Aşk Laftan Anlamaz – Series Review

Aşk Laftan Anlamaz

Rating – 4/5

When good stories end, they leave you wanting for more.

That was the case with me after I finished watching Aşk Laftan Anlamaz, a 2016 Turkish drama serial (broadcasted on Show TV and comprising of 31 episodes each 2 hours long). Weeks after, I am still experiencing withdrawal syndrome.

I am a romance aficionado. If I sniff even a whiff of passionate romance between the lead pair, I will grab that book as soon as I can (and devour it in one sitting) or will watch that drama/film.

Unfortunately, Indian dramas don’t dish out romance much. What they do is create the illusion of romance, and once the audience is hooked, bang! Bring in the regressive kitchen politics. Now drag on the serial. The aunties are happy; the TRPs are coming; who cares for young millennials like me who just want a good romance story, not an eternal shit-fest where every possible combination of nonsense is included.

This is how I came across Aşk Laftan Anlamaz, while searching for romance drama recommendations. It deals with every emotion in the spectrum of love – falling in love, jealousy, childish antics to irritate your lover, anger, heartbreak, pain, forgiveness, and finally happiness. Did I just mention happiness? Ooh, yeah, I love happy endings.

Hayat and Murat in Aşk Laftan Anlamaz

The Story of Aşk Laftan Anlamaz

There are three parallel love stories in this drama – Murat and Hayat, Doruk and Aslı, and Kerem and Ipek.

Murat and Doruk Sarsılmaz are stepbrothers and heirs to the ultra-rich Sarsılmaz family. Kerem is Murat’s chauffeur.

Hayat, Aslı, and Ipek are ordinary girls, belonging to the countryside, residing in Istanbul for work. All the three girls live together.

Hayat is still unemployed and if she doesn’t find a job soon, she will have to return and marry a man of her family’s choice (typical conservative thoughts – I was amazed to see the similarities between middle-class families of India and Istanbul).

Hayat goes to Sarte (Sarsılmaz Textiles) for a job interview for the position of an assistant. An influential diplomat’s daughter, Şuna, has also applied for the same position under her father’s pressure. But when she reaches the office, Şuna doesn’t want to work in that position. She is an avid birdwatcher and would rather do something that connects her to nature.

Şuna flees, dropping her CV on the floor, which (no rewards for guessing) Hayat picks up. Hayat accidentally gives Şuna’s CV to the interviewer and lands the job. Thus, starts the romance between Hayat and Murat based on a lie. Will these two fall in love? Will their love sustain every blow coming their way? Well, you have got to watch Aşk Laftan Anlamaz to find out.

Why You Should Watch Aşk Laftan Anlamaz

This drama had everything – a good, engaging story, humour, sleek cinematography, a catchy OST, and a beautiful lead pair. However, what hooked me to this drama was the sizzling chemistry between Hayat and Murat, and their all-consuming love captured my heart.

The drama starts on a light note but by the middle progresses into heavy topics which are sensibly dealt with. However, fear not, it has a happy ending.

Murat and Hayat

Murat and Hayat

Besides the romance, I also loved the friendship between the three girls and the kinship between the boys as well. Further, family ties are explored, which is thought-provoking. The supporting characters were satisfyingly etched out.

The other two couples in Aşk Laftan Anlamaz apart from HayMur

The actors were wonderful, especially Hande Erçel and Burak Deniz portraying Hayat and Murat respectively. Burak Deniz is such a powerful actor. He brought out the suaveness and raw pain of Murat equally well. His chocolate boy good looks and his velvety voice are to die for. I am now ready to watch anything starring Burak Deniz.

Yet the drama isn’t without lacunae. The other two pairs, sadly, exuded tepid chemistry. Moreover, the last part of the last episode felt too rushed. Another ten minutes to answer all the questions would have notched this drama a higher rating.

Okay, review done. I am off to rewatch it. What about you? Dive in.

Note: I watched the Hindi/Urdu dubbed version of the drama available on YouTube. I could watch only some of the episodes with English subtitles because the YouTube videos with English subtitles were restricted in my country. It may not be so for US/Canada/Europe. If you know Turkish, that’s the best option to watch this drama. If you know Hindi/Urdu, you can watch the dubbed version (where some of the scenes have been edited).

LET’S CHAT

Have you ever watched any film/drama in a language other than your native tongue? Did you like it? Has any such drama ever prompted you to learn that language? Let me know in the comments’ section below.