In 2012, a Turkish TV series Ishq-e-Mamnoon (Aşk-i Memnu /Forbidden Love 2008) was aired by Urdu1 in Pakistan. It was a major hit with 11.9 ratings for its last episode, that was seen by more than 5 million people in Pakistan, and also aired at a cinema. Shortly after its first screening, it was rerun by the same channel as apparently more than a million fans messaged the channel, requesting to show the series again. It was the first foreign drama to get such a high viewership and ratings in Pakistan.
At the time the media industry cried wolf and asked for trade-protection or outright ban on dubbed programming. Content-wise and technically, it was a next-level production, and it opened the door for much more Turkish and Korean content to be aired as well. The dust settled.
Ishq-e-Mamnoon was hugely popular because the storyline was one, because it was racy and bold with a hint of incest and two, because Pakistanis fell head over heels in love with the gorgeous and swoony lead actors. “Mamnoon” or forbidden stuff pressed several buttons as ‘forbidden’ is always super-attractive, and sells like crazy in our rather repressed society. People love the storyline where the wealthy widower Adnan marries the gorgeous young Bihter, and aforbidden love sparks between Bihter and Adnan's nephew Behlül who lives with the couple in the same mansion. The unforgettable story was an adaptation of an 1899 novel and ended in a tragedy, much to the disappointment of the audiences worldwide as Aşk-ı Memnu was dubbed in many languages, including Urdu, Persian, Arabic, Hindi, Portuguese, and Spanish and broadcast in more than 40 countries in the world. Nonetheless, Pakistanis fell in love with the leads and the characters they played so badly, they started naming their sons Behlul!
Bihter, was played by Beren Saat, a Turkish actress, also known for her title role in Fatmagül, which followed Ishq-e-Mamnoon on Urdu1. Behlul was played by Turkish actor, model, and former basketball player, Kıvanç Tatlıtuğ, one of the highest-paid actors in Turkey who has won several accolades. He later appeared in Ek Haseena Ek Deewana/ Cesur vs Guzel, which also enjoyed immense viewership.
Fast forward to the present-day. Fourteen years later, when the iconic duo of Beren Saat and Kıvanç Tatlıtuğ, known for their roles in Ishq-e-Mamnoon, reunited for the Netflix film "Last Call for Istanbul," it generated significant excitement and anticipation, not just among their fans, but the stars themselves.
At a press conference for the film's premiere, talking about her pairing with Tatlitug, Saat said,"We waited all these years [to reunite] because we were waiting for a script, a story that wouldn't disappoint the audience. In my opinion, the timing and the story are just right."
After the film debuted on Netflix on November 24, last year, it quickly rose to the seventh spot on the streamer’s top 10 chart of movies in the US, surpassing Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, The Christmas Chronicles, and Trolls.
"Last Call for Istanbul" is a Turkish romance that revolves around a troubled married couple who decide to take an unconventional approach to reconcile. Through a narrative featuring ever so slightly puzzling flashbacks and flashforwards, the film illustrates their history and conflicts. The story delves into themes of marital loyalty, the essential role of sacrifice in a committed relationship, and the challenges of harmonising two lives striving to continue as a married couple. The film unfolds as a therapist's advice to a married couple materialises.
A man called Ryan (Tatlitug) and a woman called Samantha (Saat), both from Turkey, meet by chance at the baggage reclaim area of the New York's JFK International Airport. A simple meeting between two strangers is nothing novel, but factory-fitted rom-com stuff even seen inthe recent American romcom Love at First Sight which explored the exact same initial premise.
This time, despite the setting being New York City and not Istanbul, it is still difficult for hard-core Ishq-e-Mamnoon fans such as myself to get Bihter and Behlul in Bosphorus out of my mind, so cheap thrills are aplenty!
So, when Ryan and Samantha lock eyes with each other at the airport, chances are you would think “Last Call for Istanbul” to be an assembly line rom-com. Wrong, because this this meeting is unique. Read on.
Samantha’s bag gets swapped by someone else’s and Ryan insists on helping her. When they first lay eyes on each other at the carousel, their thoughts are audible, and strangely but delectably they both feel as if they already know each other.
