Jammu: Popular Turkish serial Dirilis Ertugrul has influenced viewers in Kashmir to the extent that parents are naming their children after its lead character, Ertugrul.
The series manifests the life and times of people who laid the foundations of the Ottoman Empire.
“Ertugrul is the frequently encountered name in my outdoor department,” says Dr. Suhail Naik, consultant Pediatrician and president Doctors Association of Kashmir. “During winters Ertugrul caps with fur were trending in Kashmir, but at that time I didn’t comprehend the basis of fashion. But now I also started watching it and I realise what is happening,” he said. Ottoman soldiers and the civil officers used to wear the slightly claret red headwear called fez.
Based on 13th century Anatolia (now modern-day Turkey), Dirilis Ertugrul is based on stories of the Muslim Oghuz Turks, fighting Byzantine, invading Mongols and the Crusaders. The series revolves around Ertugrul Ghazi, a warrior and father of Ottoman Empire founder Osman I.
The popularity of the serial grew globally after it was dubbed in Urdu by Pakistan in April.The serial became popular in Kashmir amid lockdown and siege after removal of Article 370 on August 5, 2019. Kashmiris started sharing the downloaded files on USB drives to watch this historical drama.