For decades, people have used the medium of television to find some kind of respite from reality. It is a mode for relaxation as well as a way to delve into a fantasy world. To cater to that need, historical dramas have certainly played massive roles. Proof? Shows like Alif Laila, Sindbad and Robin Hood that were broadcast on BTV (dubbed in Bangla), were extremely popular, making it a 90s favourite among many in Bangladesh, across social-economic spectrum.
Certainly there had been a void since then, especially with the increase in the number of television channels and TV plays, local programmes have lost their appeal to major audiences. A large number of audiences choose to watch Indian daily soaps while local TV channels lag behind.
Sultan Suleyman, the most popular show of Deepto TV has reached a similar position within two months of its inception (according to Television Rating Points). It has successfully been able to bring back large, family audiences’ interest on local TV shows, most of whom were are usually more inclined towards Indian daily soaps.
Sultan Sulayman, also known as The Magnificent Century is a Turkish historical fiction television series. Written by Meral Okay and Yılmaz Şahin, it is based on the life of Ottoman Sultan Süleyman the Magnificent, the longest reigning Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, and his wife Hürrem Sultan, a slave girl who became Sultana. It was originally broadcast on Show TV and then transferred to Star TV.
At the age of 26, when his reign began, Sultan Süleyman sought to build an empire more powerful than Alexander the Great and to render the Ottomans invincible. Throughout his 46-year reign, his fame as both the greatest warrior and ruler of his age spread through both the East and the West. Deepto TV has aired 70 episodes so far.
The series also focuses on the relationships among the members of the imperial household, especially romantic entanglements and rivalries. The animosity between Hürrem Sultan and Mahidevran Sultan, mother of the Sultan’s eldest son, and the role of Ayşe Hafsa Sultan, the valide sultan; Hürrem’s rise as Süleyman’s favourite while pregnant with his son, her fall from favour after her son’s birth and her eventual return to grace; Pargalı İbrahim’s entanglement with Hatice Sultan, the Sultan’s sister, and many others.
“For some reason, programmes like this appeal to people. Historical pieces like Alif Laila were hugely successful. Audiences have a certain attraction towards Sultan Suleyman, maybe because of the era or because they want to know what happened to Muslims in the Ottoman empire. There is also romance, intrigue, action – all of these make it a good drama,” says Qazi Urfi Ahmad, the chief operating officer of Deepto TV.
“People get hooked to the TV set if they see pretty people and Sultan Suleyman has that appeal. I have even read one comment on Facebook that one fan began studying the Ottoman empire after starting watching the show,” Urfi told the Dhaka Tribune.
There were several challenges in translating the original Turkish script and then setting up a team of voice artists for the production as well.
“The show was picked because of its catchy story. However, dubbing it was a huge challenge. After we dubbed it into Bangla, we had to make sure that the lip sync was done in a perfect manner. Translating alone does not ensure that it would match the lip movements of the characters. So the team had to work on using synonyms to make the dubbing look perfect. It’s an art and a huge challenge. However, I think we have been successful. The other day, one of my friend’s 10-year-old son was watching the series and he asked his father how these foreigners could speak such fluent Bangla!” he shares.
“We got through a number of translators. We could not find a Turkish speaker. So we hired a graduate of the Dkaha University Language Department. She basically learned Turkish for the job. Now she knows enough Turkish and has a team under her. We have the Google Translate app and the series is also available in Urdu. So we took help from that as well. Sultan Suleyman is a huge project. We have a plan to run it for at least one year,” he says.
The show is aired from Saturday to Thursday from 7:30pm to 8:30pm and it is repeated at 10pm and 10:30am the next day. A “highlights of the week” is aired from 6:30pm to 9:30pm on Fridays.
Gity, a voice artist who plays the roles of Hatice (Suleyman’s sister) and Daya Hatun, the administrator of the harrem, gleefully shares her dubbing experience.
“This kind of job is first of its kind in Bangladesh. People have given voices in different projects but we are working here as full-time voice artists for the show. It feels great,” says Gity.
“Religion, politics, activities inside the harem, the trend of selling slave girls etc have made the series popular among people,” she opines.
“We are currently dubbing for the 200th episode. I can guarantee you that a lot more twists are yet to come. So keep watching,” she added.
The artist also feels amused when her friends and family members call her by the name of the characters she represents in Sultan Suleyman. Other voice artists from the team share similar experiences.