Jess4163:

I hope the evil grandma doesn't have too much power over him. I hate one dimensional evil people having too much power. That drives me nuts!!! The hero sounds exactly like the type I like: Extremely powerful and pretty much answers to no one and his only real weakness is the heroine. I hope he stays powerful.

Oh he does remain powerful and slowly understands how manipulative his grandma really is! 

I have a really similar recommendation for you. Fittrat.

The female lead, say, H is a gold digger but only really cares about her best friend. The male lead (who is also the villain of the show) falls hard for H, but, he is H's best friend's fiance. He gets really obsessed and does everything in order to get H, he's also a powerful person, but H never gives in to him, in fact, she hates him. He even sabotages her friendship with her best friend in order to get her. It totally fits your style. The way the show ends is also amazing. The male lead is yummy and has acted really well.

 kshit14:

I have a really similar recommendation for you. Fittrat.

The female lead, say, H is a gold digger but only really cares about her best friend. The male lead (who is also the villain of the show) falls hard for H, but, he is H's best friend's fiance. He gets really obsessed and does everything in order to get H, he's also a powerful person, but H never gives in to him, in fact, she hates him. He even sabotages her friendship with her best friend in order to get her. It totally fits your style. The way the show ends is also amazing. The male lead is yummy and has acted really well.

Thanks for the rec! I'm going to put this one on my "must watch" lists for sure as it seems to be right up my alley -love practically invincible hot villains who's only weak towards the heroine...

OMG, I watched pretty much all of the Turkish drama "Zemheri" (only 10 episodes long, but each ep is around 2 hrs. 20 min long) and was so invested in the main villain-heroine relationship. They have explosive chemistry and the villain's incredibly hot/charismatic! This was one of the best executed "villain falling obsessively in love" storylines I've ever seen. 

The main storyline (my only reason to watch) revolves around the heroine's father being framed and ending up in jail due to the villain. The heroine uses a different last name to infiltrate the villain's company in order to find evidence that would clear her father's name. Meanwhile, she has to constantly be on guard around the villain to avoid  exposing her true identity. The villain growns more and more drawn/addicted to the heroine until he falls madly in love with her and would stop at nothing to possess her. Man, their first meeting (orchestrated by the heroine in order to catch his attention and pave way to getting hired at his company) was hot as hell and totally got me hooked!

Similar to "Khaani", the main antagonist meets and falls hard for the FL, but the "falling process" wasn't as rushed and you really see in detail how the villain transitions from attraction to obsession for the heroine. They had a delicious "cat-mouse" relationship throughout and it was enticing to watch. 

It was also so much fun to watch our strong heroine (her eyes are mesmerizing BTW) constantly stick it to the villain at every turn -even when she's trapped by him, she's never a doormat and always lets him have it! They have many tension-filled scenes throughout this drama and it was worth watching just for them. Definitely gave me everything I wanted in a "powerful villain falling obsessively in love" drama.

I watched the first 8 episodes and won't bother watching the last two as I heard the ending waas rushed due to low ratings. Really wish this series was longer so more time can be spent on marriage life btw the villain and heroine -would have been so much fun watching the heroine constantly thwart his attempts to get closer to her (yay for more cat-mouse games). 

Now I need more like this, ones where the villain isn't in love at the beginning, but slowly falls obsessively in love and the entire progression is shown in detail with lots of tension-filled scenes. I also loved how "Zemheri's" villain basically had complete power and was undefeated for most of the drama. I never mind a powerful/invincible villain when they're in love with the FL and she's his only weakness. Big bads are fun to watch if they're soft towards a main character that's likeable. In addition, I really liked how tight/focused this drama was: I didn't really need to FF as there weren't dozens of inane side plots and almost everything was connected to the main players. I'm definitely going to watch "Kara Sevda" now  even though the villain in there started out already in love (won't get to see the falling process) since it's by the same director and I loved Zemheri's directing style. 

