Aşk-ı Memnu (ISHQ E MEMNU)

Aşk-ı Memnu (literal translation: "Forbidden Love") is a Turkish romantic drama television series produced by Ay Yapım Productions and originally broadcast on Kanal D between 2008 and 2010.[1] It has been adapted from Halit Ziya Uşaklıgil's novel Aşk-ı Memnu, but it takes place in contemporary Istanbul instead of the novel's late 19th-century setting.

Format Romance, Drama, Telenovela

Written by Ece Yörenç

Melek Gençoğlu

Based on the novel by

Halit Ziya Uşaklıgil

Directed by Hilal Saral

Barış Yöş

Starring

Beren Saat

Kıvanç Tatlıtuğ

Nebahat Çehre

Selçuk Yöntem

Hazal Kaya

Country of origin Turkey

Original language(s) Turkish

No. of seasons 2

No. of episodes 79

Production

Producer(s)

Kerem Çatay

Production company(s)

 Ay Yapım

Broadcast
Original channel Kanal D
First shown in 4 September 2008 – 24 June 2010

Story

Peyker Yöreoğlu (Nur Aysan), Firdevs Yöreoglu's (Nebahat Çehre) eldest daughter is getting married to Nihat Önal (Ilker Kizmaz). Nihat is the son of a rich but cunning businessman Hilmi Önal (Recep Aktug) who dislikes Firdevs knowing she is a greedy, cunning and self-centered woman. Bihter Yöreoglu (Beren Saat) is shown to be recovering from the shock of her father's death. Although she is happy for her sister Peyker she holds her mother responsible for her father's death. She had accompanied her father to their farmhouse where he died of heart attack after seeing his wife with another man. Before getting married to Nihat, Peyker was romantically involved with Behlul. Hilmi is out-raged when Nihat marries Peyker, the daughter of the greedy Firdevs and kicks Nihat and Peyker out of his house.

Adnan Ziyagil lives in a mansion on the shore of Istanbul's Bosporus strait with his two children, teenage daughter Nihal and eleven year old son Bülant. Behlul's is a distant relative of Adnan. He was brought home by Adnan after his parents died in a car accident. Mrs Deniz is the children's nanny and she has been living in the household before the death of Adnan's wife. Adnan falls in love with the much younger and beautiful Bihter. He proposes her and she agrees to marry him even though she knows that her mother fancies him. Soon after Adnan and Bihter get married, Firdevs comes to live with the family. Hilmi Onel tells Adnan that he has made a big mistake by marrying Firdevs daughter Bihter and warns him that Firdevs will rob his family just like Nihat but Adnan ignores him. Adnan offers Nihat a job in his office, to which Nihat agrees and Hilmi becomes furious. He swears to ruin Nihat and Adnan's lives.

Nihal is not very happy with her father's decision of marrying Bihter. She wanted him to marry her French nanny Mrs. Deniz Mademoselle.

Besir is the Ziyagil family's driver who had been living with the family since he was six years old. Adnan raised him along with Nihal. He was also Nihal's childhood friend. Besir secretly loves Nihal and can go to any length to see a smile on the innocent Nihal's face. Nihal, on the other hand is madly in love with Behlul, but only Mademoiselle is aware of it. Cemile, the daughter of Ziyagil family's cook Suleyman and his wife Sayesta, has feelings for Besir.

A series of events takes place which lead Behlul into developing feelings for Bihter. Bihter rejects him initially, hurt Behlul proposes his then girlfriend and model Elif but distances himself from her when Bihter gives into his charms. Nihal is deeply saddened by Behlul's engagement and passes out during the engagement ceremony. Adnan worried about her daughter, asks Mademoiselle about her.

Behlul buys a small house on the riverside but only Bihter is aware of it. Bihter often goes there to meet Behlul. Besir, however, discovers this and secretly captures a video of Behlul and Bihter. But he fears that if he shows this to the family, Nihal would be heartbroken. Therefore he just leaves the Ziyagil House without informing anyone.

Behlul breaks up with his girlfriend Elif Meryem and comes closer to Bihter. However, he soon realizes that he has made a great mistake and starts avoiding Bihter. Bihter now finds it impossible to live without Behlul.

