ISLAMABAD – After gaining sweeping popularity in the Middle East, SouthAfrica and, surprisingly, in South America, the action-packed Turkishtelevision series “Diriliş: Ertuğrul” (“Resurrection: Ertuğrul”) has takenover Pakistan.
Its popularity is so widespread that Prime Minister Imran Khan recentlyordered that all five seasons be dubbed in Urdu to make it easier for thegeneral public to watch and understand. Often described as a Turkish “Gameof Thrones,” the series is set in 13th century Anatolia and tells the storyof the lead-up to the establishment of the Ottoman Empire. The show bringsto life the struggle of Ertuğrul Gazi, the father of the empire’s firstleader Osman I, Daily Sabah has reported.
Cutting across the social divide, the series is praised for its plot, highquality production values, talented actors and perfect direction. The adeptmakers of the series know how keep the audience on edge in each episode.
Former cricketer Shahid Afridi said the series has brought history to hisliving room. “Watching the Turkish series “Diriliş: Ertuğrul,” I amoverwhelmed by the achievements and victories that came as a result oftheir faith and the empire of justice which they were able to establish,”he told Anadolu Agency (AA).
Mohammad Amin, a young engineer based in Islamabad, told AA: “I havewatched all five seasons, 390 episodes, online. Only one season has beendubbed in Urdu, while the others, I watched with Urdu subtitles.”
The series is also very popular among women, who watch the show in theirhomes. “So far I watched two seasons with my husband and kids, and I cansay that this is a great effort of Turkey to show us our history,” saidNaila Khan, a local teacher from the Mardan district of northwestern KhyberPakhtunkhwa.
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“I learned from this series that rulers of the Ottoman Empire were pious,thoughtful and brave, and that was the reason they ruled half of Europe,”she remarked.
*Turkish dramas ‘a whiff of fresh air’*
In September, Turkey, Pakistan and Malaysia agreed to jointly fight therising global trend of Islamophobia, mainly in the West. The threecountries decided to launch a TV channel dedicated to confronting thechallenges posed by anti-Muslim hate and make films on Islam’s heroes.
“Diriliş: Ertuğrul” is not the only Turkish TV series to develop a hugefollowing in the country. Other Turkish TV serials that have widely acclaiminclude “Muhteşem Yüzyıl” (“Magnificent Century”), “Aşk-ı Memnu”(“Forbidden Love”), “Fatmagül’ün Suçu Ne?” (“What is Fatmagül’s Crime?”),and Kösem Sultan.
