Ek Hasina Thi (TV series)

This article is about the 2014 TV series. For the 2004 film, see Ek Hasina Thi (film).

Ek Hasina Thi
Genre	Suspense thriller Crime drama Mystery
Created by	Cinevistaas Limited
Written by	Sameer Arora Dialogue Satyam Tripathy Aparna Nadig
Creative director	Siddharth Priyadarshi
Starring	Sanjeeda Sheikh Vatsal Sheth Bhuvnesh Mann Simone Singh
Opening theme	"Ek Hasina Thi" by Sunidhi Chauhan
Composer	Raju Singh
Country of origin	India
Original language	Hindi
No. of seasons	1
No. of episodes	235
Production
Producer	Prem Krishen
Production locations	Kolkata(setting) Mumbai (filming)
Camera setup	Multi-camera
Running time	20 minutes
Original release
Network	Star Plus
Release	4 April (2014-04-04) – 20 December 2014 (2014-12-20)

Ek Hasina Thi (transl: "There was a beautiful woman") is a Hindi crime thriller television series created by Cinevistaas Limited. It aired from 14 April 2014 to 20 December 2014 on Star Plus. Produced by Prem Krishen, the series starred Sanjeeda Sheikh, Vatsal Sheth, Bhuvnesh Mann and Simone Singh.

Overview

The show that revolves around power and revenge. Durga Thakur (Sanjeeda Sheikh), leaves her home in the US and returns to Kolkata along with her father, an influential cancer surgeon, Dr. Dayal Thakur. It is shown from the very first episode that the duo have plans against the Goenkas. She takes care of Payal Mitra, daughter of the Goenkas' driver, who had filed a rape case against Shaurya and his friends 2 years ago.

The Goenkas are the most influential business family of Kolkata. Sakshi Goenka (Simone Singh) is a vicious and cunning woman who would do anything for her son, Shaurya Goenka (Vatsal Seth), a spoilt brat. Rajnath Goenka, Sakshi's husband, has built his empire on the graves of many, always accompanied by his wife's plotting. Shaurya has a special whistle he sounds out every time he does something morally wrong - which is almost all the time. Kangana Goenka is Shaurya's younger sister who naively believes that her family is right.

Suchitra Goenka is the widow of Rajnath's elder brother, Arnab Goenka, who runs a charitable school in her husband's memory. Her son, Dev Goenka (Bhuvnesh Mann) is a humble, respectful man, returning from his studies in the US, in the search for his best friend, Nitya Mitra - Payal's elder sister - and the love of his life.

Hotstar Seasons

Season 1

The beginning

The first day of Durga Puja, Sakshi and Rajnath find that someone else will be offering the first bhog and aarti, though the Goenka family has been doing that for years. Durga gave a huge check to the Trust and bribed the pandit. However, when Sakshi and Rajnath arrive, Durga very graciously hands them the thali. As Durga dances in veneration of the Goddess Durga, Shaurya decides he wants her. While the Goenkas and Durga stand in prayer, her saree catches fire and Shaurya saves her by dousing her with a pot full of water. This was planned by Durga.

Sakshi and Rajnath discover that Dr. Dayal Thakur wishes to build one of the largest Cancer Research Foundation in Kolkata. However, the deal has already been given to Choudhary, a rival. Moreover, the Thakurs are hosting a huge party and have invited every important person in Kolkata, except for the Goenkas. Shaurya makes a bet with his friends Karan Basu (son of Minister Basu), Tarun, and Rishi to sleep with Durga. He sends her a friend request but she doesn't accept it yet. Dayal tells Durga that to succeed in their mission, the Goenkas must believe that they are friends. The next morning, Dr. Dayal Thakur personally calls and invites the Goenkas.

During the party, Durga ignores Shaurya. A reporter brings up the rape case from 2 years ago, claiming that Shaurya and his friends were acquitted due to their wealth and influence. Shaurya beats the reporter up. Durga had asked an actor, Arun Mukherjee, to do this. They pay him and ask him to stay hidden for some days. She also leaks the video to the press but by the morning, the Goenkas' CEO, Navin Mathur, buries the report.

Shaurya keeps trying to woo Durga, but she keeps him on tenterhooks — responding sometimes and ignoring him at others. Navin and Rajnath blackmail Choudhary into giving up the Cancer Research project and the Thakurs give it to the Goenkas as planned. Payal Mitra, who was raped by Shaurya and his friends, is in a mental rehabilitation center where Durga is trying to get her well. Navin finds out about Arun Mukherjee, the actor, but before he can be caught, Durga tells him to run away, leaving behind one final gift — pictures of Payal.

Rajnath manipulates his elder sister-in-law, Suchitra Goenka, to give Arnab's land for the Cancer Research project. She agrees on realizing that Dayal and Durga are good people. Dayal anonymously calls Choudhary and calls him for a meeting at a club by blackmailing him. He then calls Navin Mathur under pretense of giving information on Arun Mukherjee. At the club, Mathur and Choudhary on seeing each other have a drink together out of courtesy and their pictures are clicked. Circumstances make it look like Choudhary is giving a bag to Mathur - like a deal. Durga manipulates Shaurya into taking her to his office. She raises the fire alarm and gathers sensitive data from Mathur's cabin. Sakshi almost catches her but Durga cleverly manipulates the situation.

Shaurya, to win his bet, takes Durga to a nightclub and drugs her. However, she throws the drink away discretely and also calls a police raid. Sakshi and Rajnath try to solve the situation, but Durga saves the day by claiming that she's just unwell because of the noise at the club. She wins the confidence of Rajnath and Shaurya, but Sakshi is continuously suspicious of her.

Target 1 - Navin Mathur

Durga enters Navin's home while he's out jogging and plants evidence against him. The Goenkas have been instigated against Mathur and Shaurya goes to his place with the police and they find the evidence. That evening, when Mathur is to be given the Best Entrepreneur Award, the Goenkas oust Mathur and he is arrested for fraud. Akash Roy replaces Mathur.

