As the standoff between India and Turkey continues over the latter’s support for Pakistan during Operation Sindhoor, a Turkish private channel’s decision to continue airing Indian television series has triggered backlash. Critics have lashed out at Channel 7, a Turkish nationwide Islamic TV channel, for airing Indian content at a time when India continues to boycott Turkish products.
Channel 7, ironically, is known to support Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s nationalist AK Party. “While Turkish companies continue to suffer millions of dollars in losses following India's boycott and sanctions, Channel 7 television, known for its intense support for the AKP government, continues to broadcast Indian series,” according to a report that appeared in Tamaturk, a Turkish news website.
The report states that Channel 7 currently airs four different Indian series dubbed into Turkish. Among these are ‘Ghum Hai Kisikey Pyaar Meiin’ and ‘Ek Hazaaron Mein Meri Behna Hai’ from Star Plus, a channel owned by Reliance Industries, a partnership with Indian media giant Mukesh Ambani. Channel 7 also airs ‘Tose Nainaa Milaai Ke,’ produced by Enterr10 TV Network, and ‘Parineetii,’ produced by Mumbai-based Balaji Telefilms .
”The fact that Channel 7, a supporter of the AKP government and a frequent user of the national slogan, continues to broadcast Indian series reveals that there is no compensation for the losses suffered by Turkish companies, which contribute significantly to the Turkish economy, due to the Indian boycott,” the report added.
The issue has triggered some backlash online too, with many viewers reacting strongly on social media. One user commented: "While Turkish companies are losing money under the Indian boycott, Channel 7 is marketing Indian cultural products and making money for Indians."
Indian tele dramas gained popularity in Turkey in 2015 after Channel 7 began airing ‘Iss Pyaar Ko Kya Naam Doon’ . The show dubbed in Turkish as ‘Bir Garip Aşk’ became the first Indian drama to air in Turkey and went on to be a roaring success. Following this, other Indian series like ‘Uttaran’, ‘Balika Vadhu’, and ‘Saraswatichandra’ also gained popularity.
However, Turkish TV shows were removed from popular streaming platforms post Operation Sindhoor. Turkish series like 'Ertuğrul', 'Feriha', and 'Masum' had a huge fan base in India, but were removed in May by Zee5 without public announcements.
The Indian boycott of Turkish products and firms continues as reports claim the contract was awarded to Turkish company AsisGuard for automatic ticketing on new metro lines was revoked last week. The incident triggered protests in Turkey, with one right-wing media outlet calling the decision “off the rails”.
