Turkish dramas on Indian streaming platforms face removal amid India-Pak conflicts; Know full details

Following the removal of Pakistani dramas due to growing tensions between India and Pakistan, Turkish television dramas, once beloved by Indian viewers, are now being quietly removed from popular streaming platforms, facing a similar fate. And the reason is needless to say is Turkey’s decision to support Pakistan.

In recent years, Turkish series such as 'Ertugrul', 'Feriha', and 'Masum' gained immense popularity in India, particularly within Tier-1 and Tier-2 cities. Nevertheless, the prevailing political climate has prompted Zee5 to take preemptive action by removing these titles without public notification. Included in this removal is 'Relationship Status: It’s Complicated', alongside numerous other productions under the Zindagi banner.

We’ve been monitoring the sentiment for weeks. While there is no government directive, we made a business decision to avoid a potential backlash. These titles, a part of the Zindagi bouquet, were doing well in Tier-1 and -2 cities, but the risk of reputational damage outweighed the benefits

- Insider told mid day

While Amazon and MX Player have built good libraries of Turkish dramas, including popular titles like Golden Boy, Love is in the Air, and Endless Love, the content team has reportedly received an internal note advising them to pause any new acquisitions of Turkish shows for now.

According to an insider, while they haven't received any formal instructions or advisory from the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, no content has been removed yet. However, new acquisitions from Turkish production houses have been paused.

Furthermore, multiple YouTube channels that stream Turkish series are reportedly under increased scrutiny.

A source from the channel told Mid-Day, “We received three takedown requests in the past two days. It felt coordinated. If this escalates, more channels could disappear overnight from India." The show remains available on another channel.

Although the Indian government has not issued an official directive to ban Turkish dramas, certain Indian universities have already severed academic ties with Turkish institutions. In the entertainment sector, the Federation of Western India Cine Employees (FWICE) recently advised filmmakers to avoid Turkey for filming (as reported in Turkey no-go for Bollywood, May 15).

Despite the Indian government's lack of an official ban on Turkish dramas, the entertainment industry is proactively addressing the situation. The Federation of Western India Cine Employees (FWICE) has released a strong statement, urging Indian authorities to take action against the ongoing streaming of Turkish shows on OTT platforms.

Simultaneously, the All Indian Cine Workers Association (AICWA), which represents workers, technicians, artists, and professionals in the Indian film industry, officially declared a complete boycott of Turkey for all film shoots and cultural collaborations. Effective immediately, no Bollywood or Indian films will be shot in Turkey. Furthermore, Indian producers, production houses, directors, or financiers are prohibited from taking any film, television, or digital content projects to the Middle Eastern country. On May 14, the Federation of Western India Cine Employees (FWICE) also issued a statement announcing a boycott of Turkey amid the ongoing tensions.

Turkey's support for Pakistan during recent India-Pakistan tensions has strained its diplomatic relationship with India. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's backing of Pakistan ignited significant backlash among Indians.