Inspired by Satya Vyas’s novel ‘Chaurasi’, the show follows two intertwined stories: a 1984 blooming romance between Manu and Rishi that succumbs to anti-Sikh riots and the one is set in 2016, when Amrita Singh, an IPS officer, solves a riddle that ties the past with the present.
Grahan (aka Eclipse) is set in the aftermath of the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, also known as the 1984 Sikh Massacre, in which former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was assassinated by her Sikh bodyguards, resulting in a series of organised atrocities against Sikhs in India. Even decades later, the memories of the horrific events remain vivid in the minds of those who had witnessed them.
Helmed by Ranjan Chandel, this eight-part series is a fictional drama that follows Manjeet Chhabra aka Manu (Wamiqa Gabbi) and Rishi Ranjan (Anshumaan Pushkar) as they fall in love against the backdrop of tragic incidents that transpired in 1984, particularly in Bokaro. However, at present, it is focused on Amrita Singh (Zoya Hussain), an honest and sincere IPS officer, who is also heading the Special Investigation Team (SIT) that is tasked with investigating the 1984 riots. Amrita is adamant about finding what has happened decades ago and is taken aback when she learns that her father, Gursevak Singh (Pavan Raj Malhotra) was one of the prime suspects. Is there a link between these two stories from distinct timelines? Will Amrita be able to find the truth?
On the one hand, Shailendra Kumar Jha and his team of writers (Anu Singh Chaudhary, Navjot Gulati, Vibha Singh, Prateek Payodhi, Ranjan Chandel) have developed a mystery drama that explores how love blossoms in young hearts and reaches its zenith amid the constraints of a small town. And, on the other hand, it depicts the transformation of ordinary people into rioters— which is fuelled sometimes by misleading exhortations and sometimes by individuals seeking personal gains. The screenplay features a multi-layered narrative that includes elements such as the naivety of 80s romance, gruesome violence and atrocities, and confessions, all of which combine to make this saga a compelling one. To keep the plot authentic to the one it is inspired by, Shailendra Kumar Jha keeps the names of the characters Manu and Rishi similar to those in Satya Vyas' novel ‘Chaurasi’.
