# Begusarai (TV series)
*Begusarai* is an Indian Hindi-language television drama that aired on the channel &TV from 2 March 2015 to 24 June 2016, set in the Bihar district of the same name and centered on a wealthy Thakur family that rules the area through crime and violence.[1](https://www.tvmaze.com/shows/63864/begusarai) • [2](https://www.serialgossip.com/gossip-599-a) Produced by Saregama Productions, it was one of the two ambitious launch projects of &TV, a general entertainment channel that began broadcasting in 2015.[3](https://tva.onscreenasia.com/2015/02/new-on-tv/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Channel and run | &TV, 2 March 2015 to 24 June 2016; 346 episodes on a weekday schedule of about 22 minutes[1](https://www.tvmaze.com/shows/63864/begusarai) |
| Setting and premise | The land of Begusarai, Bihar, where the Thakur family's world of crime, and its involvement and uninvolvement in it, forms the story[4](https://www.justwatch.com/in/tv-show/begusarai) |
| Main cast | Vishal Aditya Singh as Lakhan Thakur, Shivangi Joshi as Poonam, Sartaj Gill as Priyom, Darshan Dave as Mithilesh Thakur, Sudesh Berry as Dadda Ji[4](https://www.justwatch.com/in/tv-show/begusarai) |
| Production | Saregama Productions; filmmaker Tigmanshu Dhulia directed the show's first look[3](https://tva.onscreenasia.com/2015/02/new-on-tv/) • [5](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/television/tigmanshu-dhulia-directs-first-look-of-tv-show-begusarai/) |
| End of run | Went off air after failing to garner sufficient TRPs following a story leap; the finale aired 24 June 2016[6](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/tv/news/hindi/begusarai-wraps-up-shweta-tiwari-rati-pandey-party-together/amp_articleshow/52849673.cms) • [1](https://www.tvmaze.com/shows/63864/begusarai) |
| Audience rating | 8.5 out of 10 on IMDb[4](https://www.justwatch.com/in/tv-show/begusarai) |
| Availability | Streaming on JioHotstar, Zee5, and VI movies and tv[4](https://www.justwatch.com/in/tv-show/begusarai) |
## Premise and story
The show is set in a small town in Bihar where a wealthy Thakur family keeps the local population in check through illegal reprisals, while the clan itself is torn apart from within by family squabbles, hatred, and envy; the situation escalates when a dancer appears in the town.[1](https://www.tvmaze.com/shows/63864/begusarai) Streaming synopses describe it as the story of Phulan Thakur and his family and how they rule the land of [Begusarai](https://www.edgepedia.org/begusarai), a place where respect, money, and power are earned through bloodshed, and of Poonam, a simple girl whose life and dreams are affected by the violence and power-hungry men around her.[7](https://www.jiotv.com/tv-shows/begusarai/da24439f36ac50eba830dd4c32601716)
Phulan Thakur is the head of the family, the ruler of Begusarai, a man of dignity and strict ideals who was once a dacoit and who is responsible for killing Bindiya's father; he is later jailed on a false kidnapping allegation arranged by Bindiya to get rid of him.[8](https://www.indiaforums.com/forum/begu-sarai/4545554/begusarai-characters-and-story-so-far) The family's authority begins to slip when Bindiya, a dancer, enters the hinterland.[6](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/tv/news/hindi/begusarai-wraps-up-shweta-tiwari-rati-pandey-party-together/amp_articleshow/52849673.cms)
## Production and launch
&TV positioned *Begusarai* as one of its two ambitious launch projects alongside the period drama *[Razia Sultan](https://www.edgepedia.org/razia-sultan-tv-series)*, both starting 2 March 2015. Rajesh Iyer, Business Head of &TV, said the show would bring television "a fresh new dialect and flavour which is again a first on TV", describing a larger-than-life canvas of Thakurs and outlaws in a land beyond the law.[3](https://tva.onscreenasia.com/2015/02/new-on-tv/)
The channel brought in the filmmaker [Tigmanshu Dhulia](https://www.edgepedia.org/tigmanshu-dhulia), known for directing *Saheb Biwi Aur Gangster* and *Paan Singh Tomar*, to direct the show's first look. Dhulia said the plot was narrated to him like a movie and that the team shot at real locations instead of a set to treat it like a film.[5](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/television/tigmanshu-dhulia-directs-first-look-of-tv-show-begusarai/) [Vishal Aditya Singh](https://www.edgepedia.org/vishal-aditya-singh), cast as Lakhan after auditioning for casting director Jeet Choudhary, said in a 2015 interview that viewers had responded positively to the role and that he worked on his diction and composure to play the character.[9](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/tv/news/hindi/vishal-aditya-singh-lakhan-the-newbaddie-of-television/articleshow/47863998.cms)
