After the recent conflict between India and Pakistan, Indian platforms removed Pakistani shows. Now, the public is also demanding to take down Turkish dramas, following Turkey's statement against India. Zee5 has already removed Turkish shows from the platform and other streaming apps are planning to do the same. The decision came after Turkey continued its support for Pakistan amid its tension with India. Notably, some Turkish dramas have made a strong fan base in the country, including Ertuğrul, Feriha, and Masum. After Turkey’s latest comment, Zee5 quietly removed the Relationship: Status It’s Complicated and other series over the past week. 

An insider told Mid Day, “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.” 

Amazon MX Player has shows like Golden Boy, Love is in the Air and Endless Love to name a few. The content team of the platform has reportedly issued an internal memo to halt acquisition of fresh Turkish shows. An insider told the portal, “We haven’t received any formal instructions or advisory from the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. As of now, no content has been removed, but we have paused new acquisitions from Turkish production houses.” 

Several YouTube channels which stream Turkish series are facing major backlash. A popular YouTube curator, Live Pakistan, which streamed Resurrection: Ertuğrul, is currently unavailable in India since May 16. 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 Indian government has not advisory to remove Turkish shows. However, several Indian universities suspended all academic ties with Turkish institutes. Earlier, Federation of Western India Cine Employees (FWICE) appealed the filmmakers not to shoot in the Eurasian country (Turkey no-go for Bollywood, May 15).