Pakistani singer’s tribute to Resurrection: Ertugrul takes fans by storm, reaches millions

A heart-touching tribute to globally-acclaimed Turkish drama series Resurrection: Ertugrul by famous Pakistani singer Hadiqa Kiani has taken fans by storm as it garnered over a million views on Facebook alone.

Kiani shared a video clip in which she adapted the Turkish song “Sen Aglama” belonging to legendary singer Sezen Aksu, saying she represented Pakistan in 2005 by singing the same song at the iconic Atatürk Cultural Center and Opera House in Turkey.

“The love between Turkey and Pakistan is unlike the love of any other country. My maternal ancestors are from Izmir, Turkey and I have had an affinity for the country since my childhood,” she wrote on her Instagram post, pointing out that Turkey has stood beside Pakistan through thick and thin.

“Now in 2020, a new milestone in the relationship between Pakistan and Turkey was cemented by the mammoth success of Ertugrul in Pakistan and we thought of no better time to pay a public tribute to the people of Turkey by officially releasing my original performance of “Sen Aglama.” The friendship between the two countries will continue to shine through culture, art and love,” she added.

She thanked her fans for their enormous and sincere interest after the video went viral and took to Instagram to express her gratitude, saying: “We have hit ONE MILLION views on Facebook alone! Thank you for supporting this rendition, I am truly overwhelmed.”

Turkish television series Resurrection: Ertugrul, known as the Muslim Games of Thrones, has become a major hit in Pakistan since the national broadcaster PTV began airing Urdu-dubbed episodes of the show in April.

The series has also inspired Pakistan to erect statues of Ertugrul Ghazi in a residential area of Lahore.

Ertugrul Gazi surged to fame in Pakistan when Prime Minister Imran Khan endorsed the series and said watching it would promote "Islamic history and ethics" among the country's youth.

More than 58 million people watched the first episode on PTV's YouTube channel in two months and the entire show has had more than 250 million views in Pakistan.

writing by Mustafa Ghanim