You can watch  "Zemheri" here with better subs: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLNEV2YHkSceioCwDceZcMBMGGvdC6A4rE 

 Jess4163:
Zemheri

OMG! I watched 7 episodes in one night....explosive chemistry indeed! He did justice to the trope & did not dilly dally at all...loved it! Do rec more if you have any similar shows! 

 raani:

OMG! I watched 7 episodes in one night....explosive chemistry indeed! He did justice to the trope & did not dilly dally at all...loved it! Do rec more if you have any similar shows! 

I know, right? He was sooo hot (heroine was drop dead gorgeous too and I loved her attitude/unwillingness to ever bend for him) and not only that, I loved the entire relationship dynamics btw him and the heroine! There's this whole cat-mouse game btw them that keeps building until it culminates into an explosion...I was on the edge of my seat the entire ride. I want more storylines like Khaani and this one where the heroine's wronged by the villain and hates/ is completely indifferent towards him, but you see the villain fall slowly/really hard for the heroine. Both Khaani and Zemheri have this premise, except Khaani rushed the "falling" process and Zemheri didn't (really gave the "falling in love" process the attention it deserved). There were so many scenes btw the villain/heroine to flesh out their story in Zemheri that I was in utter heaven and savored every moment. You know a series is good when you're that invested and desperate for more scenes...

It really sucks that the first Turkish series that ever captivated me and gave me everything (I mean everything) I wanted in an "obsessive villain" story (very little filler/inane plots too and plenty of villain-heroine scenes) is cancelled before doing the story justice (they just rushed the last two episodes due to low ratings -really unfair since this story had so much potential). Seriously, I could have watched 100+ more episodes of the heroine/villain dancing around one another. I haven't been blown away by such chemistry in ages and just want their scenes to go on forever.

In addition, this drama had many likeable characters and there wasn't really anybody one-dimensional  (esp. ones with lots of power) who makes me want to rip my hair out. I love love how the most powerful character is the villain and he happens to be weak towards our lovable heroine, so yay!!! I never mind villains who have all the power as long as they're soft towards a likable main female character, lol. 

Now I'm trying to watch "Kara Sevda." the other series by the same director (loved the direction style in Zemheri), but find the villain to be more creepy than hot. He's very good-looking, but I just don't find his mannerisms all that attractive. He acts like a deranged mental patient when it comes to the heroine and I'm not feeling the chemistry. Sign...it's too much to hope that he can evoke the same feelings that Erthan from "Zemheri" did in me. In addition, I don't find their story as exciting since the villain starts out already obsessed (knew the heroine since he was young and was set on her) and you don't see the whole "falling" process. I'm kind of forcing myself to keep watching...hopefully, I'll warm up to him eventually. But, Erthan totally wins in hotness/charisma!

I really want to find another Turkish series with an obsessed villain similar to Ertan, one where he doesn't start out obsessed and you actually witness the whole progression in detail. I'll never forget Ertan and Firuze: They're going down as probably the most dynamic villain-heroine pair I've ever see unfold on screen -episode 5 was hands down my favorite and their first meeting at the restaurant was incredible as well (perfect music and suspense)! All I want is to see Firuze continue to fight/play mind games with Ertan: The two of them set my laptop on fire!!!

P.S. -I would, once again, like to give a BIG thanks to user "littlefish" for recommending Zemheri in this thread: https://mydramalist.com/discussions/recommendation-forum/35015-evil-bad-guy-villain-falls-in-love-female-lead?p=971921&page=3 

Oh he gave me Turkish George Clooney vibes! So hot!!! Even though the ML was a looker too but Ertan & Firuze's chemistry was beyond perfection!  I personally loved Khaani too but they sort of lost it in the last 10 episodes, I mean if Mir Hadi had only injured the brother and not killed him maybe there would have been some wiggle room for a HE. Also, I would have loved to see the post-marriage dynamics between the couple, how far would he be willing to go for her. Same with Ertan & Firuze, he is so terribly obsessed with her that when they strike a deal the first thing he does is make it official, no wastage of time at all! Loved it! 

The falling process was satisfying for me in both shows as Mir Hadi also goes to her again & again before falling in love and gets affected by what she says, very similar to Zemheri. Ertan is always analyzing her, gauging her reactions to everything...I like that when they observe the h and fall in love with their personalities.  Even when he knows who she is, he still can't help it...his acting was marvelous! 

