The rising star of Turkey – A tribute to Hande Ercel on her Birthday

This is my second blog in as many days. If my first blog was about the blockbuster Turkish drama Ask Laftan Anlamaz, this blog is especially dedicated to you Hande Ercel on your birthday.

May you be gifted with life’s biggest joys and never-ending happiness. You are a gift to earth, so you deserve the best. Happy Birthday Hande Ercel.

You are a beautiful and talented young actor and there are no two views about it. To paraphrase Hande Ercel it is just enough to know that your beauty is power and your smile is its sword. A beautiful personality such as yours will last for a lifetime.

If you had held the audience spellbound in Ask Laftan as Hayat Uzun with your splendour and good looks coupled with a superlative performance in your previous avatar as Selin Yilmaz in Gunesin Kizlari you portrayed a totally different character in style and approach. You have followed up Hayat in Ask Laftan with another stellar performance as Hazal in Siyah Inci.

Keep your dreams alive. The price of your success is a combination of passion, dedication and hard work. You are beautiful, pristine and unassuming. Above all else your signature smile keeps you and others radiant, so keep smiling.

Purely for the uninitiated, Hande Ercel is a fast rising Television actress and model in Turkey having millions of followers across continent.  She is widely followed in Instagram, Twitter and Facebook. She has already acted in a number of Television dramas and is a household name in Turkey and in other parts of the world, particularly in countries like India, Pakistan she enjoys immense popularity.  Her chartbuster Ask Laftan Anlamaz has been dubbed in many languages and some of the dubbed versions have clocked more than a million hits on the YouTube.

Happy Birthday to you Hande Ercel. Tons of wishes.

Romance Unparalleled - Ask Laftan Anlamaz

I do not know if Penguin Picks is an apt name for a blog. It is for the discerning readers to judge. Rekindling an old passion to write blogs my first thought was about content. Several topics crisscrossed my mind but finally rested on the topic of entertainment which has universal appeal and reach. So here it is.

I am opening with Turkish TV dramas since they are immensely popular across the world. The shows are rich in content, have high production values, sleek direction and highly talented and gifted artists.

I am going to talk about in particular the 2016-2017 blockbuster ‘Ask Laftan Anlamaz’ starring Hande Ercel and Burak Deniz in the lead roles with able supporting cast.

For the uninitiated, the story goes somewhat like this.  Hande Ercel plays the lead female character Hayat Uzun who hails from a middle class background while the male lead by Burak Deniz enacts the role of Murat Sarsılmaz who owns and runs a leading textile firm in Istanbul. Hayat secures a job there as his personal assistant which was originally reserved for one Sona Pektas who is a family friend of Sarsilmaz's, in a case of mistaken identity. There begins their love story. Hayat and Murat are equally stubborn but find each other attractive. Hayat is a beautiful, pure, innocent girl while Murat is a young handsome guy with a businesslike manner and approach. They eventually fall in love and then reach a point when both cannot live without the other.  There are many twists and turns and several edge of the seat moments with Hayat at one stage deciding to part with Murat even though halfheartedly but Murat’s dogged pursuit, perseverance and undying love for her brings Hayat back to him and thanks to their overriding passion and love for each other they live a life of sometime happy and content, other times at odds with each other.  Many characters come and go in between as the show progresses but what glues the audience to the seat is the unfolding love and romance of Hayat and Murat and how one pursues the other. There is never a dull moment. After many heartaches and jolts the series finally ends on a happy note but the audience is left in a dizzying frame of mind due to the immense appeal the lead players wield over them.

I feel however that the show ended a bit prematurely. Also there are some loose ends that have not been adequately explained but I do not intend to put them out in public domain.  Of course these are unimportant hence do not matter.  The show has been lapped up not only within Turkey but also by the global audience. Such is the frenzy that the show has been dubbed in many languages.

The lead actors have done a superb job.  The supporting cast is equally adept.  Hande Ercel as Hayat is a class act. The Director has taken care to meticulously build her up and her beauty, charm and innocent look all come through quite nicely. Her mannerisms and adoring looks is a major draw. Burak Deniz as Murat has brilliantly depicted the role of a young, handsome, confident and upright businessman with a touch of romanticism in his manner and style which he carries with aplomb. The chemistry between the lead cast as well as their many romantic interludes is simply stunning and pleasing to the eye. With a tight script and meticulous direction it is no surprising that the show has been a runaway success. The Director, script and the entire cast and crew deserves a special praise for creating the magic of love in Hayat and Murat, akin to some kind of folklore.

Those yet to see, better catch it though they may be minuscule in number. Those seen it already it is worth a repeat.

Are we going to have a Season 2?  Many are hoping and praying for a sequel with Hande and Burak in the lead of course as they can easily recreate the magic all over again. Perhaps the concerned will take a call on Ask season 2.

The audience in the meanwhile is waiting with bated breath.