ISLAMABAD – After breaking the world record for the most new subscribers onYouTube, the Turkish drama Resurrection: Ertugrul has become a major hit inPakistan and its producer is ready to take steps for a co-production.
Mehmet Bozdag, who is also the screenwriter of the drama, stated thatMuslims should not only work together in politics and trade but also inculture and the arts, and so businesspeople should invest in the field ofart.
“I am surprised that we did not make any collaborations till this daybecause we call each other brother countries,” said Bozdag, referring toTurkey and Pakistan.
“However, we have never signed a deal in the field of culture and arts. Sothen where is the fellowship?”
Bozdag said there should be joint projects where producers and actors cometogether.
“When one of us is in trouble, both countries are mobilised. But we shouldalso do this act on better days and organize days of culture not only inthe cinema but also in the field of cuisine, museums and history.
“We shall share our experiences with Pakistan and they should share theirswith us, and together we will sign world-shaking deals,” he said.
Bozdag said he expected the series to attract attention in Pakistan, but henever thought it would be in such a short time. He emphasized that he isespecially happy that the show is popular in Pakistan.
“Even if Turkey and Pakistan have separate borders, the souls are of onenation,” he said.
*Coming up with Ertugrul took over a year*
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After receiving a degree in history, Bozdag said he came up with the ideaof a drama on how the Ottoman Empire was established, earned its successthroughout the world and became an important Islamic state.
“With these steps, we came up with a story of five seasons, and it willcontinue as Kurulus: Osman,” he said.
Bozdag said today, the Islamic world misses the spirit of the religion, itspurity, humanity and justice, which is why everyone is longing for theperiod.
The series, when first featured, took first place in the rankings in Turkeyand Bozdag emphasized that after it was released abroad, many peopleconverted to Islam.
For a year, the team of the drama had worked to bring the project to thescreen and the actors trained for over nine months for their characters,according to Bozdag.
“When we started this project, we were not able to find trained horses thatran at the same time, tents were not produced and what people ate duringthe 13th century was a dilemma. When writing the story, I was 30 years old,the company was new and nobody believed in the project. After I wrote downthe story, we invited a painter from Mongolia, and he depicted the story,and so the actors saw the project and had faith in it,” Bozdag said.
Bozdag stressed that there were gaps in historic data about the time, andin these cases, they came up with ideas using their imagination.
“While imagining, we never forgot about the reality of the period and thespirit of Islam. All of the historical dramas around the world do the samething. We are not the first ones to come up with this method,” he said. -APP/AFP
