MUMBAI: TV czarina Ekta Kapoor who has been ruling the television industry for more than two decades is riding high on success. Colors together with Balaji Telefilms is all set to present one-sided love story, narrated from the male protagonist’s point of view. Nothing hurts more than love not reciprocated, and this is what exactly Kapoor’s next show deals with.

Christened Meri Aashiqui Tum Se Hi, the show is set in present-day Mumbai and narrates the story of two close friends Ranveer and Ishaani. The series will also highlight the thin line of difference between true friendship, loyalty and unending love.

Come 24 June, the new series will showcase the value of a big fat Gujarati family every Monday-Friday at 10pm. The show will replace Uttaran, which had a successful seven years stint in the industry.

Colors weekday programming head Prashant Bhatt said, “With Meri Aashiqui Tum Se Hi, we are looking forward to extending the love story offerings on Colors that will take the audiences on a whirlwind journey of every emotion associated with friendship and unrequited love. We are happy to collaborate with Ekta Kapoor yet again to put forth a refreshing and unexplored love story. We hope our viewers will revel in this avant-garde story presented to them from the male protagonist’s point of view.”

Emphasising the thought, “Even love unreturned has its rainbow” the show vividly traces the journey of Ranveer (Shakti Arora) whose amorous friendship with Ishaani (Radhika Madan) becomes a painful point in his life, as he finds himself unable to confess his undying love for her.

Speaking about show Kapoor opined, “The USP of the show is the emotional journey that the audiences will trace with Ranveer, as his feelings for Ishaani pull at their heartstrings and resonate the empathy that comes with a love that can never be his. Every actor in the show has been carefully chosen for the character they will be portraying, making them the perfect fit as they play crucial roles in taking the storyline forward. Our characters are relatable and if viewers are able to feel the pain that Ranveer feels every time his heart breaks a little more, it will be an ultimate win for us.”

Shakti Arora aka Ranveer said, “For Ranveer, his life revolves around Ishaani. He has been in love with her for as long as he can remember, but he is also conscious of the fact that his feelings will never be reciprocated. Getting into the skin of Ranveer’s character was extremely difficult for me because expression of emotion is very important to me. I hope audiences do enjoy my portrayal of a silent lover whose single aim in life is to ensure that Ishaani is happy.”

Speaking about her television debut, Radhika Madan aka Ishaani said, “I always aspired to be a choreographer…acting was never on the cards. However, now that I am making my television debut with Meri Aashiqui Tum Se Hi under the expert guidance of Ekta Kapoor and the Colors creative team, I feel elated yet anxious at the same time! Ishaani is the perfect Indian girl who believes in love and all the good things in life and I am working really hard to get into the mould of her character. The experience shooting for the show has been incredible so far and I hope that audiences support me as I venture into this new and unknown world of acting.”

Supporting the lead pair of Shakti and Radhika will be a powerful star studded cast which includes veteran actor Sarita Joshi as Ishaani’s tyrant grandmother together with Gauri Pradhan-Tejwani who is making a comeback on television after a gap of five and a half years with this show as Falguni.

Gauri Pradhan-Tejwani will be seen in a brand new avatar as Ishaani’s mother. Completing the picture-perfect family portrait will be popular theatre actor Prithvi Sankala as Ishaani’s father along with talented actor-writer Shahab Khan as Ranveer’s father, amongst others.