Navin was the main culprit in hiding all the clues against Shaurya during the rape case and buying all testimonies in the favour of Goenkas. He kept threatening Payal claiming that she's "only been raped" but worse things can happen to her if she continues to stand against the Goenkas.

Season 2

Durga places video cameras in the home of Raima Maheshwari, Sakshi's best friend. She finds out that Raima is having an affair with Rajnath Goenka. Raima is afraid that her husband, Jatin, will not give her alimony since he's suspicious of her having an affair. Durga "accidentally" meets Raima at a mall and they grab a coffee. Durga saves the day when Jatin appears taunting and trying to hit Raima who is thankful.

The Bagchis

By now, Shaurya has lost his bet and instead bets Karan 5 crores that he will propose to Durga and then sleep with her. In trying to impress her, he visits an old age home that Durga was going to visit. Durga acts impressed and introduces him to 'Baba' who is blind and she feels a connection with. Shaurya immediately contacts an eye surgeon and gets his surgery scheduled for the same day.

Sakshi threatens Jatin and the divorce is finalized. Rajnath finds out that Shaurya is paying for a poor man's surgery. He and Sakshi visit the hospital and find that the surgery has been successful while, Akash is told to discreetly leak this news to the press. As Rajnath and Shaurya gather some publicity for their stunt, Sakshi is shocked to discover that the 'Baba' is actually Madhusudhan Bagchi, father of the sole eyewitness of Payal's rape, Divya Bagchi.

When Divya tried to call for help, Shaurya held her captive while everyone raped Payal, and threatened Divya with the same. When Divya and Madhusudhan stood on Payal's side during the case and couldn't be bought or threatened, Sakshi ordered that they be killed. Divya was lost and Bagchi lost his eyesight during the fight. Divya assumed her father was dead.

Sakshi threatens Bagchi with his daughter and tells him to keep his mouth shut about them. She then reveals this to Shaurya and Rajnath and is angry. She tells Shaurya to stay away from Bagchi.

Target 2 - Commissioner Sahani

Commissioner Sahani had taken money and "lost" an essential evidence - the DNA report clearly pointing that Shaurya and his friends were Payal's rapists. He had told Payal and Nitya that such a thing would never happen to his daughter because there's a difference between a driver's daughter and a commissioner's daughter.

Now Shaurya has been using his daughter, Avantika, as his plaything. When Sahani finds out about it he's angry but cannot say anything to his wife and daughter. So he invites the Goenkas to dinner. The Thakurs also end up at the same club and are invited to dine with them. When Sahani proposes a marriage between Shaurya and Avantika, the Goenkas are caught off guard. Shaurya claims that he had broken it off with Avantika after a couple of dates since they were two very different people. This angers the Sahanis, but the Goenkas get them transferred. Avantika contemplates suicide but an anonymous letter from Durga clarifies the truth behind Shaurya and Commissioner Sahani remorsefully accepts his role in the crime. They leave town.

Meeting Payal

Durga takes Shaurya out on a surprise to Mr. Bagchi whose bandages are to come off today. She places Shaurya right in front of Bagchi and he's scared witless. However, Bagchi claims to still be blind, as planned with Durga. Earlier Akash, on Sakshi's orders, had followed Durga and now presents her pictures with Payal. Sakshi feels justified in her suspicions and texts the picture to Shaurya who is with Durga. Before Shaurya could decide how to react, Durga takes him to a mental rehabilitation center where she wants him to meet her favorite person - Payal. Payal starts reacting badly to his presence while Shaurya is shocked and leaves immediately.

Concerned about this comeback of Payal in their lives, Sakshi meets Mathur in jail to ask about her elder sister Nitya - the only person who kept fighting the Goenkas until the very end and had threatened to turn Sakshi's castle into sand. However, Mathur claims that she is dead and even gives the names of his goons for further checking. Akash confirms the story from the goons and returns with Nitya's death certificate.

But the truth was that the goons didn't kill Nitya. While running, she ended up getting hit by a car - Dr. Dayal Thakur's. The goons left, assuming her to be dead, but Nitya was still alive - barely - and Dr. Thakur immediately took her in for surgery. However, her face was completely destroyed in the accident. Nitya fought hard and on seeing her will to live, Dr. Thakur promised that it was now his responsibility to make everything right. Since no one knew her real face, Dayal gave her the face of his late daughter - Durga. When Nitya later revealed everything that happened, he decided to help her with her revenge.

In present time, Durga meets Shaurya and blames him of being a rapist. However, he spins a story claiming Payal loved him and he only considered her a friend. When they became intimate, Payal filed a rape case against him because she was after his money. Durga can barely control her emotions and leaves. When she continues to ignore Shaurya, he on Rajnath's advice, goes to visit Payal - as an attack on Durga's weakness. Durga rushes to stop him at the gates of the center where he shows her the testimonies of everyone against Payal - Principal Ganguly, Pandit ji, Payal's friend, and Payal herself. Durga agrees with Shaurya and claims that he must be right. She taunts Shaurya that he should visit Payal frequently since that could help improve her health. Scared, he immediately makes an excuse and leaves.

At home, he informs Sakshi that Durga met Payal at an NGO and has no relations with her. He also boasted of having spun a story and making Durga believe his innocence. Sakshi also finds out that Shaurya went to meet Bagchi again but that he's still blind. She visits Bagchi to threaten him again and almost catches his lie but Durga saves the day. Sakshi then promises Bagchi to find his daughter in the next 48 hours. Durga tries to distract Sakshi by sending her to the farmhouse where Rajnath is with Raima, but Shaurya finds them first and saves them from Sakshi. He plans to blackmail Rajnath later.

