Turkish Drama Ertugrul, A Breath of Fresh Air For The Muslim World
Report By Nandika Chand | Kashmir Srinagar | Last Updated at May 23 2020
Egypt and some Gulf countries placed a ban on it as its seen as part of AKP’s quest to revive the Ottoman empire.
Ertugrul, the Turkish series, is ‘a breath of fresh air’ for Muslims across the world and given a better representation than what has been protrayed in Hollywood and Bollywood movies. The series centers around Ertugrul who is the main character and father of Osman (the founder of Ottoman Empire). Its available on YouTube and Netflix in English subtitles.
Viewers have reviewed Ertugrul being conflicted by decisions of his immediate family members. He has a wife and a mother. He is responsible for his mother, sister and brother as well as take care of children. And he is also responsible for his destiny.
Even the Pakistani Prime Minister, Imran Khan has endorsed the series. Pakistan’s state-owned media channel PTV is broadcasting the serial in Urdu language. And it didn’t take long for the series to take the country by storm. Rafay Mahmood, who has been writing on Pakistan’s entertainment and cultural landscape for over a decade, Ertugrul’s production is of a similar scale to Hollywood. “You have dramatic tropes that are very grand, the storytelling is extravagant and when dubbed in Urdu, your colloquial language, it very much becomes an alternative to Western content.”
Riyad Minty, the director of Turkish Radio & Television (TRT) said Ertugrul has gone viral in Pakistan with its episodes trending on YouTube every day. “The YouTube channel has over 30 million views and over 600,000 subscribers. These numbers are expected to climb further in the coming days,” he said.
The Turkish series is also riding high in more than 60 countries. Also known as ‘Turkish Game of Thrones’, Ertugrul was first aired in Turkey in 2014. It is widely popular across the Muslim world and the Middle East. However, Egypt and some Gulf countries placed a ban on it as its seen as part of AKP’s quest to revive the Ottoman empire.
