Ardhangini was a TV serial aired on DD National in 1996. It was a classic hit soap opera that showed things related to women’s empowerment. Ardhangini that translates better half in the English language, was a show that was about getting married and how a woman has to sacrifice many things after marriage. In the tv serial, it was shown that people expect many things from a woman without them expecting anything in return. The serial has an extraordinary cast from the Hindi film and serial industry. The lead cast was Farha Naaz as the female protagonist who was a feminist and thought that getting married isn’t the only thing a woman should dream about.
She also thought that one should marry the person they love and not the person their parents prefer. Other cast included Deepshikha, Amita Nangia, Parikshit, Upasana Singh, and Vidya Sinha. The serial was directed by Alok Nath Dikshit. The serial had a total of 52 episodes and it had five to 10 different stories. Five to seven episodes concluded one story. All stories were different and had different casts. The same thing was that each story was about women’s empowerment and how they overcome their difficulties. In the show, the Nishant, the male protagonist, asks the female protagonist Sushmita to marry him, but she says that she doesn’t want to marry him and wants to take some time.
Then he says that if she refuses, he will kill her. Later she says that what if his parents refuse. He says that he is going to do what his folks say. In the serial, his sister was married without her consent just because her father wanted that. Later she finds out that her husband doesn't love her. She is not happy in her married life and wants to get out of his home. Later, when his father comes to take her back, she refuses to say that you are the one who did all this, and I won't go back to your house. Later Sushmita goes to meet Nishant’s sister, and she asks her why she married the person she didn't want to.
Nishant’s sister tells her that she could not say no to her dad. In another story, they showed the story of a woman who was being tortured by her In-Laws for dowry. She tries to save herself from her in-laws and asks for help from her husband, but he denies helping her. To save herself, she becomes a bad person and starts torturing her in-laws. Later she realizes that what she is doing is bad, and she should not do this. After that, she comes to her senses and does the right thing, and makes a happy family. In another story, they showed the story of a man who got married to a woman because her family members wanted that. Later her wife finds out about this, and finds out that he is having an affair and loves another woman. Later she fights for her rights and makes everything right.