Finding Divya

Foiled in her plans, Durga waits for her informer to get in touch with her. Divya is found and being brought to Sakshi but Durga doesn't have the exact location yet. Sakshi kidnaps Bagchi and reunites him with Divya - finding out that he's not blind in the process. She and Akash then tries to find out about their relationship with Durga, but Divya doesn't know her and Bagchi lies. Sakshi then orders the Bagchis be burnt down. Durga reaches the place and plays the sound of police sirens forcing Sakshi and the goons to run. Akash stays back to handle everything - and is revealed to be Durga's informer. They save the Bagchis and send them to Dubai. Goenkas believe that the Bagchis are dead.

Season 3

Dev Goenka returns to India in search of his best friend, Nitya Mitra. He wants to find out the truth of what happened and even confronts Shaurya about it. He buys Nitya's home for her sake. On the other hand, when Durga meets Dev, she's cold towards him because she believes that when Nitya emailed Dev asking for help, he replied that he will always stand by his family. Dr. Thakur feels that Dev is a good man and Durga may be mistaken about him. But Durga is too angry about this betrayal to hear anything. She starts creating situation where Shaurya sees Dev and Durga together.

Target 3 - Principal Ganguly

In retaliation, Shaurya attacks the chief architect of the Cancer Research project and blackmails Rajnath into making him the replacement. He then bribes his ex principal, Ganguly, to suggest his name in front of everyone. Shaurya is chosen and Dayal is furious. Durga knows that Shaurya will go to any extent to win his bet and remembers how the rape 2 years ago also began the same way.

Shaurya bet Karan 2 Lakhs that he will bed Nitya in one week. He creates situations where the naive Nitya starts thinking that he is a good man who respects women. She overhears Shaurya boasting to his friends at the Durga Visarjan and slaps him. Angry and about to lose his bet, Shaurya goes after her but finds Payal instead. He attacks Payal and the 4 friends bring her to a room where Shaurya rapes her. Because of the loud music outside, nobody is able to hear her screams. When Divya discovers them, she hides and calls Nitya but Shaurya finds her. He holds her captive while he sends first Karan, then Tarun, and then Rishi to rape Payal. Rishi comes out with a wound to his head and tells everyone that Payal hit him and escaped.

When the Mitras tried to fight the Goenkas, they were destroyed. The parents committed suicide while Nitya was attacked and left for dead. It took her 3 months to recover and then even more time to become Durga. During this time Payal was held in a mental asylum by the Goenkas where she was given wrong medication, daily shock treatments, and visits from Shaurya - all of which broke her emotionally and mentally - making her loose her mental stability.

Durga sends Akash to place cameras in Ganguly's home. They soon get proof that Ganguly is blackmailing his daughter's best friend into having relations with him. Durga creates situations so that Sagarika, his daughter, finds out - but when confronted, Ganguly beats both Sagarika and her mother. Durga is heartbroken and plans to reveals the truth that evening - at Ganguly's 25th wedding anniversary party. Raima suggests Sagarika as a prospective bride for Shaurya. Sakshi agrees.

Shaurya had created a presentation in Ganguly's honor. Durga discovers this from Akash and creates copy - putting in footages revealing the truth including the fact that he sold fake degrees to his students for money or to sleep with girls. When the CD plays and Ganguly tells his wife to say that it's all false in front of everyone, she takes a stand and reveals the truth. The next morning, all headlines talk about Shaurya Goenka's fake degree - from proofs found on Ganguly's computer. Dayal is furious and threatens the Goenkas. Shaurya goes to talk to Durga and claims he failed because the rape case was going on then. Dayal and Durga give the project back to the Goenkas on the provision that Shaurya will be removed from the position and Dev will take his place.

Dev has been trying to find the truth. He receives Payal's case files through RTI. Durga misunderstands his intentions while Sakshi and Shaurya create a scene at home blaming Dev of standing against his family. Durga keeps creating situations to pit Shaurya against Dev. Dev and Durga get caught in the rain and their car breaks down (planned by Durga). They take lift from a truck to get back home which leads to some romantic situations between them. But Dev loves Nitya, while Durga considers Dev her enemy so they both don't want these feelings to grow.

Seasons 4 & 5

Durga's Truth

Sakshi stumbles upon an old college friend of Durga - Shekhar Mehra. He tells them that Durga disappeared some time ago from US suddenly. The girl he described was the polar opposite of the girl Sakshi knows today. In an attempt to learn the truth, Raima invites Durga to a party where they bring Shekhar in front of her. Durga, at first, feigns ignorance. Then she reveals that she does know him but asks him why she should remember him when he didn't even stay in touch or invite her to his wedding. Raima and Sakshi are shocked, and Durga tells Shaurya that Shekhar was interested in her during college but she rejected him.

Shaurya, jealous of Dev, plans his assassination. First a truck accident happens, but Dev escapes barely. Durga is confused about Dev's intentions when he rushes back to the accident spot looking for something that he claimed was "much more important than even his life". It was the locket Nitya gave him before he left for the US. She had told Dev to place his love's pictures in the locket, and claimed that the two will be together forever. Durga wants to know whose picture is in the locket. Shaurya then creates an elaborate plan - he "receives" a threat call in front of Sakshi but acts unbothered claiming it to be a prank or the work of an amateur. The next day, Rajnath gets a similar call. Shaurya is using a voice changer and an internet number to place these calls since they cannot be traced.

When Shekhar is unable to find the truth about Durga but is constantly being a nuisance for her, she openly challenges him telling him that she's not Durga. In a last ditch attempt, Shekhar asks Sakshi to plan a puja at her home and invite the Thakurs. During the puja, Shekhar breaks into the Thakurs' place and finds a photo album of young Durga. At the Goenkas he claims that this woman is not Durga Thakur and if she was, she would have Durga's birthmark on her right ankle. After much suspense and shouting on all sides, Durga reveals that she does have the birthmark. Shekhar is thrown out of the house but Durga is extremely upset and breaks all personal relations with the Goenkas, keeping only their professional contract intact. Sakshi is elated while everyone else is upset.

