Star India gives Turkey its first ever Indian Drama Series

The Star Network, which constantly strives to be where the consumers are, has further expanded the global reach of its content by showcasing its engrossing and immensely popular romance drama, Iss Pyaar Ko Kya Naam Doon, to television audiences in Turkey. Since November 2015, the show, dubbed in Turkish and entitled Bir Garip Aşk, has been delighting viewers of local Turkish channel Kanal 7 to such an extent that it has quadrupled its ratings, increasing the channel’s ranking significantly across different target groups in the slot in which it is airing. In the process, Star India has also made history by taking the first ever Indian TV Drama Series to Turkey which is one of the biggest Producers and exporters of drama series in the world.

Zahid Akman, General Manager - Kanal 7 Turkey, says, “We are very happy with the choice we have made to air a Star India drama. For us, ‘Iss Pyaar Ko Kya Naam Doon’ (‘Bir Garip Aşk’ In Turkish) is a magical love story told like a fairy tale.”

Christina Vlahova, CEO of Intellecta Srl, a long-time partner of Star India in the territories of Europe, Russia and Turkey, says, “Kanal 7 had the pioneering spirit to dare and give its viewers the chance to be the first to watch an Indian TV drama in Turkey. We have always known deep inside that the Star India dramas will work in Turkey since they present the same social and moral values which are treasured by the Turkish society. There is a strong focus on family values, which is important both in Turkey and India. We just add more color to it.”

Among such globally successful shows from Star India’s Drama Series are Yeh Hai Mohabbatein and the epic mythological Mahabharat, which are huge global hits; Sapna Babul Ka…Bidaai, is among the most successful drama series in Europe; Saraswatichandra and Ek Hasina Thi, which have aired in more than 30 countries; Diya Aur Baati Hum, which has aired successfully in more than 15 countries, and Sadda Haq, a show that is very popular with young audiences in South Africa.  All these shows are aired after dubbing or subtitling the content in the international markets.

The lead actor of Iss Pyaar Ko Kya Naam Doon, Barun Sobti, was in Istanbul to celebrate the show’s success. The actor received a tremendous welcome from the show’s fans, who were delighted to meet him. Barun’s visit is also one of the most talked about and searched events on social media and Google (in Turkey), and had been trending for more than a week since 25th Feb. It was the most talked about event on Twitter on 29th, when it trended throughout the day.

Says Barun, “I am delighted that the series is being aired in Turkey. I have been hearing that the show is being loved as much as the local Turkish dramas, which is proof that Star India’s great storytelling will always succeed. It’s quite amazing that the show has aired in more than 40 countries and has done extremely well everywhere. I really enjoyed my time in Turkey - it is a beautiful country and the response from the fans has been fabulous.”