Qubool Hai

Season 1

Zoya Farooqui, an orphaned NRI, travels to Bhopal in search of her biological father. During her endeavor, she resides with the family of wealthy businessman Asad Ahmed Khan. Initially, the two despise each other; Zoya is good-hearted yet modern and fun-loving, which irks Asad, who is traditional and ill-tempered. Despite their contrasting personalities, they develop feelings for each other. Parallel to their love story, the household of Asad's father Rashid Ahmed Khan is shown. After leaving Asad's mother Dilshad, he married Shireen, with whom he had three children; Ayaan, Nuzhat and Nikhat. Asad, in spite of his hatred for Rashid, shares a strong bond with Ayaan. After Ayaan's temporary marriage to Zoya and numerous other difficulties among the two families, Asad and Zoya are finally married, Humaira finds her soul mate in Haider who is revealed to be Zoya's brother and Zoya even comes to know that she is Mr.Siddiqui's daughter and Mr.Siddiqui accepts Zoya has his daughter. Its revealed that Haider and Humaira shift to abroad and Humaira is pregnant and Asad and Zoya become parents of 2 identical twins Sanam and Seher. Their happiness is short-lived as two years later, they are murdered by their old rival Tanveer Baig. Dilshad, however, manages to flee with one of her granddaughters while the other one gets lost and moves to Punjab.

Season 2

Twenty years later, Sanam runs a restaurant in Punjab to support Dilshad and Haya, her mute cousin. After an encounter with tycoon, Aahil Raza Ibrahim, he destroys her restaurant. Sanam moves to Bhopal and ends up working as a cook for Aahil. Despite their initial hatred, the two develop feelings for each other. Tanveer, who is now blind, is also Aahil's stepmother and the mother of Rehaan Imran Qureshi, Aahil's assistant. She plots to rob Aahil of his father's inheritance and transfer the wealth to Rehaan's name. In her pursuit, she has Sanam marry Aahil, unaware that she is the daughter of Asad and Zoya. Over time, the two develop a strong relationship as husband and wife. Parallel to their love story, Haya is caught in a love triangle with brothers Rahat and Faiz; after accidentally marrying Faiz, she eventually unites with Rahat, Faiz feels betrayed and kidnaps Haya. Meanwhile, Seher, who has been raised as a con-woman, falls in love with Rehaan. Although she initially planned to con Sanam, she bonds with her instead when she learns that they are sisters. After regaining her eyesight, Tanveer has Aahil marry a new Sanam, who becomes his second wife. She practices black magic and accidentally kills Rehaan, devastating Tanveer, who dies when she tries to attack Sanam and Seher. The new Sanam also kills Seher and attempts to sell Sanam into human trafficking, but to no avail as Sanam meets with an accident, losing her memory and crossing the border into Lahore, Pakistan.

Season 3

Unable to recall her past, Sanam resides with Pakistani Major Shaad Aftab Khan, who names her Jannat and falls in love with her. As Jannat also reciprocates his love, she eventually remembers fragments of her life with Aahil, who searches for her desperately. Shaad's former fiance Misbah, who is revealed to be a terrorist named Noorjahan, is identical to her biological mother Tanveer; Jannat begins to recover her memory as she helps Shaad defeat Noorjahan. After Shaad realizes that Jannat is actually Sanam, he sacrifices his love for her.The new Sanam murders Aahil with jealousy, devastating Sanam - she vows to avenge Aahil,Seher and Shaad's death. Although she is unable to kill the new Sanam, she manages to deteriorate her eternal youth as a witch. Sanam commits suicide after vowing to haunt the new Sanam in the future.

Season 4

25 years later, new Sanam is known as Khan Begum, after her marriage to a rich and recently deceased Nawab Sheikh. Sanam's reincarnation Mahira arrives in Bhopal to stay with her step-sisters and falls in love with Khan Begum's eldest son Azaad - who is revealed to be a vampire. After their marriage, Azaad dies, and his long lost brother Armaan receives his heart in a transplant. Armaan falls in love with Mahira, despite Khan Begum's attempts to separate them. The season ended the show with Armaan and Mahira's remarriage.

