urkish dramas have won the hearts of millions of people across the globe. Pakistan is no exception. Cases in point: Ishq-i-Mamnu’ and Dirili : Ertu rul. The latter particularly amassed strong viewership in Pakistan. The series revolved around Islamic history. It was during a visit to the set of Dirili : Ertu rul in Turkey that the idea of a possible Pak-Turk joint production was mooted.

Pakistan’s Ansari and Shah Films and Turkey’s Akli Films have now joined forces to produce a drama series, Selahaddin Eyyubi that chronicles the life of the famed 12^th Century Muslim leader, Selahaddin Al-Eyyubi. The first season of the series has launched in Turkish language, with two episodes out on TRT that will air an episode every week. The first three-hour episode released in Turkey on November 13.

The series features Turkish stars Ugur Günes, Dilin Doger and Mehmet Ali Nuroglu in key roles. It has been directed by Sedat Inci.

The first episode of Selahaddin Eyyubi premiered at a star-studded event in Karachi last week. Turkish producer Emre Konuk, who is also the CEO Akli Films, was in attendance in addition to the Pakistani producers Kashif Ansari and Junaid Ali Shah. Pakistani actors Adnan Siddiqui, Humayun Saeed, Ayesha Omar, Ushna Shah and others, who are likely to figure in upcoming seasons of the series, were also present on the occasion.

At the time of signing the deal in August 2021, Konuk had tweeted, “happy news on a blessed Friday night! Contract signed between Akli Films and Ansari & Shah Films about Sultan Selahaddin Ayyubi.” He hoped that the joint project would prove beneficial for their countries and the art world.

“It’s the first time Pakistani producers have invested in a Turkish production,” Adnan Siddiqui told TNS. “One of the reasons to screen the series in Pakistan was to spread the word. A lot of channel owners attended the premiere. They must have made some calculations. We will have a meeting with them to discuss the release of the series in Pakistan.”

Siddiqui said that the viewers will not see him or any other Pakistani actor in the first season of the series. However, they are likely to have ‘dynamic’ roles in the upcoming seasons.

“We want to show our real heroes to the world, not an ironman or a superman,” producer Junaid Ali Shah, told TNS. “We want to spread the message of peace and humanity across all sections of society all over the world.”

“A group of writers came together to pen the script of this historic series. The work is detailed and the production quality is remarkable. This would not have been possible without hard work put in by the entire team and their patience. A lot of people didn’t believe initially that this was happening, but here you are,” added Siddiqui.

The series went on floors last year and has been shot in Istanbul, Turkey. A special set, spread over 200 acres of land, has been created for the shoot. 50 acres have been allotted for Eyyubi’s palace in Damascus.

Selahaddin Eyyubi was the founder of the Ayyubid dynasty. Hailing from a Kurdish family, he was the first sultan of Egypt and Syria. An important figure in the Third Crusade, he spearheaded the Muslim military effort against the Crusader states in the Levant.

“We wanted to show our real heroes to the world, not an ironman or a superman,” producer Junaid Ali Shah, told TNS. “We want to spread the message of peace and humanity across all sections of society, all over the world.”

“Selahaddin Eyyubi’s stature is such that we needed a production house from Turkey to do justice to it. It’s a Turkish series which we will be translating into Urdu, English and Arabic for the rest of the world. Turkish productions have strong viewership worldwide,” he added.

After the first episode that premiered in Karachi, each episode is two and a half hours long. The producer reiterated that the series will feature some Pakistani actors but not in the first season. He said that audiences in Pakistan will have access to the series in Urdu very soon.

Shah added, “We will subtitle all the episodes in Urdu to be aired on a TV channel in Pakistan. We are in talks with a few TV channels. We will finalise something soon.”

The author is a freelance contributor