Elif drama series is a narrative of a six-year-old girl, Elif, who is affected by circumstances created by adults in her life. Her mother, Melek, has to help her flee from her abusive stepfather (Veysen). She starts living in the wealthy Emiroglu household, away from her mother, unaware of her true identity.

Elif is a Turkish telenovela dubbed in Afrikaans. The soapie premiered on eExtra in September 2020. Have you started watching the premiere episodes? If not, here is the show's plot summary and synopsis that will help you understand the storyline and have fun watching.

Elif plot summary

The soapie narrates the story of Elif, a six-year-old girl, who finds herself at the centre of circumstances she did not ask for. Out of desperation, her mother Melek takes her to live at the rich Emiroglu family so that she can run away from an abusive stepfather who plans to sell her.

Elif is not aware that Kenan Emiroglu, the eldest son in the family, is her real father. Kenan is also unaware that her biological daughter lives in his household. Kenan had fallen in love with Melek, but she had to go away from the household to ensure Elif is safe. Elif's safety at the Emiroglu family is not guaranteed, but she survives through the struggles until season five when her mother settles with Mahir, and they live happily as a family.

Elif synopsis

Elif lives with her mother and step-family. At barely five years old, Elif acts more mature than her step-siblings, Zeynep and Murat. She stays strong and preserves the cruelty of Veysel, her stepfather. Veysel is an addicted gambler who abuses both Melek and her daughter. He has plans to sell Elif to clear his gambling debts, but Melek finds it out. She asks her friend Ayse to help her save her daughter.

Ayse works as a servant at the rich Emiroglu household, where Melek used to be a servant too. Ayse learns the truth about why Melek got married to an abusive husband. She had fallen in love with Kenan Emiroglu, and the rich son loved her equally. However, she could not endure his evil mother's dislike of her. She had to flee while pregnant with Elif and make it look like she had turned her back on Kenan.

Kenan later married Arzu. On the other hand, Melek started living another life, then welcomed Elif to the world. She tied the knot with Veysel. She had to endure difficulties while raising her daughter but never revealed who she really is. Desperation has led her to place Elif under Ayse's care.

Elif, unaware that she lives with her real father, settles down in the Emiroglu household. Her presence at the wealthy household changes her life and that of other members of the family. She is a strong girl and can be without her mother.

While at the Emiroglu household, she has to endure Arzu's evilness. Elif and her mother survive death at the hand of Arzu, but Kenan dies. She starts living with Yusuf, a bookstore owner, who marries Melek. Unfortunately, Yusuf dies in an accident.

Elif is again separated from her mother and starts living at the Macide's house. She and her mother face problems at the Haktanir household when Kiymet, Mahir's mother, comes to seek revenge. Melek meets Mahir by chance, and they fall in love. Mahir abandons his evil plans against the Haktanir family. Season five ends when Mahir, Melek and Elif become a family.

Elif teasers

The Turkish novela is now one of the most-watched Afrikaan TV series in South Africa because of its entertaining episodes. In case you missed any previous Elif episodes, here are the teasers to keep you updated.

Elif (TV series) cast

The telenovela has gained an enormous fan base in South Africa since its premiere on eExtra in September 2020. Who is your favourite Elif character? Here are the Elif real names and the role they play in the soap opera.

Isabella Damla Guvenilir as Elif Emiroglu

She plays the main character in the soap opera. She has to be separated from her mother, Melek, because of her abusive stepfather, Veysen. Her life changes when she starts living at the wealthy Emiroglu family with her biological father.

Selin Sezgin as Melek Ozer

Melek is Elif's mother. She used to work at the rich Emiroglu family where she fell in love with the family's eldest son. However, she flees to protect her unborn child and has to get married to an abusive husband. After more than five years, circumstances force her to take Elif to live at her real father's household, although none of them knows the truth.

Volkan Colpan as Kenan Emiroglu

Kenan is the firstborn son of the rich Emiroglu household. Elif is his biological daughter from his former love, Melek, who was forced to leave by his family. Kenan married Arzu after Melek's departure. He meets Elif when she is six years old.

Hasan Balliktas as Veysel Simsek

Veysen is Elif's stepfather. He is the father to Murat and Zynep. Veysen is a hopeless gambler who forces Elif to flee when he plans to sell her to repay his gambling debts.

Emre Kivilcim as Selim Emiroglu

Selim is Kenan's younger brother. He is also Zynep's husband. He has to protect his family's business after Kenan is killed by Arzu, who continues to seek revenge against the Emiroglu family.

Gulcin Tuncok as Zeynep Emiroglu

Zynep is Veysel's daughter. She got married to Selim, Kenan's younger brother. She supports her husband through struggles.

Aysun Guven as Aliye Emiroglu

Aliye is the owner of the Emiroglu household. She is Kenan, Selim, and Ipek's mother. She is Elif's grandmother.

Umut Ozkan as Yusuf

Yusuf is a bookstore owner who befriends Melek and Elif in season four of the show. He later marries Melek. Unfortunately, he dies in a car accident on their way to another city.

