Indonesians hooked to Turkish movies, dramas to kill boredom

Viewers say depiction of rich history, glorious Ottoman civilization in Turkish films makes them a fad

JAKARTA, INDONESIA: As the COVID-19 pandemic has forced people to remain indoors, Turkish movies and dramas are entertaining families in Indonesia.

A busy working woman in normal days, Rini Septa, 29, has taken to watch Turkish movies and TV soaps to kill her boredom.

"I like the Turkish films. Many educational and religious values can be learned from them," she has told Anadolu Agency.

Hooked to online platforms during her spare time, Septa’s favourites have been Fetih 1453 movie and TV series Sultan Abdul Hamid II. The movie Fetih is about Sultan Mehmed, who conquered Constantinople currently Istanbul in 1453.

"It will be better to spend the time during Ramadan to learn useful values from Turkish films. I get information about the films from the Friends of Erdogan, an Indonesian community, which promotes and suggests movies during the restriction," she said.

Septa said by watching Turkish films, she learns moral values and the glorious civilization of the Ottoman Empire.

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For another movie fan, Muhammad Habil, 18, watching Turkish films becomes a part of his daily activities during the lockdown.

"Especially when my area has now been designated as a Red Zone. I cannot go anywhere, so I enjoy watching Turkish films sitting at my home," Habil, a graphic designer told Anadolu Agency.

He said the Turkish films are rich in history and their depiction of the glorious Ottoman civilization entices all.

"I have learned about the cultures and facets of Turkish society during that period," he said.

Habil said his favourite film is Payitaht Abdul Hamid series, which also narrates the history of Palestine.

In the film, he added, Sultan Abdul Hamid firmly rejected the request of the Jewish leader Teodhor Herzl who wanted land in Palestine. Herzl formed the Zionist Organization and promoted Jewish immigration to Palestine to form a Jewish state.

"The Sultan firmly refused the request, so I kept watching because I was curious," said Habil, who also admires Fatih Sultan Mehmet and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

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Photo: Anadolu Agency

Online communities promote Turkish movies

The information about Turkish films is shared online through communities. One of them is a community called Friends of Erdogan Indonesia.

Muhammad Fiqruddin, the community leader, said that over the past week, they received more than 1,000 inquiries, where people wanted to know about Turkish films.

"They [inquiries] came from people of different backgrounds, such as teachers, office workers, students, entrepreneurs, housewives, and Indonesian workers abroad. They have even launched a messenger group to discuss the films," he added.

Fiqruddin said that his community promotes Turkish films to support the government's social restriction norms to combat the pandemic.

"Every information about a film shared on social media attracts 20,000 readers and hundreds of comments. They were very excited," he said.

The head of Friends of Erdogan Community hoped that through Turkish films Indonesians are learning about history and civilization while staying at home during the lockdown.

"Turkish films are very educational and well-liked by many people," he added.