Firdevs senses change in Bihter's attitude. She uses her maid Katya to spy on her daughter and her family. Firdevs soon discovers everything about Bihter-Behlul affair. She also gets to know about Nihal's feelings for Behlul and tries to bring Nihal and Behlul closer to each other. Nihal soon reveals that she loves Behlul. Behlul is shocked to hear this because he only loved her as his sister. Soon Besir finds out that he has lung cancer. The Ziyagil family somehow finds him and he tells Behlul that he knows about his and Bihter's affair and that if he doesn't marry Nihal and keep her happy, he will reveal everything to Adnan. Behlul soon gets engaged to Nihal and Besir is happy to see Nihal happy. Adnan's sister Arsan takes Besir to her home so that she can take care of him.

Behlul is caught in a dilemma. He is ashamed of himself for deceiving his father like uncle and in guilt he leaves Bihter.

Heart-broken and devastated Bihter confronts Behlul. He tells Bihter that their relationship is over, and that he will marry Nihal so as to rectify his mistakes. Bihter, knowing that he loves her and is marrying Nihal only out of guilt, breaks down in front of her mother. She says that she is dying and begs her mother to stop the wedding. Firdevs refuses to help. A day before Behlul's wedding, Bihter asks him to run away with her but he coldly rejects her. As a last resort, on the day of wedding, Bihter confronts Behlul, pointing a gun towards herself, and asks why did he prefer Nihal over her, why did he choose to hurt her instead of hurting Nihal. She asks him whether he will be able to live after losing her and he says "no" but does not have the guts to take the gun from her hand. Adnan breaks into his bedroom and sees them together. He scornfully reminds Behlul that he treated him like his son. Upon realizing that Behlul does not have the courage to defend his love, Bihter kills herself. She dies for forbidden love. After her death, Behlul visits her grave, asking for forgiveness over his cowardice. He admits that he always loved her and that he is her murderer and of everyone else, nothing would have ended this way if he wasn't the coward man that he was, and that it is his punishment that he will have to live with this guilt forever. Behlul leaves Ziyagil family. Firdevs goes into shock over her daughter's death and ends up being paralyzed. She blames herself for snatching her daughter's love from her which resulted in her death. Adnan moves into a new house with his children, Mademoiselle and the servants(Suleyman, Shayesta, Nesrin, and Cemile) while Nihal is on the path of recovery after Behlul's betrayal.

Cast

BEREN SAAT as BIHTER
KIVIANC TATLITUG as BEHLUL

NEBAHAT CEHRE as FIRDOS
SELCUK YONTEM as MR.ADNAN 

HAZAL KAYA as NEHAL

BATUHAN KARACAKAYA as BULENT

ZERRIN TEKKINDOR as MADMOSSILE

RANA CABBAR











CEMILE
ILKER KIZMAZ as NEHAT
ELIF
NESRIN 

NUR AYSAN as PEYKER
ARSAN

SEYSTE
BARAN AKBULUT as BESIR

HILMI
AYNUR
PELIN
KATIYA

International broadcasts/Ratings

Aşk-ı Memnu, (ISHQ E MEMNU) was a major hit in Pakistan with 11.9 ratings on its last episode. It was seen by more than 5 million people in Pakistan. More than a million fans are messaging Urdu 1 (channel of broadcasting) to start the series again! It was the first foreign drama to get so much viewership and ratings in Pakistan.

Turkey - Kanal D
Saudi Arabia \ Arab World - MBC 4, MBC+ Drama
Egypt \ Arab World - Melody Drama, CBC Drama, CBC
Lebanon - LBC
Iran - GEM Classic Channel
Pakistan - Urdu 1
Slovenia - POP TV
Bulgaria - bTV, bTV Lady,Nova Televizia
Montenegro - TV In
Croatia - Nova TV, Doma TV
Serbia - Prva TV
Hungary - TV2
Greece - ANT1
Slovenia - PopTV
Slovakia
Romania - Kanal D
China - XJTV (Dubbed in Uyghur language)
Maghreb World - Nessma TV, 2M Monde
Israel - Viva
Kazakhstan - 31 Kanal
Uzbekistan
Macedonia - Kanal 5
and is now bought by US.

 Aşk-ı Memnu website 

Title Song

ISHQ E MEMNU BLOG

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Kivianc Tatlitug Interview About Ishq e Memnu