Ziddi Ishq OTT Release Date: When Does Aditi Pohankar’s Romantic Thriller Stream?

The much-anticipated Ziddi Ishq OTT release date has been officially confirmed, bringing viewers an intense romantic-revenge drama starring Aditi Pohankar in a career-defining role. The series premiered on JioHotstar on 21 November 2025, marking one of the platform’s most talked-about releases of the year. This gripping narrative explores the dangerous territory where love transforms into obsession, delivering powerful performances and emotional depth that promise to captivate audiences.

Ziddi Ishq is slated to be released on JioHotstar on November 21, positioning it as a major streaming event for the platform. The series represents a bold exploration of unrequited love’s darker consequences, anchored by Aditi Pohankar’s raw and vulnerable performance that showcases her remarkable range as an actress.

Confirmed Ziddi Ishq OTT Release Date and Streaming Details

The Ziddi Ishq OTT release date delivers on months of anticipation, with the series now available exclusively on JioHotstar for subscribers across India and select international markets.

While sharing the trailer, the OTT platform wrote, “Ek tarfa pyaar ki taaqat itni gehri, jab zinda ho tab sukoon, aur jab naa rahe tab junoon. Hotstar Specials, Ziddi Ishq, streaming November 21 onwards only on JioHotstar”. This poetic caption perfectly encapsulates the series’ exploration of one-sided love’s transformative—and potentially destructive—power.

The Ziddi Ishq OTT release date timing strategically positions the series during the holiday season when streaming viewership typically peaks, maximizing its potential audience reach and cultural impact.

Aditi Pohankar: The Heart of Ziddi Ishq

Aditi Pohankar (also credited as Aaditi Pohankar in some materials) delivers what critics are calling her most complex performance to date as Mehul Bose, the series’ emotionally turbulent protagonist. Known for her powerful work in Aashram and She, Aditi brings remarkable depth to a character that could easily have become a caricature in less capable hands.

As quoted by IANS, Aaditi Pohankar said in a statement, “When I was first approached for this role, I was deeply intrigued by Mehul. She is a simple Bengali girl with emotions so intense that I had to say yes. Mehul feels different; she’s raw, vulnerable, and entirely driven by her one-sided love. As the story progresses, her love only intensifies, and it gives her the courage to face life’s unexpected turns. It was a challenging yet rewarding experience“.

Aaditi Pohankar underwent dialect coaching to accurately portray Mehul’s Bengali accent, demonstrating her commitment to authenticity. This attention to linguistic detail adds layers of credibility to her portrayal of a Kolkata-based young woman whose life becomes consumed by unrequited affection.

Aditi Pohankar’s career trajectory has been marked by choosing complex, often unconventional roles that challenge both her as an actress and audiences’ expectations. Ziddi Ishq represents another bold choice—a character study of emotional extremity that demands both technical skill and emotional availability.

Following the Ziddi Ishq OTT release date, Aditi’s performance has generated significant buzz on social media, with viewers praising her ability to navigate Mehul’s emotional complexity without judgment—presenting a character whose actions may be questionable but whose pain remains achingly real.

The Story: When Love Becomes Obsession

The story focuses on a high school student named Mehul (portrayed by Aditi Sudhir Pohankar), who secretly has a crush on her tuition teacher, whom she fondly calls Shekhar Da (Played by Parambrata Chattopadhyay). When she was about to express her feelings, Shekhar introduced his girlfriend to Mehul. Seeing this, she was heartbroken. Days later, she learns about his suicide. As she grew old, she got to know that Shekhar had a past which led him to take drastic steps.

This premise establishes the series’ central mystery and emotional core. Mehul’s journey from innocent crush to heartbreak to suspicion creates narrative momentum that propels all seven episodes. Ziddi Ishq explores themes of one-sided love, aggression and obsession, refusing to romanticize unhealthy attachment while acknowledging its emotional reality.

The series draws inspiration from Bengali literature and cinema. It is based on Bengali film Parineeta, specifically the 2019 version, though it significantly reimagines the source material for contemporary audiences and streaming format. The show is inspired by Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay’s Parineeta, reimagined for a modern audience, connecting it to India’s rich literary tradition while making it accessible to today’s viewers.

Set against the backdrop of Kolkata, the trailer reveals Mehul’s deep, one-sided love for her neighbor, whom she fondly calls Shikhar Da. Her affection makes her vulnerable, and her world shatters when she learns that Shikhar has died, reportedly by suicide. Convinced that he could never take his own life, Mehul insists, “It was not a suicide”.

This conviction transforms Mehul from passive sufferer to active investigator, giving the narrative thriller elements that complement its romantic drama foundation. The mystery of Shekhar’s death becomes the framework through which the series explores toxic love, trauma, and the lengths people go to when unable to process grief healthily.

Stellar Supporting Cast

While Aditi Pohankar anchors Ziddi Ishq, the series benefits from a talented ensemble that brings depth to the world surrounding Mehul’s emotional journey.

The web series stars Aditi Sudhir Pohankar and Parambrata Chattopadhyay in the lead roles. The show also features Priyanshu Painyuli, Barkha Bisht, Bibriti Chatterjee, and more in prominent roles.

