Ishq Gunaah ~ Dil Sambhal Jaa Zara SS

Inspired by the Turkish series Aşk-ı Memnu, Ahana Raichand is a firm believer in the power of relationships. However, her faith is shaken when her marriage to Anant Mathur—a middle-aged man and father of two—begins to crumble. As loneliness takes hold, Ahana finds herself drawn to Rehaan, the son of Anant’s late friend. Now, she stands at the greatest trial of her life: torn between the sanctity of her marriage and the pull of her true love.

What will she choose?

Character Sketch and Cast:

Smriti Kalra as Ahana Mathur née Raichand

Ahana Raichand is a strong-willed young woman who was once the apple of her father's eye. Her world shatters when her mother, Laila Raichand, betrays her father, a betrayal he is unable to survive—dying of shock and heartbreak. This tragedy leaves Ahana scarred, filling her with deep resentment and hatred toward her mother and her manipulative schemes.

Determined to sabotage Laila's plans, Ahana makes a calculated decision to marry Anant Mathur, a wealthy middle-aged widower. What begins as a marriage of convenience gradually turns into genuine affection, and love quietly blossoms between them. However, the fragile bond soon crumbles when Anant discovers the true motive behind Ahana's decision to marry him.

As her marriage deteriorates, Ahana finds emotional refuge in Rehaan Khanna. Their growing closeness soon transforms into love, forcing Ahana to confront a painful choice—between duty-bound marriage and forbidden love.

Aashim Gulati as Rehaan Khanna

Rehaan Khanna is a carefree, charming playboy known for his flirtatious nature and string of casual relationships. Love was never meant to change him—until it does.

Rehaan's life takes an unexpected turn when he finds himself falling in love with Ahana Mathur, the wife of his godfather and lifelong benefactor, Anant Mathur. Orphaned at a young age, Rehaan owes everything to Anant, who sponsored and shaped his future.

Torn between loyalty and desire, Rehaan battles overwhelming guilt for betraying the man who raised him, even as he finds himself helplessly drawn toward Ahana. His heart becomes a battlefield between gratitude, morality, and forbidden passion.

Sanjay Kapoor as Anant Mathur

Anant Mathur is a wealthy widower who finds renewed purpose in life when he falls deeply in love with Ahana, a woman twenty years younger than him. Initially, he is completely devoted to her, believing he has finally found companionship after years of loneliness.

However, his happiness is short-lived. When Anant uncovers Ahana's true intentions behind their marriage, his trust shatters. The revelation slowly pushes Ahana away from him, ultimately driving her into the arms of another man—leaving Anant betrayed, broken, and alone once again.

Anandita Pagnis as Roshni Mathur

Roshni Mathur is a young, vibrant, and fun-loving girl who initially accepts her father's decision to marry Ahana, believing it will bring him happiness. However, after the marriage, her discomfort turns into resentment, and she begins to distrust Ahana.

Roshni's world collapses further when she realizes that Ahana has developed feelings for Rehaan—the man she herself is in love with. Caught between heartbreak and anger, Roshni finds herself entangled in a painful emotional conflict that threatens to fracture the family beyond repair.

Naveen Pandita as Karan Deshgupta

Karan Deshgupta is an orphan who, like Rehaan, was raised and supported by Anant Mathur from childhood. Quiet, loyal, and deeply devoted, Karan serves as the caretaker and trusted driver of the Mathur household.

Behind his reserved exterior lies a heart full of unspoken love—for Roshni Mathur. Loving her in silence, Karan is willing to sacrifice his own happiness if it means protecting hers. His unwavering loyalty and selfless devotion make him the silent pillar of the Mathur family.

The First Crossing

Ahana Raichand had learned early that silence could be louder than screams.

She stood by the window of her father's old house, watching the rain trace familiar paths on the glass. Once, this house had echoed with laughter—her father's warmth filling every corner. Now it held only memories and unanswered questions. Her mother, Laila Raichand, moved through the world with calculated charm, her betrayals hidden behind elegance. Ahana had seen the truth too young, too clearly. Her father hadn't survived it.

From that day on, Ahana made herself a promise: she would never be powerless again.

Across the city, Anant Mathur's house came alive every evening at precisely seven.

The Mathur mansion was not just a home—it was a legacy. Anant sat at the head of the dining table, dignified, composed, carrying the quiet authority of a man used to being relied upon. A respected industrialist and widower, he had built his life on discipline and responsibility, burying personal loneliness beneath routine.

Around him revolved his family.

Roshni Mathur, his daughter, brought energy and youth into the house, filling the silence her mother had left behind. She adored her father fiercely, watching him with concern she rarely voiced.

And then there was Yamini.

Graceful, attentive, always present at the right moment—Yamini had entered the Mathur household years ago as a distant relative who stayed back to "help." Over time, her care for Anant grew into something deeper, unspoken and invisible to everyone but her. She noticed the way he loosened his tie when tired, how he preferred his tea, how loneliness crept into his eyes when the house fell quiet. Yamini waited—not boldly, but patiently—believing time and devotion would eventually be enough.

