Doosra Keval is a drama based television show in the Hindi language that aired on the channel, Doordarshan. Doordarshan is one of the earliest autonomous public service broadcasters which is owned by the Government of India. The show, Doosra Keval first started telecasting in the year 1989 on 2nd of April. The show ran for one year and ended in the year 1989. The show was a huge hit of its time and is still remembered as the first television serial ever done by the King Khan of Bollywood, Shahrukh Khan.
The show marked the beginning of Shah Rukh Khan’s acting career. Doosra Keval was a family serial in the drama genre. The show portrays the struggle of a poor family in the village that loses their son to death. Keval is a young lad who lives in a village with his mother, father and younger sister. When Keval is all grown up, he moves to the town for work with the help of his uncle. The family is initially happy with the achievements of Keval but soon stops hearing from him. Years pass by, but Keval never returns home.
Soon they learn that their beloved son is no more alive. The family breaks into the sorrow of losing Keval. They learn that Keval had denied working for a friend of his in the town who was into illegal work. He tried stopping his friend from doing this work and getting involved in terrorist activities. In this effort, Keval lost his life. By the end of the show, Keval’s friend, for whom Keval got killed, is shown burdened with guilt and comes to visit Keval’s family in the village. He pleads for forgiveness to Keval’s family and is ready to do anything to compensate their loss.
He offers to take Keval’s place in their house and be their Keval for them. Since he looks exactly like their son Keval, they feel he is a reincarnation of their son. The family finally accepts him as their son, as a second Keval.
The story is told in flashback by Keval’s family and the villagers. Since the story ends with the family receiving a second Keval, the show is named as Doosra Keval. The show had a set of very talented actors portraying the major roles of the show. The role of Keval and his terrorist friend was played by Shahrukh Khan. He showcased a double role in his very first stint as an actor. Keval’s uncle’s character was played by veteran actor Arun Bali. Vinita Malik played the role of Keval’s mother. Natasha Rana portrayed the character of Keval’s young teenage sister.