Ertugrul Ghazi in Pakistan: success and scandal

Ertugrul Ghazi / Diriliş: Ertuğrul series conquered the people of Pakistan, becoming one of the most watched TV shows on air during Ramadan. However, there were some unpleasant moments. What happened?

In the holy month of Ramadan in Pakistan, one of the most popular historical projects of Turkey Ertugrul Ghazi / Diriliş: Ertuğrul began broadcasting. The project is aired on the personal request of the Prime Minister of Pakistan, Mr Imran Khan, on the state television channel PTV with professional voice dubbing on Urdu. As stated by Mr. Khan, this project will help Pakistani youth better understand the heroic past of the Islamic world, its traditions and culture.

The management of the state television channel proudly announced that from the very first episode, Ertugrul Ghazi made miracles in the ratings. Millions of viewers of all ages and social classes enjoy watching the project. This is confirmed by the show’s account on YouTube. The channel in Urdu was opened on April 17 and already has 1.9 million subscribers. The first episode was watched by 20 million viewers  in just 2 weeks.

The success of the project inspired the famous writer and poet Khalil-ur-Rehman Qamar to write his own script. In his interview, he stated that he had already spoken with the famous Pakistani actor and producer Humayun Saeed about the film adaptation of his new work.

But there were some unpleasant moments. Some Pakistani viewers are not able to distinguish between fiction and reality and believe that the actors of the show should behave as if they are actually Ertugrul and Halime. They write angry comments to Esra Bilgiç pointing that she dresses too European, showing her figure. Engin Altan Düzyatan is reproached for openly demonstrating love for his wife and, moreover, he has a dog, which is reprehensible.

The host of the reality show BOL Nights Ahsan Khan shared his opinion on Twitter. He wrote, “I know people in Pakistan think it’s ok to troll actors here and judge them, at least spare the cast of Ertugrul. It’s shameful, What’s going on! Who are we to do this to them?” Many viewers supported Mr. Khan, saying that they were ashamed of the behavior of compatriots.

While the PTV channel broadcasts the beginning of the first season of the popular project. It is difficult to imagine what will happen when the story will gain momentum and turn into a phenomenon that has won the hearts of the capricious Turkish spectators. Pakistani viewers are waiting for five seasons of spectacular storyline, which is likely to be followed by a sequel to Ertugrul Ghazi series – The Ottoman. We can only imagine the results of Ertugrul’s broadcast on Pakistani television.

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