Parambrata Chattopadhyay as Shekhar Da brings gravitas and complexity to a character who exists primarily through flashbacks and Mehul’s memories. His performance must convey enough depth to justify Mehul’s obsessive attachment while maintaining ambiguity about his true nature and the circumstances of his death.

Barkha Bisht appears as Mousumi Ganguly, spanning all seven episodes and providing a grounding presence amid the series’ emotional intensity. Her character likely serves as either confidante or foil to Mehul, offering perspective on the protagonist’s increasingly troubling behavior.

Riya Sen as Sayantika Chatterjee appears in four episodes, suggesting a significant but not continuous presence—perhaps connected to revelations about Shekhar’s past or Mehul’s investigation.

Priyanshu Painyuli and Sumeet Vyas round out the cast with their proven dramatic abilities. Actor Sumeet Vyas shared that he was drawn to the romantic-revenge drama for its bold exploration of love and desire through a darker, more unsettling lens.

Creative Vision: Raj Chakraborty’s Direction

Ziddi Ishq has been written and directed by Raj Chakraborty, the acclaimed Bengali filmmaker making his mark in Hindi streaming content. Chakraborty brings his understanding of Bengali cultural sensibilities while crafting a narrative accessible to pan-Indian audiences.

Director Raj Chakraborty said, “Working on Ziddi Ishq has been an incredible experience. It is more than just a series to me, it’s an emotional journey about love, loss, and the fragile line where love spirals into something more sinister. Mehul is such a complex, layered character and Aaditi has brought it to life with great depth and sincerity“.

Chakraborty’s directorial approach balances the series’ darker thematic elements with moments of tenderness and vulnerability, preventing it from becoming exploitation. His experience in Bengali cinema—where psychological complexity and emotional nuance are prized—elevates Ziddi Ishq beyond typical streaming thriller fare.

The series is created and directed by Raj Chakraborty and produced by Subhashree Ganguly, with Prittam Chowdhury serving as executive producer. The story and screenplay are written by Digant Patil, based on the original Bengali story Parineeta by Arnab Bhaumik and Priyanka Poddar.

This creative team brings diverse strengths: Chakraborty’s directorial vision, Ganguly’s production expertise, and Patil’s screenplay adaptation that bridges Bengali source material and Hindi streaming format.

Why Ziddi Ishq Matters

The Ziddi Ishq OTT release date arrives at a moment when Indian streaming platforms increasingly embrace morally ambiguous narratives and complex female protagonists. The series joins titles like Paatal Lok, Delhi Crime, and She in presenting women as fully realized characters rather than idealized archetypes.

JioHotstar announces its upcoming romantic–revenge drama, Ziddi Ishq, a story that captures the feeling of loving someone so deeply that you lose track of where the love ends and pain begins. This thematic focus—the blurred boundaries between devotion and destruction—resonates with contemporary discussions about healthy relationships, consent, and emotional accountability.

The series doesn’t glorify Mehul’s obsessive behavior but rather examines it with psychological curiosity. What drives someone from admiration to fixation? How does heartbreak calcify into anger? When does the need for answers become dangerous? These questions give Ziddi Ishq intellectual substance beyond melodrama.

The story follows Mehul who is played by Aaditi Pohankar & the character marks a young student who starts to admire her tutor Shekhar Da who is played by Parambrata Chattopadhyay as the admiration grows into deep desire which pushes her into a dark path. This trajectory—from innocent crush to consuming obsession—will feel uncomfortably familiar to anyone who’s experienced unrequited love’s particular anguish, even if most don’t follow Mehul to her extremes.

Viewer Reception and Critical Response

Following the Ziddi Ishq OTT release date, early viewer reactions have been predominantly positive, with particular praise for Aditi Pohankar’s fearless performance and the series’ refusal to provide easy moral judgments.

Social media conversations reveal audiences appreciating the series’ Bengali cultural specificity—the Kolkata setting, linguistic authenticity, and cultural references that ground the narrative in particular time and place while exploring universal emotional experiences.

Some viewers have noted the series’ pacing, with the seven-episode structure allowing character development and mystery revelation to unfold deliberately rather than rushing toward resolution. This measured approach may frustrate viewers seeking constant action but rewards those interested in psychological depth.

The series’ visual aesthetic—moody cinematography, careful color grading, and atmospheric use of Kolkata’s urban landscape—has also garnered praise for elevating the material beyond television melodrama toward cinematic quality.

How to Watch Ziddi Ishq

To stream Ziddi Ishq following its OTT release date, viewers need:

JioHotstar Subscription: The series streams exclusively on JioHotstar, requiring an active premium subscription. JioHotstar offers various subscription tiers, with the premium tier necessary for accessing Hotstar Specials like Ziddi Ishq.

Device Compatibility: Stream on smartphones, tablets, smart TVs, laptops, or through streaming devices like Chromecast, Fire TV Stick, or Apple TV—any device supporting the JioHotstar app.

Download Feature: JioHotstar subscribers can download episodes for offline viewing, perfect for watching during commutes or in areas with limited connectivity.

Regional Availability: While primarily targeting Indian audiences, JioHotstar’s international availability means diaspora viewers in select countries can also access the series, subject to regional licensing.

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