Sailaab (Hindi-literally meaning Flood) is a Hindi language TV series that used to play for half hour episodes in the mid 90s.
It stars Sachin Khedekar, Renuka Shahane, Mahesh Thakur in key roles. All three of them have given excellent - each of them award deserving - performances. Supporting roles by the actors playing Sachin's wife and Renuka's brother were also commendable.
And I want to say it straight off: This is one show that helped me understand love and develop emotionally in a critical juncture of life: my mid-teens. And based on this personal experience would highly recommend it to youngsters in that age group.
The story revolves around lovers who are unable to be united in marriage owing to circumstances. And while at the present being in happy marriages themselves, what happens when a chance encounter leads to love rekindling.
Important call out: there is no physical aspects to the affair. You may call it platonic, but it's much more, it is true love indeed. The misguided youth the world around tend to lead the emotional immediately to the physical. Credit to Hindi serials like this which point out that love is a much more deeper thing. And really, true love does not require a physical touch.
The episodes proceed in an unhurried manner. A lot of prominence laid to the characters, their emotions and their conversations. How they look back, discuss about current circumstances and happenings, and what the future has in store. It also goes into depth of what happens, how the various characters deal with the affair with it is revealed. Not sharing more than this - for it really can't be put in words.
Maybe the best one can say is: If one has to get a 360 view of what life when in love is a lot about, watch this. The Before series of films (Before Sunrise, Before Sunset, Before Midnight) have come closest to this TV series in world cinema.
Full credit to the director (Ravi Rai I believe) who made quite a few of such mature and sensitive shows in that period. Hats off!