Season 1

Season 2

Season 3

Season 4

Casting

The show has been produced and directed by Gul Khan under the banner of 4 Lions Films. Karan Singh Grover was the first to sign onto the show. He made his comeback to fiction with Qubool Hai. Grover was paid Rs. 20 lakhs per month because of his "formidable female fan base." Punjabi actress Surbhi Jyoti landed in lead role opposite Karan Singh Grover in the show. Rishab Sinha was finalised to be the second lead. In April 2013, he was replaced by Vikrant Massey due to some reasons. Nisha Nagpal entered the show as the main antagonist in November 2012. Later Nisha was replaced by Amrapali Gupta in April 2013. In November 2013, as Vikrant Massey quit the show Mohit Sehgal joined the star cast of Qubool Hai as the second lead. In January 2014, Karan Singh Grover was replaced by Raqesh Vashisth as the male lead. In March 2014, the makers Qubool Hai decided to introduce a 22-year leap in the series showcasing a new generation with Karanvir Bohra in the role of Aahil Raza Ibrahim and Surbhi Jyoti as Sanam Ahmed Khan, daughter of Asad and Zoya. After the 22 year leap was introduced in the show, entire cast of the show was changed except Surbhi Jyoti and Amrapali Gupta. Consequently, Karanvir Bohra entered the show as the male lead to star alongside Surbhi Jyoti and Shehzad Shaikh as the parallel lead. Chahat Khanna entered the show as the parallel antangonist somewhere in the end of June 2014 but soon quit the show for some health reasons. After Shalini Kapoor Sagar's and Alka Kaushal's exit from the series Additi Gupta made an entry in the show as the main antangonist. The show underwent a revamp in first week of March 2015 and Varun Toorkey was roped to star opposite Surbhi Jyoti. The makers of the show have starred 7 male actors opposite Surbhi Jyoti. In 2015, Karanvir Bohra quit the show, as he was not convinced with the show taking a 20-year leap and Harshad Arora was finalised as the new lead opposite Surbhi Jyoti. Amrapali Gupta's character was also shown getting killed, prior to the leap. However, later Arora was replaced by Rajbeer Singh as Azaad due to some creative differences as the channel thought that Arora looked young for the role. Post the leap, Surbhi Jyoti and Additi Gupta were the only faces from the former cast of the show which were retained. Jyoti played Mahira and Gupta played Nawab Begum/Khan Begum. Ankit Raj entered the show as one of the leads. Later in first week of October 2015, Pooja Bose was signed in to play the role of a witch, Afreen. In Mid October 2015, Avinash Sachdev joined the cast of the show as the 10 male lead opposite Surbhi Jyoti.

Shooting locations

Qubool Hai first aired on 29 October 2012 on Zee TV. Most of its shooting is done in Bhopal and Mumbai. The Ajmer Special Episode of the show was shot in Ajmer. A sad separation scene between Asad and Zoya in the Ajmer Special episode was shot in the sand dunes at Pushkar in Ajmer. Karan Singh Grover was mobbed by the crowd during outdoor shoots of the show, once in Bhopal, and once in Rajasthan with Surbhi Jyoti. The episode of Asad and Zoya's marriage was shot at the Taj Mahal. The McLeod Ganj Special episodes have been shot at McLeod Ganj in Himachal Pradesh. In Mcleodganj while shooting Karanvir Bohra was left stumped when he stumbled upon a group of nuns declaring themselves as his ‘ardent fan followers’.

Special scenes

The series has shot many scenes which resemble some of the scenes from Bollywood. In October 2014, Surbhi Jyoti shot a Human Bomb sequence similar to the one enacted by Tabu in Haider. In an episode of December 2014, Surbhi Jyoti performed a mujra on the song Dil Mera Muft Ka. Surbhi Jyoti's character was married 10 times. In June 2015, Karanvir Bohra and Surbhi Jyoti dressed as tribals for a scene.

Controversies

In 2013 and in 2015 the Broadcasting Content Complaints Council required the broadcaster to run notices across the screen because of scenes of torture and excessive violence against women that were aired on the show.

In October 2013, there were rumours of Karan Singh Grover quitting the show, but Grover rubbished those rumours. However, in December 2013, the channel of the show asked Grover to leave the show citing alleged unprofessional behaviour and lack of commitment towards the show. Grover stated that he completed the length of time with the show, and has been looking to quit the show ever since his contract expired but stayed on due to his good bonding with the production house, he also stated that he was ill and that he needed time off, he further mentioned that he could file a defamation case over the statements that had been made about him. Fans protested to bring Grover back on to the show. In May 2014, Grover joined 4 Lions Films as a co-producer of the show. He came back on the sets which irked the channel. Grover's exit caused a sizeable drop in the viewership figures of the show.