Fatih Ayhan as Mahir Keskin

Mahir meets Melek by chance in season five and falls in love with her. Mahir and his mother Kiymet plot to bring the Haktanir family to ruins but he abandons the evil plan after finding love. In the end, Mahir, Melek and Elif start a new life together.

Cemre Melis Cinar as Arzu Karapinar

Arzu is Kenan's wife and Tugce's mother. She is not ready to lose her position at the Emiroglu household. Arzu is the main villain in the series in season one, two and three.

Gurhan Gulbahar as Necdet Karapinar

Necdet is Arzu's father. He conspires with her daughter against the Emiroglu family. He also marries Gonca, Arzu's maid.

Dilara Yuzer as Gonca Tunc

She starts as Arzu's maid. She later gets married to Necdet (Arzu's father) and Serdar (the biological father of Arzu's daughter Tugce). Arzu kills her in season three.

Zeynep Ogren as Tugce

Tugce is Arzu and Serdar's daughter. Arzu does not want Kenan to know the truth about her. She dies in season three together with Kenan when Arzu sets the house on fire.

Ozlem Savas as Kiymet Keskin

Kiymet is Mahir's mother and the main villain in season five. She seeks revenge against the Haktanir family. However, she is defeated in the end.

Elif novela recurring cast

The following are other Elif novela cast and the roles they play.

• Deniz Irem Morkov as Inci Gurbuz, Elif's close friend
• Tugba Duygu Erman as Asuman Sahin, Inci's older sister and Erkut's wife
• Abdullah Sekeroglu as Cemal Gurbuz, Inci and Asuman's father
• Batuhan Soncul as Murat Simsek, Veysel's son
• Beril Eda Yesil as Feride Cetin, Melek's close friend and Murat's lover
• Ilker Gursoy as Melih Ozer, Melek's brother and Ipek's lover
• Esin Benim as Ipek Emiroglu, Kenan's younger sister
• Ozanay Alpkan as Ayse Dogan, Melek's close friend
• Aysegul Yalçiner as Kiraz, a maid at the Emiroglu family
• Pelin Caliskanoglu as Pelin, Ipek's friend who competes against Zeynep for Selim
• Kivilcim Kaya as Efruz Baba, Melih's foster father
• Kerem Akdeniz as Sadik, Kiraz's husband and assistant at the Emiroglu family
• Hakan Bozyigit as Serdar Acar, Tugce's real father
• Umut Olcer as Erkut Sahin, Veysel's friend and Necdat's assistant
• Derya Sen as Tulay Simsek, Veysel's wife
• Sinem Akman as Feraye, Pelin and Ipek's friend
• Asuman Kostak as Rabia, Cemal's neighbour
• Esra Oztop as Aysel, Melek's co-worker at the sewing room
• Yildiz Asyali as Rana Kaya, in love with Tarik but later betrays him
• Murat Prosciler as Tarik Karakas, Humeyra's husband and the main villain in season four
• Berna Keskin as Humeyra Haktanir, the daughter to Macide
• Seyda Bayram as Parla, Kerem's friend
• Nevzat Can as Kerem Haktanir, Macide's son
• Melisa Dongel as Sureyya, Kerem's lover
• Ozge Yildirim as Vildan, a maid at the Haktanir household
• Burcu Karakaya as Birce Demiray, works with Asli
• Parla Senol as Leman, Safak's mother
• Ugur Ozbagi as Safak, Julide's lover
• Melis Gol as Julide, Melek's friend and Safak's lover
• Cem Kilik as Levent Bakir, a worker at the Haktanir household and Humeyra's boyfriend
• Nur Gurkan as Macide Haktanir, the mother to Humeyra and Kerem
• Omer Faruk Caliskan as Emirhan, Julide's son

Frequently asked questions

The Elif novela has become a household favourite in South Africa. If you are yet to start watching, you are missing out on great entertainment. Here are some of the questions fans ask.

What does Elif mean?

The name Elif, pronounced as ey lif, has Turkey and Arabic origins. In Turkey, Elif means honest. It could also mean slim and tall. The name is given to girls in the country. In Arabic, it means letter A, only, unique or one.

How old is Elif?

Elif is six years old in the Turkish drama series. In real life, Isabella Damla Guvenilir (Elif on the show), is 11 years old in 2020. She was born on 18th January 2009 in New York City, USA.

Does Netflix have Elif?

The original TV series is on Netflix in the United Kingdom and the United States. The drama has been reproduced and dubbed in various nations since its original release on Kanal 7 in 2014. In South Africa, it is dubbed in Afrikaans.

How many episodes of Elif are there?

The drama series has 940 episodes and five seasons. It was originally released on 15th September 2014 and aired its final episode on 7th June 2019 on Kanal 7. In South Africa, the show premiered on 14th September 2020 on eExtra. The show is aired on weekdays at 6.35 p.m.

The Elif novela is one of the most-watched Turkish series across the globe since its original premiere on Kanal 7 in 2014. The South African audience is also falling in love with the narrative of little Elif. The above synopsis will help you understand the full story.

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