, the series had an average rating of about12 TVR.In October 2020, it remained a top-rated series.During week 34, it maintained a top position with 18.35 TVR.In week 42, it had an 18.56 TVR.
According toThe Hindu, "The serial follows a faithful template set byEkta Kapoor, that trendsetter who gave (mostly) housewives soapy and weepy sagas which belied both sense and sensibility at every tantalizing turn."AnAsianet Newsreviewer wrote, "The serial, which takes place between trust and distrust, continues to take a turn for the worse."
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