Dev meets with Durga and apologises, mellowing her down. Rajnath receives a second call where the person threatens his family. He then asks the Commissioner for help who explains that nothing could be done that day due to a cabinet meeting. But he promises the Goenkas Zed Security. Shaurya angry that Dev was at Durga's house, gives him a threat call claiming that "Shaurya is at Karan's farmhouse" and will be shot. On the way, Dev is shot thrice by a Russian sharpshooter Shaurya hired. However, the shot at his heart is stopped by Nitya's necklace when he turns around.

At home, Durga is constantly worried and has a gut feeling that something is wrong. She remembers another such incident where the plane Dev was supposed to be in crashed but her intuition saved him. Dayal and Durga rush towards where Dev may have gone and find him. They immediately take him into surgery and he is soon saved. It creates problems for Shaurya when the CBI gets involved. Rajnath and Sakshi find out the truth and save him but on the provision that he will stay away from Durga. Shaurya agrees.

Durga also finds out the truth when she sees Nitya's picture in Dev's locket. When he asks her why Payal changed her statement in the end, she doesn't tell him. But she remembers that Sakshi had begged Payal to end the case and to marry Shaurya - giving him a chance to repent. She takes Dev to meet Payal at her farmhouse once he recovers and also gives him Nitya's diary, after removing the last few pages containing the details about the court case.

Season 6

Shaurya and Durga's Engagement

Shaurya starts acting indifferent to Durga. In an attempt to get back in the game, Durga and Dayal claim that she's getting engaged to Dr. Neil Bhattacharya, Dayal's best student. Shaurya remains unconcerned whereas Dev thinks that Durga isn't exactly happy with the circumstances. Durga claims that everything is fine. She has started falling for Dev, but cannot allow any feelings to get in the middle of her revenge, so she doesn't let them weaken her. Neil and Durga get engaged and Shaurya congratulates the new couple. But then Durga notices blood on Neil's clothes and they realize that Shaurya had slit his wrists. He faints after screaming "Durga, I love you." Shaurya is immediately taken to the hospital where it is revealed that he had threatened the doctor, made a small scratch on his wrist, and was wearing a blood bag which caused all the spill.

The ward boy's mother was helped by Durga's NGO and he reveals the truth to her. She professes her love for Shaurya in front of everyone and gives him the engagement ring. Sakshi acts very accepting of Durga, while Dev is uncomfortable. Dayal is furious and takes her away. Next day, Durga tells Shaurya that while she loves him, her father isn't ready for the match and so, she'll be leaving for US that night. Akash is angry at Durga for this plan and suspicious of them. He splits from the Thakurs and it is revealed that he has a secret of his own. Akash is actually a Muslim but anything else is unknown for now.

Sakshi visits the Thakurs and asks for Durga's hand in marriage. Dayal asks for some time to think. The next day, Dayal comes to the Goenkas with his acceptance. Sakshi suggests that they have an engagement ceremony then and there. Dev is angry with Durga. He is jealous of Shaurya and Durga but doesn't recognise his own emotions, thinking that he's angry because she cares for Payal, but is in love with her rapist. Sakshi also realizes that Payal is Durga's weakness. Durga and Dayal try to talk to Akash, but he is still distrustful.

After the engagement, Sakshi takes Durga to a place from her childhood. She talks about her past - at 8 years of age, she lost her family and home due to a riot. After being hungry for days, she ate a piece of bread that she stole from a dog's mouth. She subtly threatens Durga, telling her that she can do so much worse to someone who hurts her son. Durga responds that Sakshi was lucky it was a dog she had to steal from because a human would come back for revenge. She now has another clue to use against Sakshi.

Target 4 - Pandit Ji

Sakshi bribes a priest and he tells the family that as per Durga's kundali she is dangerous for Shaurya who will die within a month of his marriage. Upset, Durga breaks off the engagement, and then instigats Shaurya to plot against the pandit. This pandit had given a good character testimony for Shaurya and a bad one for Payal. Karan, in disguise, bribes the Pandit and requests the Goddess's jewellery for his sister's wedding. The Pandit is caught taking the jewellery on cameras hidden by Tarun and Rishi. The video goes viral and the pandit is arrested. He is remorseful of his actions against Payal when the Goenkas do not support him.

The wedding is back on. Dev is jealous and angry and gets into fights with Durga. He tries to focus on Payal instead, who is finally starting to get better, and as Shoumik tries to find her old medical files. The psychiatrist who gave Payal the wrong treatment gives Dev a fake file and informs Sakshi of having found Payal. Dev realizes that the file is fake, while Sakshi finds out that Shoumik is actually Dev. She lets Dev steal Payal's real files and then follows him to the farmhouse where Payal is staying.

The next day, Sakshi plans a Mahapuja for Shaurya's safety after his suicide scare and asks Durga to do the aarti. While Durga is busy at the temple, she sends goons to the farmhouse where they play Shaurya's whistle and recreate her rape's day with loud sounds of Dhol and gulaal on their faces. While they do not touch her, they cause a complete nervous breakdown. The doctor, on gaining consciousness, immediately calls Durga who leaves the Mahapuja abruptly. When asked, she wants to tell Dev what happened but is unable to because Shaurya is there. Payal's case has become even worse than before and Durga is broken by this. Dev finds out what happened and when he informs Suchitra, she unwittingly tells everyone and they all reach the hospital.

Durga vows that Sakshi will pay for her actions. Akash finds out what happened and realizes that he is at fault too. While he was too focused on his own mission, an innocent got hurt. He apologises to Durga and Dayal and rejoin them.

Season 7

Durga calls Shaurya and asks him to bring everyone to the temple – showing Sakshi that she has complete control over Shaurya. She completes the rituals of the Mahapuja and manipulates Shaurya who suggests that they go to Vaishnodevi. The couple leave the next day, while Sakshi is in a constant state of anxiety, knowing that this will be Durga's payback. Durga takes Shaurya to a Dhaba nearby where some goons beat Shaurya mercilessly. Dayal and Durga make Payal hear his screams of agony, bringing her a bit of peace. The goons (on instructions from Akash) hit a particular spot in Shaurya's spine - paralyzing him. Sakshi blames Raima and Rajnath since they both pushed her to let Shaurya go. Durga tells everyone that she will still marry Shaurya. Dev is jealous and fights with Durga, who keeps pushing him away in an attempt to keep him safe.