When in comes to 'Kara Savda',  I didn't like how they treated the villain. They barely give him any screen time in the middle & the h is frankly TSTL. He does so much for her & family only to be cheated on & disregarded at every turn. I fast-forwarded through the show but the ending wasn't satisfactory either. It does not live up to Zemheri or Khaani, I wouldn't recommend it. 

I'm still looking for a similar anti-hero, bad boy type show.  Ertan was just perfect in every way! His only weakness is Firuze and she makes sure to never give into his power and influence, rather rebels which fuels his desire for her...delicious! He shows her his vulnerable side, makes promises of a beautiful future, expresses his love at every turn, gives her due respect etc. he's willingly incorporating traits of a hero despite being the villain, the contradiction is amazing to watch. I'm sad we won't get to see their lives together...sigh! 

Still I absolutely loved it & any recommendations in the same genre would be highly appreciated!!

P.S My laptop was set on fire too girl!!! Phew!

 raani:
The falling process was satisfying for me in both shows as Mir Hadi also goes to her again & again before falling in love and gets affected by what she says, very similar to Zemheri. Ertan is always analyzing her, gauging her reactions to everything...I like that when they observe the h and fall in love with their personalities.  Even when he knows who she is, he still can't help it...his acting was marvelous! 

For me, the falling process in "Khaani" was way too fast: The transition between him observing and suddenly admitting his love to himself and then to her was way too quick. One moment he was following her around/becoming more fascinated (at the same time, wondering when his patience will run out) and the next, he's admitting his love out loud to his friend (felt jarring). Luckily, the pair in here had explosive chemistry, so I was fully invested. But, IMO, they should have made use of that chemistry and elongated the observation stage. Then again, with how the last 10 episodes went (didn't watch, but heard about what happens), this drama was never going to be a pure romance. I knew that going in and only watched the first 21 episodes when it was centered on the romance/chase scenes.

Still, I wanted more time for observation like in "Zemheri," where the whole process was paced perfectly (wouldn't change a thing) and you see the myriad of emotions Ertan goes through when it comes to his feelings: In the early attraction/observation stage, he was definitely in more control and even acted harsh towards Firuze on occasion -almost fired her at one point. I loved this as it provides ample setup for the eventual satisfying payoff of him falling madly in love with her. I really can't think of another obsessed villain-heroine relationship (esp with chemistry like theirs) that executed the "observation" stage so well and gave it so much attention/detail.

Sign...explosive chemistry/cat-mouse type relationships the likes of Khaani and Zemheri is rare and even when it does happen, the drama's not long enough or it gets cancelled and the pairing's story is cut short. Why couldn't Zemheri be as successful as Kara Sevda? I would have been in heaven if it got the same 70 episodes treatment or even 30 episodes would have sufficed. I want lots and lots of Ertan and Firuze post-marriage life scenes with all its sizzling tension (how long can she hold off on consummating and how far will Ertan's patience go...). IMO, Zemheri's so much better than Kara Sevda and has a much more interesting villain-heroine story (actually was the main plotline). I hardly FF'd at all as most scenes were plot relevant and I couldn't watch the episodes fast enough: 2+ hrs. had never gone by so fast and I wanted every episode to go on forever -just keep on building the Ertan and Firuze relationship, lol. I definitely want more tightly written Turkish series like this one with the main plot centered on the cat-mouse game relationship btw  the main leads (I consider Ertan a main lead as well since he had just as many scenes as the weak momma's boy hero).

I think Kara Sevda's main draw was never the villain-heroine relationship; it was the lead pair's romance that was the soul of the series. Since I'm not all that invested in them (their relationship is the typical boy meets girl story and holds no appeal to me -Ertan and Firuze's cat-mouse game relationship is way more intriguing) there won't be any reason for me to watch this further. The villain's not even close to as charming or charismatic as Ertan (lol, his eyes tend to bulge and he just acts mentally ill -not in an attractive/charming way either; kind of grosses me out in certain scenes) and his scenes with the heroine just isn't fun to watch, at least not thus far. Now that I know he doesn't even have as many scenes in the middle, I'll either do a lot of FFding or just drop it. 