Anant, however, remained unaware. His life moved forward, but something essential within him stayed frozen in the past.

Fate intervened quietly.

Anant arrived at his office late one afternoon to meet a legal consultant recommended by his board. He expected efficiency, not interruption.

Ahana walked in carrying a file, her expression calm, her voice steady. She introduced herself professionally, without hesitation. Their conversation stayed formal, measured—but Anant found himself listening more closely than he intended. There was a composure about her that intrigued him, a strength that didn't ask for attention.

Ahana noticed him too—not as a man, not yet—but as an opportunity. Power without cruelty. Authority without arrogance. A man whose life carried weight.

Neither realized that this meeting would one day redefine everything they believed about choice and consequence.

Later that evening, rain poured relentlessly as Ahana stepped out onto the street, struggling to find transport. A car slowed beside her.

"Need help?" a voice asked lightly.

She turned to see Rehaan Khanna, leaning casually against the driver's seat, rain plastering his hair to his forehead, amusement dancing in his eyes. He was everything Ahana distrusted—too charming, too relaxed, too unguarded.

She hesitated. Rehaan smiled wider. "Don't worry. I'm not a serial killer. Just late for dinner."

Against her better judgment, she accepted the ride.

The conversation was effortless—unexpectedly so. Rehaan spoke of life lightly, masking pain with humor, while Ahana answered carefully, revealing little. For the first time in years, she laughed—not because she had to, but because it came naturally.

They parted without exchanging numbers.

Yet something lingered.

That night, under different roofs, each of them felt it.

Ahana lay awake, unsettled by how easily a stranger had disarmed her guarded heart.

Rehaan stared at the ceiling, wondering why a woman he'd just met felt different from everyone else he'd known.

Anant sat alone in his study, replaying a conversation that had stayed with him longer than expected.

And Yamini watched from the shadows, sensing a shift she couldn't yet name.

Their lives had not intertwined yet.

But the threads had been laid.

And once destiny begins its quiet weaving,
it never asks for permission.

Quiet Inclinations

Love, when unspoken, often disguises itself as concern.

At the Mathur mansion, Roshni leaned against the balcony railing, pretending to scroll through her phone while her eyes kept drifting toward the driveway. She knew the sound of that car engine too well. She always did.

Rehaan arrived just as he always did—careless smile in place, jacket slung over his shoulder, rainwater still clinging to his hair. He waved at the guards, joked with the staff, and walked in like the house belonged to him. And in many ways, it did.

Roshni's lips curved into a soft smile before she could stop herself.

She told herself it was nothing. That Rehaan was family. That he had grown up here. That everyone loved him.

But her heart knew better.

She noticed things no one else did—the way Rehaan's laughter softened when he spoke to her, how he always stood slightly closer than necessary, how his eyes searched for her instinctively in a room. She mistook familiarity for affection, and hope quietly took root where caution should have been.

Roshni was in love.
And she believed—naively—that time would make him see her the same way.

Elsewhere in the house, Anant stood in his study, holding a file he had no intention of opening.

Ahana's voice replayed in his mind—measured, intelligent, composed. There was a clarity in her presence that unsettled him. She hadn't flattered him, hadn't tried to impress him. She had spoken as an equal. That, more than beauty, had stayed with him.

Anant prided himself on control—over his business, his emotions, his life. Yet for the first time in years, he found himself waiting for a meeting that wasn't scheduled, thinking of a woman who had no reason to occupy his thoughts.

He dismissed it as loneliness.

But loneliness doesn't quicken the heart.

Across the city, Ahana sat in a quiet café, her fingers wrapped around a cup of untouched coffee. Her meeting with Anant had been professional—nothing more. And yet, she found herself thinking about the way he listened, the respect in his silence.

He was different from the men she knew. No arrogance. No hunger for dominance. Just a quiet solidity.

And that scared her.

Because men like him were dangerous in ways that had nothing to do with betrayal—they made you trust.

Meanwhile, Rehaan's world continued to spin on charm and avoidance.

He tried to forget the woman from the rain-soaked evening. He told himself it was a passing curiosity. But when Anant casually mentioned a consultant named Ahana Raichand over dinner, Rehaan looked up sharply.

"The one who helped with the legal restructuring?" he asked, too quickly.

"Yes," Anant replied. "Remarkable woman."

Something tightened in Rehaan's chest. He smiled, masking it easily, but unease settled in. He didn't like the coincidence. He didn't like that two separate worlds had suddenly brushed against each other.

Roshni noticed the change immediately.

"You okay?" she asked softly.

"Always," Rehaan replied, ruffling her hair affectionately.

She blushed. He didn't notice.

From the corner of the room, Yamini watched it all unfold—Roshni's longing glances, Anant's distracted silences, Rehaan's sudden restlessness. She sensed the imbalance before anyone else did.

And it frightened her.

Because when hearts begin to tilt silently,
they rarely stop before everything comes undone.

That night, as rain once again washed the city clean, four people lay awake under different roofs—each unaware that love had already begun choosing sides.

And none of them would be spared.

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To be continued.