Margarita is an Indian television show broadcast on Zee TV in 1997, starring Milind Soman, Rajeshwari Sachdev, Nivedita Bhattacharya, Malvika Singh, Vinay Pathak, Nadira, and Kalpana Iyer.
Margarita is a love story, set in Goa against a Portuguese backdrop. It tells the story of Pedro who is in love with Margarita, also called Tita, the youngest of the family's three children. However, a family tradition that the youngest daughter remains unmarried to take care of her aged parents prevents the two from marrying. So, Soman marries one of the other sisters to be close to his loved one.
This show was ahead of its time. The show begins in a TV studio where Suchitra Pillai narrates the story of Margarita, her grandmother from her diary kept and maintained by Margarita throughout her life.
The music has been scored by Louis Banks and the costumes designed by Wendell Rodriques.
Cast CharacterPlayed ByAdditional NotesMargarita BraganzaRajeshwari SachdevLead Female Character of the story. The youngest daughter of Elena Braganza, commonly nicknamed as 'Tita'.Pedro D'CostaMilind SomanHe married Margarita's elder sister, Rose Braganza.Rose BraganzaNivedita BhattacharyaEldest daughter of Elena BraganzaDonna Elena BraganzaKalpana IyerCommonly referred to as Elena, Elena Mai, or simply Mai.Gertrude (Braganza)Malvika SinghSecond daughter of Elena Braganza born out of wedlock from Elena with her lover Joseph. Joseph and Elena were in love with each other. However, Elena's parents were opposed and forced Elena to marry Juan Braganza. Joseph and Elena kept loving each other even after Elena's marriage to Juan. Joseph and Elena were supposed to run away together while Elena was pregnant with Gertrude however, Elena's father shot Joseph thinking he was an armed robber. Elena kept her silence and continued to live a married life with Juan, keeping Joseph in her heart. Tita came across the love letters (after Elena Mai's demise) in a box that Elena Mai had kept hidden. NachaNadiraThe housemaid who raised Margarita since her birthChanchaTuhina VohraThe house help of Braganza houseDragoVicky AhujaHouse help of the Braganza family. He and Chancha loved each other. Later he married Chancha and they have a daughter named Kancha.Dr. John CoelhoVinay PathakFamily doctor and friend, who loved and eventually married MargaritaJosephitaSuchitra PillaiRose and Pedro's daughter. Margarita's mother.Josephita's daughter, MargaritaThe narrator of the story and granddaughter of Margarita is a role duplicate resembling her mother Josephita, played by Suchitra Pillai. She is also named Margarita, after the lead female character.Donna PikitaKamini KhannaChildhood friend of Elena BraganzaKanchaGeeta TyagiDaughter of Chancha, next-generation house-help to Braganza family.Alex Coelho (child)Not knownChild actor - son of Dr. John CoelhoRobertoNot knownInfant actor - first child and son of Rose and Pedro. The day Rose's water broke, Chancha and Elena Mai had to leave the house in the early morning for a family emergency. Only Pedro and Tita were in the house. Tita coaxed Pedro to go on his bicycle and find the doctor for Rose's delivery. Tita did not know what to do. Suddenly, Nacha's soul appears to Tita. She helps deliver, Roberto - Rose's son with Tita's help. Rose was not able to feed Roberto after he was born. Tita once helped Roberto by trying to feed him her breast milk. To her surprise, Roberto was feeding only from Tita. Tita looked after Roberto like her own son. Roberto would find peace and solace in Tita's company. Elena Mai ordered Rose and Pedro to temporarily live in Pedro's home. Tita was unhappy with the decision since she knew Roberto couldn't accept anyone for feeding. Roberto did not survive the separation from Tita, who fed her and took great care of her. Tita held Elena Mai responsible for Roberto's death.Alex Coelho (adult)Atul KumarHe is the son of Dr. John Coelho. When he was a boy, he thought he would marry little Josephita. Years after moving away from the town, the Coelho family i.e. Dr. John, his son Alex and Margarita returned to the town. This is the next generation segment of the show when the actors grew older and the children became adolescents including Alex and Josephita. Alex falls in love with Josephita unknowingly and they get married in church with theconsent of everyone in both of their families. They marry exactly one year after the death of Alex's father, Dr. John Coelho.
Plot
Margarita's birth Josephita's daughter reading out an entry from Margarita's personal diary in a cozy TV studio with small TV sets around her as she speaks live in the studio.
Flashback into the story: Nacha, the housemaid, and Elena Mai who is pregnant are cooking in the kitchen and chatting with each other when suddenly Elena's water breaks. She is in pain and worried that the child will come before they can make it to a hospital. There is no time to call a doctor or take Elena Mai to the nearest hospital. Nacha makes Elena Mai lay on the kitchen counter and delivers the baby: it's a girl. Nacha holds her in her hands proudly and looks at her with motherly love. A few days after the birth, Elena's husband dies and Elena is burdened with managing the family affairs. Nacha offers to be the foster mother for the newborn girl, who is named Margarita. Since then, Margarita is fostered and brought up under the care and love of Nacha and Margarita loves her like a mother. Margarita spends most of her life in the kitchen alongside Nacha.