Coming off of Zemheri, this series was much more of a chore to watch (after forcing my way through the 4th episode, I kind of skipped ahead) up until episode 8 when more exciting events start happening. Plus, there's not as many likable characters either and many more annoying ones that have the potential to make me pull my hair out. Zemheri proved you don't need lots of annoying character drama to be intriguing/interesting. A well fleshed out villain/anti-hero-heroine relationship and more likable supporting characters is all you need.

P.S. Lol, we've both been bitten by the Ertan and Firuze bug...

I guess the 'falling' was rushed because paki shows tend to be shorter but I agree they could have spared more time for that instead of wasting time on him looking for her & other fillers.  I skipped the last 10 episodes too because there was no point after Hadi lost his villainous charm. 

Yes, agreed! He was just intrigued by her at first but then slowly fell deeper and deeper which was the most satisfying process ever! I liked the power play where either of them can come up on top, she does not have it easy just because she's the h, he does have the upper hand and it shows. They never underplay his power, just emphasize his growing weakness towards her. I don't like it when writers reduce an all powerful villain into nothing but a begging mess, it goes against their established character traits. 

Again agreed! I wish Zemheri had more episodes to explore their relationship. Its just started getting interesting with both of them in a relationship & him with all his rights as a husband available to him, it would have been amazing to watch whether he would prioritize her choice or his own desires. I enjoy that cat-mouse game as you so aptly described. 

Kara Sevda never truly highlighted the villain's plight, his love and struggle for her & yes he although good looking was not as powerful an actor as Ertan. Sometimes even the dullest of characters are brought to life by great acting. I regretted wasting time on that show though, it was an opportunity wasted.

Zemehri is so power packed & tight in terms of story that the insane amount of episodes of Kara Sevda seemed unnecessary & boring. They also mishandled the story greatly, the writers could not handle the character development well. Aah, it was but a show....lol! Man I'm in withdrawal, need a new show!!! sigh!

 raani:
Man I'm in withdrawal, need a new show!!! sigh!

Lol, you and me both -couldn't believe how addicted Zemheri made me. This trope was done so masterfully here that I'm now starving for more and nothing's measuring up. I had hoped Kara Sevda would somewhat fill the void as people kept drawing parallels btw these two (same director and another obsessed villain who's unrelenting and a FL who won't give in), but, aside from the disappointing villain-heroine relationship (no buildup or backstory to flesh out their relationship -he just starts out clownishly obsessed and comes off as creepy), the overall drama flow is not as well-paced compared to Zemheri and none of the other storylines draw me in. I can already tell there's going to be several annoying/hateful characters that'll make me want to rip my hair out and continuously press the FF button. I really hate dramas that waste time on annoying side character drama, esp. unlikable ones (many Turkish dramas seem to have lots of those). Is is too much to ask for intriguing supporting characters like these two here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yhn_j4_xMzw (would have watched it if they were the main leads -looks to be another hot obsessed villain story)?

But then again, I went in for the villain-heroine story and if it doesn't appeal to me, there's really no reason for me to watch. The main leads don't have the relationship dynamics I want (cat-mouse tension) and their chemistry's not explosive enough for me to watch the whole thing for them only to get a terrible ending. 

What a shame, I wanted to like Kara Sevda so badly, but it just doesn't match up to Zemheri (more likable characters, focused plot centering on the villain-heroine relationship, very little annoying supporting character) and can't fill its void.

I did find a paid site (https://turkflick.com/ ) that has one of the most famous love-hate Turkish romance series, Asi all subtitled. If I can't find anything close to Zemheri, I'll probably watch this one since I know it's a quality series that has Pride/Prejudice vibes and the leads have explosive chemistry. I just don't like how the ML gives up on the FL at one point and leaves for 5 yrs (hate ML's who let the FL go, unless they start pursuing them again without encouragement from others), so I'll probably stop watching right before that point when they're still happy together. I heard the romance is very passionate and the ML's extremely possessive.