## Reception and controversy
The show drew complaints over its portrayal of a real district. The Broadcasting Content Complaints Council (BCCC), the self-regulatory body for Indian television, recorded three complaints about *Begusarai*, including one concerning a scene in which a man demands earrings from a woman. While handling a complaint concerning the show's title, the BCCC recommended that the channel air a disclaimer at the outset declaring the program wholly fictional and unconnected to any location within India, so as not to wound anyone's feelings or bring the Bihar district into disrepute.[10](https://ibdf.com/sites/default/files/Decisions%20taken%20by%20BCCC%2016%20April%202014%20to%2031%20August%202017_1.pdf) A press conference against the serial was also organized in July 2015 by groups objecting to what they described as propaganda against the dignity of the residents of Begusarai.[11](https://usharani.in/press-conference-against-tv-serial/)
## Cancellation and afterlife
After a story leap, the show failed to garner sufficient TRPs, the audience-measurement ratings used in Indian television, and could not sustain itself in the ratings race; the Times of India reported in June 2016 that it would go off air, with the finale scheduled for 24 June 2016 and a reported happy ending in which Bindiya lets Ananya live her life her way.[6](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/tv/news/hindi/begusarai-wraps-up-shweta-tiwari-rati-pandey-party-together/amp_articleshow/52849673.cms) • [12](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/tv/news/hindi/tvs-begusarai-to-end-soon-will-have-a-happy-ending/articleshow/52792324.cms) The cast, including [Shweta Tiwari](https://www.edgepedia.org/shweta-tiwari), Rati Pandey, Parichay Sharma, Ankit Gupta, and Vishal Aditya Singh, marked the last day of shooting with a celebration and cut a cake to mark the end of the show.[6](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/tv/news/hindi/begusarai-wraps-up-shweta-tiwari-rati-pandey-party-together/amp_articleshow/52849673.cms)
The serial has remained available on streaming platforms, currently on JioHotstar, Zee5, and VI movies and tv, and holds an 8.5 rating on IMDb.[4](https://www.justwatch.com/in/tv-show/begusarai) In Russia the show is known as Бандитский Бегусарай ("Bandit Begusarai").[1](https://www.tvmaze.com/shows/63864/begusarai)
## References
1. [Begusarai, TVmaze](https://www.tvmaze.com/shows/63864/begusarai)
2. [Review of Begusarai 1st episode on &TV, cast details, story plot, Serial Gossip](https://www.serialgossip.com/gossip-599-a)
3. [New on &TV, Television Asia Plus](https://tva.onscreenasia.com/2015/02/new-on-tv/)
4. [Begusarai, watch tv show streaming online, JustWatch](https://www.justwatch.com/in/tv-show/begusarai)
5. [Tigmanshu Dhulia directs first look of TV show 'Begusarai', The Indian Express](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/television/tigmanshu-dhulia-directs-first-look-of-tv-show-begusarai/)
6. [Begusarai wraps up; Shweta Tiwari, Rati Pandey party together, Times of India](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/tv/news/hindi/begusarai-wraps-up-shweta-tiwari-rati-pandey-party-together/amp_articleshow/52849673.cms)
7. [Begusarai TV Show, JioTV](https://www.jiotv.com/tv-shows/begusarai/da24439f36ac50eba830dd4c32601716)
8. [Begusarai: Characters and Story so far, India Forums](https://www.indiaforums.com/forum/begu-sarai/4545554/begusarai-characters-and-story-so-far)
9. [Vishal Aditya Singh: 'Lakhan' the new baddie of television, Times of India](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/tv/news/hindi/vishal-aditya-singh-lakhan-the-newbaddie-of-television/articleshow/47863998.cms)
10. [Decisions taken by BCCC 16 April 2014 to 31 August 2017, IBDF](https://ibdf.com/sites/default/files/Decisions%20taken%20by%20BCCC%2016%20April%202014%20to%2031%20August%202017_1.pdf)
11. [Press Conference against upcoming TV Show "Begusarai", Usha Rani](https://usharani.in/press-conference-against-tv-serial/)
12. [&TV's 'Begusarai' to end soon, will have a happy ending, Times of India](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/tv/news/hindi/tvs-begusarai-to-end-soon-will-have-a-happy-ending/articleshow/52792324.cms)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Series and fictional screen worlds › International serial drama and telenovelas › South and Southeast Asian serials › Hindi serials and Indian Hindi-language dramas › Family and social dramas*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 20, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 20, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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