It is said that chopping onions makes one cry. Margarita would never cry. Nacha had a remedy for this. She put a small onion of top of Margarita's head while she was chopping onions and Margarita immediately began to cry at.
Love at first sight It is Christmas Eve and Donna Elena Braganza is hosting a Christmas party for family and friends. Margarita is expected to serve the guests alcoholic drink, prompting her to ask her mother, Elena Mai, when can she start drinking. Elena Mai says she is too short to drink and tells her that when she will be a few inches taller, she can drink. Once Mai leaves, Margarita looks at herself in the mirror, stands on her toes, and while whispering to herself, 'Now I am tall enough to drink some', she gulps a single shot from the tray in front of her. She sees through the mirror that there is a young man (Pedro) who is staring at her intensely.
The beginning of the love affair Pedro cannot get Margarita out of his mind and he starts following her everywhere. Margarita is walking with chicks bundled up in her skirt when one of them falls down as she is climbing the stairs from the garden. She struggles to pick up the fallen chick as both her hands are full and as Pedro rushes to help, her skirt hikes up. Margarita realizes what is happening and while trying to quickly fix her skirt, the chicks all fall out onto Pedro. Next, Margarita is seen walking on the seashore along with Chancha, Rose, and Gertrude with Pedro following her closely. The girls giggle and smile and continue walking along the shores, while Pedro follows Margarita who is lagging behind, and asks her if she has feelings for him also. Margarita hesitates but eventually admits her feeling for him.
Family's old tradition According to the family's old tradition, the youngest daughter cannot get married. She has to stay at home and take care of the elderly parents for the rest of their lives. Nacha, the housemaid and also Margarita's foster mother thinks that Elena Mai wouldn't be adamant to follow this absurd tradition. To her shock, Elena Mai expresses her concern and makes it clear to the entire house that according to the traditions, Tita is the youngest, and therefore she cannot marry anyone. She has to take care of her like how it has been in the family for several years. Hearing this, Nacha and Elena have a little argument over the kitchen where Nacha expresses that she thought Elena Mai would be more considerate and break such a family tradition and free her daughters to live a happily married life. Certainly, this is not the case in Braganza house.
Pedro's asks for Tita's hand in marriage Pedro and his father, Pascal come to meet Elena Mai to ask for Margarita's hand in marriage for Pedro. Elena Mai explains the family tradition to them that Tita cannot get married according to the family's old tradition. She also states that his son-in-law to her other daughters must live with them in the Braganza house since, after her, all the property would eventually belong to him.
Pedro instead settles to marry Elena's eldest daughter, Rose. Everyone is excited in the kitchen with Chancha going back and forth getting news from the sitting hall to the kitchen. She is baffled at the thought that Pedro is agreeing to marry Rose instead of Tita. She is unable to communicate that well to the ladies in the kitchen. Finally, Elena Mai comes into the kitchen and announces that a decision has been made. The marriage will be next month, with Rose. Whilst leaving Braganza house, Pedro's father asks Pedro why he agreed to do this.
Everyone in Braganza house is shocked. Tita is quietly absorbing her tears and does not utter a word. She has immersed herself in chores. Nacha is worried about Tita. Nacha is seeing cutting onions and down came Tita's tears like rain on a deserted land.
Rose and Pedro's marriage Tita tries on the marriage veil and accidentally red wine drops on it. The stains are hard to remove. Gertrude summons Nacha. Nacha rushes from the kitchen to solve the problem. She sprinkles some white powder on the veil and it becomes white as new again.
Nacha and Elena argue over why she consented to Rose and Pedro's marriage knowing the fact that Pedro and Tita love each other deeply. Elena says that she is the mother of their daughters and decider of their fate.
Later, Tita asks Nacha to get ready for the marriage ceremony. Nacha says she does not feel well from within, her heart is not fully happy with this marriage. She tells Tita to continue without her and asks her not to cry during the ceremony. Tita dreams of herself and Pedro getting married in the church instead of Rose. While she hallucinates back to reality, she realizes that Rose and Pedro are taking their first walk down the aisle as a married couple and bells are ringing.
Pedro finds Tita and confesses to her in one corner of the house that he has done this marriage only for the sake of him being close to Tita. He still loves Tita and will continue to love her.
The reception is held at Braganza house. Everyone is being served with the wedding cake after dinner. As each was eating those pieces of cake, everyone started to cry. Pedro and Rose ate the cake too, and cried. Gertrude, Tita's elder sister ate the cake too, Mai ate it too. All of them cried.
Elena scolds Tita that she must have definitely put something in the cake that resulted in this incident. She is pleading to Mai that she did not do anything and that she can ask Nacha herself as she was also there. They both come to see Nacha. Nacha is silent. She has died. Tita starts crying telling Nacha's body that there is no one of her own after her.
Post marriage Pedro and Tita's affair Pedro and Tita silently exchange letters by keeping their letters in a letterbox in the sitting hall. No one knows that. This is how they exchange their romantic thoughts for each other and keep their love alive. Meanwhile, Rose and Pedro haven't consummated their marriage yet.
Pedro sees Tita working on the grinding stone in the kitchen and is wooed by her beauty.