Rajnath, worried about the Pandit's words, asks him whether Durga is really a danger to Shaurya. The Pandit tells him that everything he said was on Sakshi's orders and that Durga was like an incarnation of the Goddess herself. The reformed priest doesn't tell Rajnath that Durga will be the downfall of the Goenkas. While the wedding preparations begin, Sakshi, with help from Karan, targets Shaurya's confidence and makes him doubt Durga's wishes of marrying someone who's paralysed from the waist down. On the day of the marriage, Shaurya backs out, claiming that he is not a complete man and will therefore destroy Durga's life. As planned, Sakshi suggests that Durga marry Dev to save her reputation. Dayal blackmails Dev into marrying Durga by telling him that Nitya is alive and Dev can meet her on her birthday. He blackmails Durga into agreeing by acting as if he's getting a heart attack. Dev and Durga get married, while Sakshi tells Shaurya that Durga is the reason behind everything that's gone wrong with their family. Sakshi and Shaurya join hands but Shaurya still wants Durga.

Season 8

Suchitra knows that Dev loves Nitya and believes that Durga loves Shaurya. She's upset about this marriage and unsure if Durga could be a good wife to Dev. Dev is angry with Durga and Dayal for the blackmail. Sakshi also instigates Kangana against Durga by claiming that she could have waited for Shaurya to recover and then marry him. Shaurya keeps making attempts at Durga who once again keeps him at arm's length but occasionally says something that keeps him hooked. Sakshi doubts Akash's loyalties and as a test asks him to anonymously send Durga to a place where she will be killed.

Akash informs Dayal and leaves for the location himself, in a bid to repent for his part in Payal's recent attack. On Sakshi's orders the goons attack Akash but Durga and Dayal save him. Before skipping town, Akash reveals his identity - Akram Rehmat Khan, stepson of Sakshi Rehmat Khan. He explains how at 10 years old, he met a beautiful angel at his father's press, who slowly became very important to both father and son, and soon became his mother. 1 year later, he found that the angel was actually the devil in disguise. She burnt down Rehmat's press with him in it. Abdul, a worker at the press, saved Akram just in time, but tells Sakshi that he too died.

Dev stumbles upon Agnihotri - Payal and Nitya's lawyer - and discovers that he sold an essential evidence (a video of Shaurya raping Payal) to Rajnath. He tries to get the video from him, but Rajnath discovers everything and kills Agnihotri, getting the last copy of the video. Before leaving, Akash hands over evidence of Rajnath and Raima's affair to Jatin, who gives it to Sakshi for 5 crores. When Sakshi doesn't take any immediate steps, Durga invites Raima to her Karwa Chauth ceremony and pits Raima and Sakshi against each other. Dayal appoints her the PR Head for the Cancer Research project. Sakshi taunts Raima who, in her anger, spits back and takes Payal's name but stops before revealing anything. However, Dev wants to know what she was talking about and another fight ensues. Rajnath takes Raima home and Sakshi is furious.

Dev Trapped

Sakshi goes to Raima's and texts Dev from Raima's phone to come immediately if he wants to know the truth. Sakshi finds out that Raima and Rajnath were together long before she came into their lives. Sakshi blackmailed Rajnath into marrying her. Later he asked Raima to befriend Sakshi in hopes of finding the blackmail material - some tapes. Sakshi shoots Raima and makes it seem like Dev was the murderer. Dev takes Raima to the hospital where Durga joins him and they find out that Raima is still alive, although critical. The police, on Sakshi's orders, find the murder weapon in Dev's car and arrest him. Rajnath, angry over Raima's condition, tells Suchitra that he won't help Dev and asks the police to do their work.

Sakshi's attempts on murdering Raima are foiled by Durga, but she slips into a coma. Dayal, furious with Rajnath cancels the Cancer Research project and tells him that it will only continue with Dev now. Durga and Dayal ask the best lawyer to take Dev's case. Rajnath visits Dev in lock up and threatens him, also mentioning Payal's rape case and Nitya's demise. Dev's bail is rejected. In the prison, he gets into an argument with Navin Mathur. Rajnath visits Mathur and claims that Dev is his son, in hopes that Mathur will kill Dev. A fight occurs but Dev wins and while being taken away shouts that Rajnath did nothing but destroy his life and now he will destroy Rajnath, Sakshi, and Shaurya.

Raima's maid - the sole eyewitness of the case - on Durga's behest tells the truth in court that Dev may not have been the murderer. They are given a week to produce some evidence for either situations. Durga is constantly trying to save Dev while also taking care of Suchitra - keeping her safe from Rajnath and Sakshi's ploys. She promises Suchitra that Dev will be home in a week, and places a camera in Raima's room. Dayal transfers the Cancer Research project to the Arnab Goenka Foundation - Durga takes the papers to Dev and they both sign. Durga is also given 10% shares in the Goenka industries, as per Arnab's will. On Arnab's birthday, Durga takes a cake for Dev and they both remember the incident of 2 years ago when, in trying to bake a cake, Dev added vinegar instead of vanilla. However, later Dev is shocked because he remembered that Nitya was unable to write about this incident since her right hand was fractured - so how does Durga know about this. He also remembers that Durga's sign was exactly like Nitya's - with the special 'A' in the end and three dots underneath. He has suspicions about her identity.

Dev and Mathur join hands in the prison and Mathur reveals the entire truth to Dev. He also agrees to testify in court if Dev could get him out. Durga calls Suchitra and informs her that Raima has come out of the coma. Sakshi finds out and orders a nurse to kill Raima. The nurse is caught red-handed because it's Durga on the bed. However, the nurse escapes with the help of Inspector Mukherjee, as planned by Sakshi. Rajnath realizes that Dev didn't attack Raima and suspects Jatin who reveals that Sakshi knew about the affair. Sakshi secretly moves Shaurya to a physio center.

