Turkish TV Drama serials making it big in Pakistan
Turkish television series ‘Dirilis: Ertugal’ has swept the nation after garnering popularity in the Middle East, South Africa and South America.
Even the Prime Minister has ordered its five seasons to be dubbed in Urdu for the general public to watch and understand with ease.
Other Turkish TV serials besides ‘Ertugrul’ have also become popular in the country.
The series tells the story of Ertugal Gazi, father of the empire’s first leader.
The beauty of the Turkish drama serials lie in its gripping plot, high quality production, talented actors and amazing direction.
Also Read: Series & films to be jointly produced on Muslim history by Pakistan, Turkey, Malaysia: Imran
Mohammad Amin, a young engineer based in Islamabad told Anadolu Agency, “I have watched all the five seasons around, 390 episodes online. Only one season has been dubbed in Urdu, while remaining I have watched with Urdu subtitles.”
Women are also religiously watching the serial.
“So far I watched two seasons along with my husband and kids and I could say that this is a great effort of Turkey to show us our history,” Naila Khan, a local teacher from Mardan district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa said.
Turkey, Pakistan and Malaysia agreed to launch a TV channel focused on tackling the challenges posed by Islamophobia and create films about Muslim heroes.
Other Turkish TV serials, that have widely acclaimed include ‘Mera Sultan’, ‘Ishq-e-Memnu’, ‘Ask Laftan Anlamaz’, ‘Fatima Gull’, ‘Fareeha’, and ‘Kosem Sultan’.
Hassan Nasar, a Bangkok-based Pakistani businessman says Pakistani and Indian dramas are no longer watched with the same fervour. “I have seen many dramas but ‘Mera Sultan’ is my favourite serial,” he said.
Sher Alam Shinwari, a prominent writer and poet, explained that the reason behind the popularity of Turkish drama serials is that Pakistanis want to see the glorification of Muslim history.
Usually, soap operas center around love stories and less around history.
Jamshed Ahmad Khan, filmmaker and producer admitted that Turkish drama serials have taken away viewership from both Indian and Pakistani soap operas owing to the fact that Pakistan’s upper class wishes to watch more modern storylines.
“With the arrival of cable networks, our TV channels and private producers, our drama industry took a beating from Indian counterparts. With Indian soap operas becoming boring with same set of faces and never-ending story lines, Turkish dramas have come as a whiff of fresh air.”