You might think here that this could be anyone’s fantasy to bump into a Saat or Tatlitug lookalike at New York airport, but the banter between two enigmatic strangers soon evolves into a dialogue laden with doubts and resentment when viewed through a retrospective lens.
Ryan and Samantha eventually stay at a hotel until she meets the man who has her bag. The two later meet on the rooftop of the hotel and share each other’s stories. The sparks (read fireworks) between them fly and the two eventually go and explore the night away in Manhattan, where after a couple of familiar and cliched mujhay-bachao cum damsel-in-distress and hero-ghundadishoom-dishoom-rescue scenes, Ryan and Samantha end up in the same room to spend the night sleeping together blissfully!
At this point, the film then reveals that they’re not strangers to each other and they didn’t meet by chance, but they are Mehmet, a musician, and Serin, a designer, married to each other but, pretending to be Ryan and Samantha (respectively ofcourse) following their therapist’s advice to start afresh and see if they fall in love again.
What initially appears as a potentially offensive question sounds funny when one realises that the two main characters are actually husband and wife. This clever twist reflects skillful screenwriting, supported by excellent casting and performances. Roleplay on the brink of divorce to save their marriage makes an interesting premise. While the first half of the film depicts this intriguing test, the second half explores its background.
As the story develops and the film progresses, the fun and playful energy of the opening is replaced with a lot of hurt and complex feelings as the world that exists around Mehmet and Serin ceases to be the magical world of a downtown night out and settles into a more realistic, and heavy atmosphere. What is particularly commendable about the film is that neither Smanatha nor Ryan is painted to be the one at fault for the way the situation between them is. Both characters are depicted as problematic, both try to fix their issues but for a bit, both end up making the situation worse.
The film skillfully challenges how as humans we think we know it all. It not only makes us rethink our relationships, it also shows how life can surprise us. The movie explores tricky moral situations and what happens when we make sudden choices. It makes us think about love and commitment in a deeper manner. Even though the plot might seem predictable, the movie takes us on a journey through feelings, making us realise how delicate human connections can be.
The message of the film that love conquers all also emphasises how important it is for couples to understand each other’s conflict resolution methods before making a huge decision like getting married to each other. Mehmet and Serin's story highlights that growing out of idealism and unrealistic expectations is crucial before taking the plunge. The film also conveys that sometimes, once may have to take drastic measures to save a rocky marriage, can be saved. Couples need space and the freedom to be who they are because relationships are not meant to be prisons.
With minimal support actors, the two leads effortlessly carry the show on their shoulders throughout the 91 minute-run time of the film. Tatlitug and Saat have amazing chemistry and are excellent as a couple in various stages of their passionate, committed, and then rocky relationship. Had it not been for this particularly charismatic duo an their flawless performances, the film’s chronology and twisty narrative could get a bit confusing.
Tatlitug’s portrayal of Mehmet’s love, frustrations, anger, insecurities, and jealousy is slick opposite Saat’s depiction of Serin’s pain, love, and longing which is strong on all fronts. Theyare still gorgeous and magnetic to look at even though they are not as young as they were in Ishq-e-Mamnoon. One does feel though that the film should have had bigger and more dramatic highs and lows to fully take advantage of the compelling chemistry that the talented duo shares.
As this is Turkish content, one doesn’t expect to see things getting quite steamy between Mehmet and Serin but they do, and a bigger surprise comes when Saat smoothly delivers a bold scene where Serin participates in a rather risqué contest in a New York City nightclub.
Other than that, the film cleverly uses conversations, affable screen maneouvres, and non-confrontational background scores create a sweet, romantic ambience around the couple.
Never mind if the ending is cliched. Tatlitug and Saat fans have already endured enough sadness in the tragic end of Ishq-e-Mamnoon. We desperately needed to see them star together and live happily ever after in the story. Mehmet and Serin chose each other even after all that they went through so that in the end, we have Mehmet just about to board his flight and Saat racing to the airport after reading his letter of apology and promises. They board the flight together as husband and wife, only to have Serin really lose her luggage at the airport, and they both can’t stop laughing at the crazy coincidence.