During the court session, Sakshi's lawyers try to make the whole thing sound like a fake story but Durga presents the video footage. Dev is acquitted. He is friendly with Durga who thinks that it will be harder to keep him away from everything now that he doesn't hate her. Angry with the news, Shaurya overexerts himself and gets injured - but this reverses his paralysis. Suchitra promises to support Dev no matter what. She and Durga transfer their shares of Goenka industries to Dev who calls for a vote of confidence to become the new head.

To win, Rajnath uses Kangana's feelings for Karan and fixes their alliance - also leaking the news in press. All the Goenkas are furious with his decision but he remains adamant and tells Sakshi that he will break things off after the engagement. Durga asks Divya to return to India for the next steps in the plan. Rajnath starts blackmailing Sakshi under Akram's name to get to the tapes.

Suspicious of Durga's identity, Dev asks her about Nitya's reactions. Caught off guard she makes some excuses and leaves. Dev goes to Navin Mathur who reveals that the goons he sent did not kill Nitya so she could be alive. He tries to find out about the attack and is disheartened on finding her death certificate. However, on finding out that the car belonged to Dr. Dayal Thakur, his suspicions are confirmed. He goes to ask Dayal who doesn't confirm anything verbally, but gives Dev his blessings. Dev wants to tell her the truth and confess his love, but realizes that it will only make Durga push him away. So he keeps the truth hidden.

Target 5 - Karan Basu

Durga and Divya target Karan. Divya acts like a ghost and keeps telling Karan that she's here to take him away into her world. Karan is scared witless.

Season 9

Dev makes Durga a part of the Board at Goenkas Industries. He wins the vote of confidence. Sakshi berates Rajnath for putting their daughter at stake. Durga manipulates Kangana into coming to Karan's farmhouse where they hear him talk about his crimes. Kangana is upset and disgusted, and feels guilty for the way she behaved with Durga. But Durga forgives her since she did everything in her naivety. Kangana promises to help Durga. When they get home, they overhear Sakshi talking to Akram Khan, but Durga doubts he would do anything like this.

Dayal Thakur Dies

Shaurya tells a hotel manager to invite Dev and Durga on a date through Suchitra and keep them busy for the night. While the couple dance and dine, Shaurya shoots Dr. Dayal Thakur 6 times and tries to find out about Nitya's whereabouts since Sakshi believes she is alive. However, Dayal fights until the end, taunting Shaurya but not revealing anything. Dev and Durga decide to visit Dayal after dinner and discover him. At the hospital, he puts Dev and Durga's hands together and tries to tell Durga something about Dev but dies before he could say anything. Durga thinks that he wanted her to reveal the truth to Dev, but decides against it.

A furious Durga rejects any help from Rajnath and Sakshi on Dayal's murder. She rebukes the commissioner that since his police force has been bought, they will never find her father's killer. Akash/Akram returns to help Durga and Dayal's final rites are completed. Dev tries to help Durga but she's even more scared of him getting hurt now. She pushes him away by claiming that her relationship with Akash is more than just friends, but Dev recognizes her lies and helps her secretly. Dayal leaves a letter for Durga asking her to accept everything he's leaving her and thanking her for the opportunity to be a better father the second time. Sakshi gets to it first and is suspicious. She orders a DNA report secretly and discovers that the DNAs don't match. She thinks that Durga is just a lookalike who's helping Nitya.

Target 6 - Mr Basu

Kangana fools Karan and sends him to his mother, Mrs Basu. Mrs Basu was chosen as Payal's counsellor and declared her mentally unstable. This allowed Sakshi to keep Payal in an asylum and torture her. However, unlike everyone who gained by siding with the Goenkas, Mrs Basu left her practice, influential family, and lifestyle to teach poor children for free. Kangana and Durga talk to Mrs Basu who reveals that she wanted the boys to be punished for their crimes, but Sakshi manipulated her and made her think that she will be giving Payal a better life. Durga reiterates the torture Payal had to go through at Sakshi's hands and shows her a video of Payal amidst an attack. Mrs Basu agrees to help the duo against Mr Basu. Shaurya returns home but acts as if he's still paralyzed.

Rajnath's Truth

Rajnath, as Akram, blackmails Sakshi with Shaurya's rape video clip and asks her to leave the tapes at a particular location. Durga and the real Akram bug the place and watch as Sakshi catches Rajnath red-handed and threatens him. They overhear and realize that the tapes have something related to the major fight between Rajnath and Arnab before the latter's death. While Rajnath begs for forgiveness, Akram calls Sakshi and tells her that he only wants his Ammi and is coming to take her home. Sakshi realizes that this is the real Akram and thinking that he knows everything, gets scared.

Leaving Rajnath there, she leaves for her old orphanage that she now sponsors to find the hidden tapes. Durga and Akash follow her and hear her playing her favorite song on the piano. The next day, they visit the orphanage in disguise and Durga finds the tapes hidden in the piano. Elsewhere, Dev realizes that Shaurya and Inspector Mukherjee were behind Dayal's murder. He goes to tell Durga and sees her and Akash watching the tapes where Rajnath murders Arnab to hide his scam. Furious, he goes home to attack Rajnath but Durga stops him in time and promises him revenge. Akash reveals his identity to Dev and everyone plans the final steps.

The Final Showdown Begins

Sakshi plans to kidnap Payal as she's the weakness of both Durga and Nitya to get to the latter. But when she gets there, Payal is missing. A furious Durga confronts Sakshi who's shocked to hear that Payal is not with her either. But acting like she has Payal, Sakshi threatens Durga to give up Nitya in exchange. Later Shaurya tells Sakshi that he's the one who kidnapped Payal, but Tarun tells him that Payal was missing when he got there too. Irate, Shaurya tells Mukherjee to find her but with the rape case brought up repeatedly in the media, all seniors have eyes on the case now.

