[MC] Set to break the world record for new subscribers on YouTube, the Turkish drama Diriliş: Ertuğrul (“Resurrection: Ertugrul”) has become a major hit in Pakistan and its producer is ready to take steps for a co-production.
It was filmed in Riva, a village in the Beykoz district of Istanbul, Turkey, and premiered on TRT 1 in Turkey on December 10, 2014. The show is based on the history of the Muslim Oghuz Turks and takes place in the 13th century. It centers around the life of Ertuğrul, the father of Osman I, who was the founder of the Ottoman Empire. It has been well received, particularly in the Muslim world.
In Canada, the drama was released by Netflix in the Turkish language with English subtitles in 2019. The series has been referred to as the Turkish Game of Thrones, and the Prime Minister of Pakistan, Imran Khan, praised the show in a public speech and recommended Pakistanis to watch it.
According to Turkish media, Ertuğrul’s influence reached Indian Kashmiri viewers as well. Whereas, across the Arab World, on February 10, 2020, Diriliş: Ertuğrul was banned in Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
Mehmet Bozdag, who is also the screenwriter of the drama, told Turkey’s Anadolu Agency that Muslims should not only work together in politics and trade but also in culture and the arts, and so business people should invest in the field of art.
“I am surprised that we did not make any collaborations till this day … we call each other brother countries,” said Bozdag, referring to Turkey and Pakistan.
Bozdag said there should be joint projects where producers and actors come together.
“We shall share our experiences with Pakistan and they should share theirs with us, and together we will sign world-shaking deals,” he said.
Pakistan’s ruling party Senator-Chairman Standing Committee on Info Broadcasting & Heritage has been responding to some critical circles in Pakistan who opposed airing of foreign content on Pakistan’s state TV. In general, public opinion in Pakistan seems to be in favour and support of the drama series based on feedback we received at MainstreamCanadian.ca.
The TRT Ertugrul by PTV Youtube channel has garnered over 453,223,299 views within a few weeks of its launch since April 2020.
