Aşk-ı Memnu

Kivanç's new series Aşk-ı Memnu (or Forbidden Love) is going to be aired on the Turkish TV very soon (in September). The series promises to be another huge smash by this so talented and unique actor, and his public just can't wait to see him again on screen and enjoy his amazing artistic performance. Notice that the series is inspired from what is known to be the first modern Turkish novel written by Halid Ziya Uşaklıgil.

Below is a summary of the series (thank u Nora) and a video of the promo. So far, I could see a red apple in the video, which is a very symbolic refernce to the forbidden fruit and hence forbidden love. I will post a note on the series as soon as I get a chance to watch it. Stay tuned.

*The series may be watched online on www.canlidizi.com or www.diziport.com . To be confirmed later.

SUMMARY

The young and pretty Bihter receives a proposal of marriage from Mr. Adnan. He is a rich man in his fifties, owner of a wealthy yalı, a big villa on the shore of the Bosporus. Adnan is a widower, and father of two children: a daughter, Nihal, and a son, Bülend. Against the objections of her jealous mother, Bihter accepts Adnan's proposal: because of material reasons, since she is eager to lead a more prosperous life than her family can afford. But also because she wants to get away from her mother's range of influence. Her mother, Firdevs, is a member of the so-called group of Mr. Melih, a family of flirtatious women, fond of dressing up and going out. Bihter is afraid that her mother's reputation will keep away any other candidates for her, and afraid to end up the same way her licentious mother did. The marriage seems a good solution.

Bihter takes up residence in the rich villa, where life passes by calmly. The villa's main inhabitants are her newly wed husband, Mr. Adnan, and his daughter Nihal, who is fond of her father. Further, there is the easygoing son Bülend, Adnan's nephew Behlûl (a notorious rake), and the French governess Mlle de Courton. Finally, there is the domestic staff, the servants, especially Beşir, a black slave, who is secretly in love with his mistress Nihal.

Bihter makes quite an effort to be a good wife to Adnan, to be a good stepmother to Nihal, to be a good lady of the house to the servants. But no matter how hard she tries, her efforts lead to nothing. The servants despise her. When one of them decides to leave, Nihal is convinced that it's a conspiracy of Bihter: it must be Bihter's goal to send away all people loving Nihal. Nihal starts behaving hostile. On top of this, Bihter discovers she doesn't feel any passion for her husband, Adnan.

She does find this passion for some time with Behlûl, Adnan's nephew who's living in the villa as well. Bihter resists, afraid that starting an affair will make her the same as her mother, but in vain. They have an affair. Nihal's confidante, Mlle de Courton, is sent back to France. Nihal gets recalcitrant. Behlûl is fed up with Bihter and returns to his mistress in Istanbul's night life.

At that point Bihter's mother, Mrs. Firdevs, suggests a demonic plan: Behlûl should marry Nihal. To Behlûl this seems a reasonable solution to get rid of demanding and insisting Bihter. He even manages to fall in love with the young and pure girl. After some hesitations, Nihal decides she loves Behlûl as well. Bihter eats her heart out with jealousy and considers to reveal everything to Adnan, and thus take revenge on Behlûl, Nihal and her mother Firdevs.

But before she can do so, the whole affair is already told by the servant Beşir, who is secretly in love with his mistress Nihal. Bent on revenge, Bihter can't stand the idea of living as a fallen woman, which will be her fate from now on, and thus she shoots a bullet through her heart. Behlûl runs away, Beşir dies from tuberculosis, but the female servant returns to the villa, and Mlle de Courton is on her way back from France. Father and daughter, Adnan and Nihal, can take up their calm, quite life again.

VIDEO