Rishi - Shaurya's friend - had kidnapped Payal to keep her safe. It is revealed that Rishi helped Payal escape and never touched her. Shaurya plans to kill Dev. Tarun makes a call where Dev can overhear and tells someone to bring the "psycho girl" to a particular spot. Dev immediately follows. Rishi calls Durga who talks to Payal and leaves for her location. She calls Dev who thinks that this may be a plan to confuse them and decides that they should check both locations. Akash reaches Payal and informs Durga who realizes that the plan is to kill Dev.

Shaurya tries to shoot Dev but cannot find a shot because he keeps moving around trying to find network to talk to Durga. Durga reaches there and tells him she found Payal but Shaurya starts shooting. Durga takes the bullet meant for Dev and hits her head falling down. A scared Dev starts calling her Nitya instead of Durga. Shaurya doesn't hear anything and leaves. At the hospital, Durga realizes that Dayal was trying to tell her that Dev knows the truth. But she tells Dev that she's Durga, not Nitya. Nitya was full of hopes and dreams, whereas Durga has no space for anything in her life except for revenge. The bullet wound was a mere graze but the head wound turns out to be dangerous because she hit her head exactly where she hit it 2 years ago. There's a blood clot in her brain and needs to be operated on because it is a ticking time bomb. Durga asks the doctor to hide this from her husband and decides to wrap everything up in the next few days before the operation since it can be fatal.

The End

Sakshi, Rajnath, and Shaurya are fighting amongst themselves as nobody trusts the other. Dev and Durga instigate more of these fights. They call Mr. Basu home with Kangana's engagement dress who slaps Karan and blames Rajnath for trying to marry her to a rapist. She says that Shaurya is not her brother and when he tries to attack her, Dev comes between the two. As the fights increase, Dev blackmails Rajnath into sending either himself or Shaurya to jail. Rajnath tells Sakshi that they should send Shaurya since they can get him out, but Shaurya threatens his parents and leaves. Dev and Durga are thrilled.

Shaurya leaves for Tarun's farmhouse and they are killed in an accident. Sakshi is furious and Durga is broken as Shaurya would not be getting his due punishment. Sakshi doesn't let anyone come to Shaurya's final rites, blaming them all for his demise. It is revealed to be their plan all along - a physio center employee died wearing clothes Shaurya "gifted" him along with Tarun. Sakshi send Shaurya to New Zealand with fake documents and asks her lawyers to use the DNA report and blame Durga for fraud, identity theft, and Dayal's murder. Shaurya follows Durga's car instead of going to the airport and discovers where Payal is being kept. After Durga and Dev leave, he shoots Akash and Rishi and confesses to everything he did in front of Payal while scaring her.

Once he had revealed all his misdeeds, he tries to hurt Payal who slaps him and then hits him with a rod. Shaurya faints and wakes up next morning on the dining table of Goenka house. Sakshi and Rajnath try to help him flee but are informed that there's an angry mob outside that is calling for Shaurya's blood. Durga and Dev arrive and taunt the trio - explaining that they knew the dead body wasn't Shaurya's as they saw a tattoo on the deceased's hand. Understanding that this was a plan, they knew Shaurya will want to find Payal.

Durga's plan - Akash and Rishi were wearing bulletproof vests and blood bags under their clothes. Everyone was surrounding Payal and Shaurya and recording his confession. This also gave Payal the strength to face him. Rajnath claims that he will prove the tapes false in court but Durga reminds them that everyone who could have been bought or scared have been chipped away by her. She shows them the news where Shaurya's confession clip is running and everyone is calling them names. Sakshi congratulates Durga on a plan well executed but wants to know where Nitya is. At this point, Durga's interview comes up where she reveals that she is Nitya. The Goenkas are defeated.

During the court case, everyone testifies against Shaurya and Karan - including Navin Mathur and Rishi. Payal tells the judge that she's standing in the court once again in hopes of finding justice with the criminal's own confession. Shaurya is unbothered and asks his mom to solve everything like she did last time. The judge decrees Shaurya guilty who starts shouting and claiming that the judge has no status or right to punish him. The judge sentences Shaurya and Karan to lifetime imprisonment, Rishi is given 6 months of imprisonment and a fine, while Inspector Mukherjee (and his one time replacement, Mandal) are suspended. He also asks for a separate trial against Rajnath for Arnab's murder and Sakshi for Rehmat's murder and Raima's attempted murder.

Akram approaches Sakshi and reveals his identity to her and asks if all this was necessary. The court officially apologises to Payal and gives her a clean chit. Before being taken away, Shaurya blames Sakshi, claiming that she spoilt him and is the reason behind him becoming a monster. Hearing this, Sakshi loses her mental balance. Outside Shaurya is still tries to flirt with girls who spit at him, call him names, and are ready to beat him.

On the way out, Durga faints due to the blood clot. Dev rushes her to the hospital where her surgery is successful. Afterwards, Dev comes to take her home but she scolds him for calling her Nitya again. At this Dev backs off and agrees that she may not feel the same for him and would probably want to leave forever with Payal. However, Durga tells him that he cannot keep calling her Nitya because Nitya considered Dev only her best friend whereas Durga fell in love with him. At home, a puja is held after which Kangana and Payal tease the couple about going on a honeymoon finally. Durga receives a call and someone sounds Shaurya's whistle on the other end. The show ends on a cliffhanger with Durga's shocked face.