In the last week of March 2015, Karanvir Bohra decided to quit the show. Karanvir said that he wasn't convinced with the show taking a leap in Season 3. The actor was of the opinion that the storyline was about Aahil and Sanam but the former character did not fit in the third season. Since the role was not exciting enough and the TRPs low, Karanvir chose to call it quits. Fans also started an online petition on for him to stay back at Change.org His co-star Surbhi Jyoti also requested him to stay back. There were also rumours of him being insecure about the length of his role and his male co-stars. However, later he decided to return to the show on his fans demands after making some alterations to the script. He confirmed with The Times of India that he had a meeting with the production house and they convinced him to stay back. Before Bohra decided to return to the show, actor Harshad Chopra was approached to replace him but he was dropped from the show on Additi Gupta's behest. However, in July Bohra quitted the show as the production house of the show planned a 20 years leap. He confirmed that "He doesn't do replacements and leaps by policy. When they told him about the leap, he decided to step down".

Accidents

In July 2014, the sets of Qubool Hai caught fire however there was no loss of life in the fire accident. In June 2014, actress Surbhi Jyoti accidentally herself cut her wrist while shooting, in spite of the injury she continued shooting. In September 2014, a choreographer's dupatta caught fire but it was averted by actor Karanvir Bohra and the choreographer was saved. In March 2015, actress Amrapali Gupta injured herself by a fake bullet while shooting a scene where in she had to shoot her on screen uncle with a gun. In August 2015, Jyoti suffered a head injury while she was shooting on a harness. She was rushed to Dr LH Hiranandani Hospital, Powai and was saved. In spite of having six stitches on her forehead and prescribed bed rest, the actress resumed shooting as the producers did not have a bank of episodes.

Events and guest appearances

Eid Mubarak was a three-hour event, with music and dance performances by various actors. The contemporary lead couple of the show, Karan Singh Grover (Asad) and Surbhi Jyoti (Zoya), performed to a medley of three songs. Dawat-E-Eid was an Eid special event on the sets of Qubool Hai. At this event Parineeti Chopra and Aditya Roy Kapoor promoted their movie Dawat-E-Ishq. At this event TV Stars gave various dance performances. Karanvir Bohra (Aahil) and Surbhi Jyoti (Sanam) performed on Bollywood songs like Jumme Ki Raat Hai, Mera Naam Ishq and Main Rang Sharbaton Ka. Ravi Dubey (Siddharth) and Nia Sharma (Roshni) of Jamai Raja performed to the song Wallah Re Wallah. Sajid–Wajid the most well known music director duo also performed. Holi Bemisaal was Zee TV's three hour Holi special. Karanvir Bohra (Aahil) and Surbhi Jyoti (Sanam) danced on songs Holi Hai, Rang Barse, Holi ke Din and Aaj naa chodenge khelenge hum Holi. Zee 20 Cricket League was an event organised by Zee TV, wherein there were two cricket teams Raj Ke Challengers and Samarth Ke Daredevils. Karanvir Bohra (Aahil) was a player of the team Samarth Ke Daredevils. At 2012 Zee Rishtey Awards Karan Singh Grover (Asad), Surbhi Jyoti (Zoya) and Rishab Sinha (Ayaan) gave a dance performance on the song Disco Deewane. At 2013 awards, Karan Singh Grover (Asad) and Surbhi Jyoti (Zoya) presented a sizzling aerial act on the song Anga Laga De. At the 2014 Rishtey awards, Karanvir Bohra (Aahil) and Surbhi Jyoti (Sanam) performed on the song Shaam Gulabi. Crossover promotional events have occurred with Punar Vivah on 18 January 2013, Pavitra Rishta and Badalte Rishton Ki Dastaan on 20 May 2013, Punar Vivah - Ek Nayi Umeed and Connected Hum Tum on 11 July 2013 Khelti Hai Zindagi Aankh Micholi on 4 December 2013. In the Mahasangam episode on 11 July 2013 wherein Imran Khan promoted his movie Once Upon ay Time in Mumbai Dobaara!, the contemporary lead couple of the show, Karan Singh Grover (Asad) and Surbhi Jyoti (Zoya) presented a romantic number on the song Teri Meri. Surbhi Jyoti gave a performance with film actor, Imran Khan on the song Tayyab Ali in the episode. The Grand Finale of Dil Se Nache Indiawaale on 9 November 2014 showcased a dazzling act by the lead couple of the show, Karanvir Bohra (Aahil) & Surbhi Jyoti (Sanam). Akshay Kumar appeared on the show in a guest appearance for the promotion of his film Holiday: A Soldier Is Never Off Duty. In 2015, makers of the show arranged five Eid special episodes and named them as Rangat-E-Eid, wherein many television actors gave performances. Riteish Deshmukh and Pulkit Samrat promoted their movie Bangistan during Rangat-E-Eid.

