Would love to work in Pakistan, given the right opportunity: Engin Altan Düzyatan

Engin Altan Düzyatan of 'Diriliş: Ertuğrul' humbled by the love of Pakistani fans

LAHORE:

This year has been the year of Turkish productions in Pakistan. While local audiences were not alien to addictive Turkish soaps, the dramatic arrival of one character on our screens changed the way Pakistanis saw TV and historical fiction. Ertugrul Ghazi came on his white horse Aktolgali, and took our imagination by a storm; signifying peace, harmony and most importantly, our faith in the Almighty. Ertugrul Ghazi is the protagonist of the Turkish period drama Diriliş: Ertuğrul and is played by Engin Altan Düzyatan.

While some stars of the show had already visited Pakistan and thanked their fans for the love, the latest actor to visit is none other than the lead star of Düzyatan himself.

He arrived in Lahore on Thursday morning for a short visit, where he received a warm welcome from his fans. On Friday afternoon, he spoke to the media in a brief press conference. "I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to Imran Khan for praising Diriliş: Ertuğrul," said the 41-year-old actor.

He then thanked his Pakistani fans for the outpour of love he had received over the last few months for his portrayal of the famous historic figure. Talking about how he would love to star in a Pakistani project, he shared, "I would love to work in a Pakistani drama or film, given the right opportunity. When I find a script I can relate to, I will sign it!"

Düzyatan was also in awe of the stunning locales up north. "I'm actually sad that I didn't get to stay more," he smiled. "Pakistan is so beautiful! The sceneries are gorgeous, the mountains and the surrounding areas are breathtaking. I love the Lahori food as well! It's a bit spicy but very tasty."

Rumours of the star visiting Pakistan had been rife for a few months now. Earlier, in an interview with BBC Asian Network, the actor had shared why he thinks the series connects to the Pakistani audience so much. "I think both Turkish people and Pakistani people love well-crafted stories. Turkish series are successful at conveying a touching sense of drama to the audience," he said.

Talking about how the fans are now intrigued to visit Turkey after watching the show, he said, "We know for a fact that Turkey became an even popular tourist destination after the TV series was released, which is great. We are really glad it happened," he continued.

How it all began

It all started when Prime Minister Imran Khan recommended the youth of the country to watch the popular Turkish period drama, Diriliş: Ertuğrul. It will help you discover the many heroes of Islam and connect with your roots, the PM had said. The show was w dubbed in Urdu and aired on Pakistan Television. So after the airing, the show became a ground-breaking success and ‘Ertugrul’ a household name.

The wedding dance portrayed in the show became a custom and the fandom just kept on growing and growing.  The show was such a huge success in Pakistan that Esra Bilgic, the actor who plays Halime Sultan in the show, turned out to be one of the most searched people in the country, according to Google's top searches of 2020.

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