Cast

• Sanjeeda Sheikh as Nitya Goenka / Durga Goenka (née: Mitra/Thakur)– Mansi's elder daughter; Dayal's adoptive daughter; Payal's sister; Shaurya's ex-fiancée; Dev's best friend turned wife. (2014)
  • Aditi Sajwan as Nitya Mitra (before plastic surgery) - Mansi's elder daughter; Payal's sister; Dev's best friend (2014)
• Vatsal Sheth as Shaurya Goenka – Sakshi and Rajnath's son; Kangana's brother; Dev's cousin; Durga's ex-fiancé. (2014)
• Bhuvnesh Mann as Dev Goenka – Suchitra and Arnav's son; Shaurya and Kangana's cousin; Nitya's best friend turned husband. (2014)
• Simone Singh as Sakshi Goenka – Rehmat's ex-wife; Rajnath's wife; Shaurya and Kangana's mother. (2014)
  • Anchal Sahu as Younger Sakshi (2014)
• Ayub Khan as Rajnath Goenka – Arnav's brother; Sakshi's husband; Shaurya and Kangana's father. (2014)

Recurring

• Kamalika Guha Thakurta Mansi Mitra – Nitya's and Payal's mother. (2014)
• Teena Chopra as Payal Mitra – Mansi's younger daughter; Dayal's adoptive daughter; Nitya's sister (2014)
• Kishwer Merchant as Raima Maheshwari – Sakshi's best friend(2014)
• Jyoti Gauba as Suchitra Goenka – Arnav's widow; Dev's mother. (2014) She is a kind-hearted person and believes in social work.
• Poonampreet Bhatia as Kangana Goenka – Sakshi and Rajnath's daughter; Shaurya's sister.(2014)
• Mihir Mishra as Akram Khan – Rehmat's son; Sakshi's step-son.(2014)
• Vicky Arora as Karan Basu – Girish's son; Shaurya's best friend and culprit of Payal (2014)
• Ravjeet Singh / Vikram Singh Chauhan as Rishi Zaveri – Shaurya's former friend turned into enemy due to Payals protection. (2014)
• Aliraza Namdar as Girish Basu – Karan's father.(2014)
• Bhupinder Singh as Dr. Dayal Thakur – Durga's father; Nitya's and Payal's adoptive father. (2014)
• Amit Behl as Navin Mathur – Goenkas' former employee. (2014)
• Aamir Ali as Dr. Neil Bhattacharya – Durga's fake groom.(2014)
• Vicky Arora as Karan Basu – Shaurya's friend. (2014)
• Shalmalee Desai as Sagarika Ganguly (2014)
• Ahmad Harhash as Rajveer Singh Nitya and Shaurya friend (2014)

Cameo

• Allu Sirish to promote Kotha Janta (2014)
• Sohail Khan to promote Jai Ho (2014)

Production

The show is set in Kolkata, but is filmed in Mumbai. The series was titled while in pre-production as Daag but title Ek Hasina Thi was finalized.

The series production began in 2013 and was supposed to go on air in the same year but was delayed and premiered on 14 April 2014.

Reception

Critics

Among the cast members, Singh's portrayal of Sakshi Goenka has been well appreciated. A review carried by The Indian Express noted that "her attitude and elegance comes across distinctly in her character".

Mid-Day stated, "Ek Hasina Thi had a great start. However, despite a good plotline, impressive star cast (Simone Singh, Ayub Khan and Sanjeeda Shaikh and Vatsal Seth) and many awards, it failed to keep up with the initial pace and lost out on viewers."

The Indian Express stated the series to be more convincing and said, "The USP of the show is the fast-paced, gripping storyline and the immensely-talented star cast. But the characters seem edgy most of the time which doesn’t look very convincing and the performance of the lead actors is not standing out as yet. The most interesting and powerful performance is by Simone Singh. Her attitude and elegance comes across distinctly in her character of Sakshi Goenka. Like Singh’s, Ayub Khan's role too is well-sketched and projected with ease. The show is well-scripted and has the ability to make a mark but the fact remains that the lead actors will have to put in a lot of effort to make their characters look convincing and believable. The settings, makeup and clothes are the main highlights and strong base of the show."

Daily News and Analysis rated two and half stars and praised, "The storyline is gripping, fast-paced and slick. It's nice to see a bunch of good looking actors together. The setting in Kolkata, the ambience, the bungalows, the visuals etc speak of high production values. The serial, in short, is easy on the eye." On the other hand, they also said, "All the characters seem to be on edge, which is annoying. Nobody seems to be what they are. More importantly, whether the serial works or not is completely dependent on the actors' performances, especially since it's not a linear story. And so far, they are falling short." Speaking on cast performance they said, Beautiful and sophisticated Simone plays the shrewd and manipulative Sakshi Goenka with elan. Sanjeeda's character is layered, but it's not coming through in her performance. Even Vatsal lacks the edginess both in terms of looks and performance."

Deccan Chronicle criticised, "It’s a tried and tested plot but one that still holds a lot of potential. But the problem here is that there is no thrill in this thriller. Ek Hasina Thi follows the silly, repetitive style of saas-bahu (mother in law-daughter in law) serials, and every teeny-weeny thing gets dragged for a week, making the eventual revenge very tiresome."

Audience

The series was well received among audience. It had constantly ranked among top 10 in TRP chart. Last episode of the series was earned highest trp on its slot.

Recreation

In June 2021, it was released on Hotstar on which its name was Daav.The series was only of 16 episodes while the real series had 216 episodes.

Adaptations

It was dubbed into various national and international languages including in Tamil and Telugu as "Durga", in Malayalam as "Oru shishirathinte ormakku" and in Arabic as "Laheeb Al-Huqd / لهيب الحقد" (transl. "Flames of Hatred") on MBC Bollywood. It was also dubbed into Sinhalese as "Sulanga Wage Awidin" on Hiru TV. It is also broadcast in Pakistan on Urdu 1 under the same original title name.

Awards

Indian Telly Awards 2014

• Best Actress in a Negative Role - Simone Singh

Indian Television Academy Awards 2014

• Best Series - Drama - Ek Hasina Thi
• Best Actor in a Negative Role - Ayub Khan
• Best Actress in a Negative Role - Simone Singh
• Gr8! Performer of the Year (Female) - Sanjeeda Sheikh
• Nominated for Best Actor (Male) - Vatsal Sheth

External links

• Official Website on hotstar