Reception

Due to Karan Singh Grover's presence, the show made a grand entry into Indian television. The Times of India wrote that "Karan Singh Grover - one of the television's hottest hunks and popular actors - is making his comeback on television after almost two years in a daily soap. And it is no mean feat for the broadcaster as they would want to give the best possible time SLOT to his show, Qubool Hai." In January 2013 The Times Of India reported that "Zee TV's Qubool Hai has inched into a comfortable No.8 slot thanks to Karan Singh Grover's charisma and also an honour killing track - both appear to have found a connect with audiences." The chemistry between the lead couple pulled in the TRPS. Around April 2013, the show became the number 2 show of Indian Television. The show also won many awards in 2013 including Best Show and Best Actor Karan Singh Grover at Indian Television Academy Awards. The Times Of India gave Karan Singh Grover credit for the high television ratings of the show. In October 2014, Kavita Awaasthi interviewed Jyoti for Hindustan Times and introduced her by stating that "Surbhi made a mark with her effervescent character of Zoya Farooqui in Qubool Hai. The story of the show may be interesting, but a large part of its success is because of her chemistry with co-star Karan Singh Grover."

In late December 2013, when Karan Singh Grover left the show Shraddha Bhandari, writing for CNN-IBN in December 2013, stated that Qubool Hai was typical of "All serials start off brilliantly with immense promise and somewhere in the middle they get lost in the maze of TRPs, cheap publicity and making what sells."Bhandari had appreciated that when the series had started, "Zoya Farooqui was a jeans wearing, very modern women, raised in the US, yet very close to her culture and roots. The story moved on with her clashes with the very orthodox, Asad Ahmed Khan and how she changed his conservative thinking and start of their love story." but stated that "the serial became lost in multitude of vamps, warring families, crude language and events that in real life are unfathomable." After Karan Singh Grover was replaced by Raqesh Vashisth as "Asad Ahmed Khan" the show received high level critical response up to the extent of Raqesh receiving hate mails. These hate mails criticised Raqesh's acting for playing Asad. These hate mails of criticism nervoused Vashisth and lowered his morale. Grover's exit caused a sizeable drop in the viewership figures of the show. In January 2014, the show moved to the fourth position on the channel.

The Deccan Chronicle reported that, fans had predicted doom for Qubool Hai after the original lead Karan Singh Grover quit, but the show picked up again after Bohra’s entry. In December 2014, Shruti Jambhekar writing for The Times of India stated that "Karanvir Bohra and Surbhi Jyoti as Aahil and Sanam in the post leap version of Qubool Hai had managed to save their show from getting the axe earlier in the year 2014. The couple have an "impressive fan following" on social networking sites." In October 2014, the show had 14 shows ahead of it and ranked 9th on the list of top 10 shows of Indian Television. In December 2014, The Times Of India reported Sanam and Aahil(Saahil) to be "hit with the viewers." In May 2015 Gayatri Kolwankar writing for The Times Of India stated that Surbhi Jyoti has been the face of 'Qubool Hai' since its inception and the show is popular, and that "Surbhi and Karanvir make an ideal pair on-screen". At 2015 Zee Gold Awards, the couple were titled as the Best Onscreen Jodi. Neha Maheshwri, writing for The Times of India in July 2014, stated that the show "has failed to impress the audience." In May 2015 Zehra Kazmi writing for Hindustan Times stated that the show should end as it has nothing new to offer, which is evident with the dip of TRPS. In March 2015, when news of Karanvir Bohra quitting the show were out, fans had set up an online petition to reunite Sanam and Aahil in the show.