Raani,

BTW, someone did recommend the Hindi web series, Fittrat, and it seems to have the kind of villain-heroine relationship dynamics we like. But it's super short and since season 2's confirmed, I'm going to wait for that to come out before giving it a try.

 raani:
Zemehri is so power packed & tight in terms of story that the insane amount of episodes of Kara Sevda seemed unnecessary & boring.

Zemheri's shining point is the fact that Ertan and Firuze's relationship is heavily connected to the central plot, so it made absolute sense that their relationship's properly built up by the writers and end up taking center stage. Relationships are the best when they're directly tied to the main plot, something that many dramas don't do nowadays (so many dramas  these days with "no plot" relationships that kind of just rely on chemistry and dialogues that go nowhere).

Kara Sevda's main plot seems to be the all-encompassing love btw the two leads and how they'll never give up on each other no matter what happens. I just don't find their story/relationship to be that interesting and would never watch so many episodes just for them. Sadly, the villain-heroine relationship doesn't take central focus and the writers didn't bother fleshing out his relationship with the female lead (at least not from what I saw thus far).

Girl the VM, I had started the show but quit just before they made the marriage deal apparently, the main couple was too dull and boring but this couple though,explosive! It seems I have to continue this show again! It's a mafia story, marriage alliances and what not...one of my fav tropes is mafia love too!

I have watched Asi, the music is lovely but I don't see what the people are talking about when it comes to possessive ML. He abandons her, eventually comes back, they have a kid too but there is some more drama thrown in there just to prolong the show. Did not live up to my expectations at all. They start off as enemies like Hercai but it doesn't get that good. I don't even find him that jealous, maybe one or two instances,  I really don't see the hype. 

Yes I did the Fittrat recommendation but its based on cheating, I don't like cheating much. I like my OTP to be monogamous. 

Exactly, the driving plot in Zemheri is the story between Ertan & Firuze which the villain in Kara Sevda is an afterthought at best. It's such a wasted plot device, I did feel sympathy for the villain at the end as the actor does come into his own by then & performs really well but there was no build up or character development through the series to truly empathize with. Also the ending is terrible, absolutely nonsense - be prepared! 

 raani:
I have watched Asi, the music is lovely but I don't see what the people are talking about when it comes to possessive ML. He abandons her, eventually comes back, they have a kid too but there is some more drama thrown in there just to prolong the show. Did not live up to my expectations at all. They start off as enemies like Hercai but it doesn't get that good. I don't even find him that jealous, maybe one or two instances,  I really don't see the hype.

Dang, I had held off on watching it years back due to not liking that the ML abandons/gives up on her even though everyone raved about how possessive/jealous he was. There was a whole lengthy discussion about it years back when Amazon still had its discussion forums. It got posted by someone in the "jealous/possessive" thread. The only reason I didn't watch it was due to lack of complete subs and my sister (she looked into it) warning me about the ML abandoning the FL and a 5 yr. separation. Something about this drama turned my sister off, so I held off on watching it as well since we share the same tastes when it comes to dramas. 

Recently, I had been planning on giving it another chance, maybe watching it before the 5 yr. separation happens. I thought there'd be lots of jealous/possessive moments from the ML during the whole "falling in love" phase that I can enjoy before he abandons her. But now, hearing what you're saying, I'm never going to watch it. It really baffles me why so many talk about the ML's passion/possessiveness for the FL and how it's one of the best love-hate stories of all time. Maybe it's because the actors share really good chemistry? Thanks so much for your honest opinion -I really don't want to waste my time on MLs that not only give up on the FL, but aren't even that jealous/possessive!

Wow, what a major disappointment after so much hype!

 raani:
Girl the VM, I had started the show but quit just before they made the marriage deal apparently, the main couple was too dull and boring but this couple though,explosive! It seems I have to continue this show again! It's a mafia story, marriage alliances and what not...one of my fav tropes is mafia love too!

I stumbled upon their mv accidentally and was taken in by their chemistry/dynamics -totally up my alley, lol! But, I was disappointed that Neco and Fatos (their names) weren't main characters. Now, due to lack of good villain-heroine dramas, I may just watch their scenes...