'Several Pakistani artists snubbed for roles in Salauddin Ayyubi series'

A couple of months ago, news of Turkey and Pakistan set to co-produce a television series on the life of Salahuddin Ayyubi made rounds. The upcoming project brings together two big production houses from both countries. It was then shared that the series, featuring actors from Turkey and Pakistan, will be shot in Turkey and is planned to have three seasons.

Now, auditions were held in two major cities of Pakistan for the cast of the show based on the popular Islamic warrior. However, according to Independent Urdu, many renowned Pakistani actors failed to bag the role of Eyyubi. Spilling the beans on the said auditions, Dr Kashif Ansari of Ansari & Shah Films, the Pakistani partner of this joint production, confirmed that auditions were held in Karachi and Lahore in October as artists from Islamabad had come down to Lahore to participate.

He said, "Out of more than 6,000 candidates, a total of 60 Pakistani artists have got golden tickets in these auditions, out of which 18 are from Lahore and 42 from Karachi." The big names who have been selected include Ayesha Omar, Adnan Jilani, Farhan Agha and Ushna Shah. Ansari further added, "One of the prominent Pakistani artists to not have made the cut for the much-awaited series is famous model Nadia Hussain."

At the same time, Ansari claimed prior to this particular audition for a collaborative series, no other drama had created such a hype that who's who of the Pakistani entertainment industry had come in for trials. He also added that audition tapes will be released soon.

"There is, however, another spell of auditions to be conducted in January of next year and then later on in March," Ansari continued. "This time around, the said auditions will be held in Turkey and, if necessary, then in Pakistan."

Ansari commented that he had also met with Imran Khan, the Prime Minister of Pakistan recently. Regarding his meeting with PM Imran, Ansari said that Salahuddin City will be inaugurated in Turkey between March 15 and 20, 2022 with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and the Pakistani premier as special guests.

What is Salahuddin Ayyubi series?

Junaid Ali Shah of Ansari & Shah Films had said in an interview with the aforementioned outlet said that according to the initial layout, the historical series will consist of three seasons and each season will have 34 episodes.

The Turkish partners in the project are Akli films, which have previously had experience making films on many celebrities and historical events. The agreement to make the Salahuddin Eyyubi series was reached between Akli Films (Turkey) and Ansari & Shah Films (Pakistan).

Talking about the idea of this drama series, Ansari said, “The idea of making a series on Sultan Salahuddin Eyyubi came because he was a promising and undisputed ruler in the history of Muslims, who is still popular among the Muslims. At the same time, not just Muslims but non-Muslims regard him with respect as well."

He went on to add, "This series is not only for Muslims or Pakistan and Turkish population but also to show the world that there was a Muslim ruler whose opponents also appreciated his courage, justice, bravery and equality."

Shah asserted that the main target of the series, more so than Muslims, are the six billion non-Muslims who are unaware of the work done by such Muslim rulers. Ansari also felt that today’s generation is unfamiliar with Salahuddin’s achievement despite his vast rule over Egypt, Iraq, Syria, Diyarbakir and Hijaz,

Speaking about the themes interwoven within the series, he elaborated that it focuses on how the Quran can be used when it comes to governance. “The series focuses on the Quran, history and religious harmony. These things together make it clear that the Quran can be used effectively to govern empires, which can be embraced by people of all religions.”

When asked for an explanation for why they had chosen to collaborate with a Turkish production house, Dr Ansari shared that the two production houses had a similar vision, and Akli Films’ experience in the field of historical dramas made them the perfect partners. “Akli Films had a similar point of view as us, and the fact that they have both the experience and seriousness to execute a project such as this, we decided to work with them to create this historical series,” he said.

Have something to add to the story? Share it in the comments below.