KARACHI: Pakistani actor Adnan Siddiqui has revealed to Arab News in a virtual tour from Istanbul on Saturday the set of the highly anticipated Pakistani-Turkish drama series on the life of the famed 12th-century Muslim commander Salahuddin Al-Ayyubi.
The first sultan of Egypt and Syria and founder of the Ayyubid dynasty, Salahuddin (1138-1193) led the Muslim military campaign against the Crusader states in the Levant. After the battle of Hattin in 1187, he retook Jerusalem from the Crusaders who had conquered Palestine 88 years earlier.
The TV series, in which 25 percent of the cast is Pakistani, is produced by Pakistan’s Ansari & Shah Films and Turkey’s Akli Films. Salahuddin will be played by a Turkish actor. The full cast will be known on Saturday night.
Shooting is going to start in October, while the first out of 30 episodes is scheduled to be released in December.
Pakistani actors Adnan Siddiqui and Ayesha Omar during an exclusive virtual tour given to Arab News through Instagram live, revealing sets of their upcoming series “Selahaddin Eyyubi” in Istanbul on July 30, 2022. (AN photos)
The main set is spread on 200 acres of land, of which 50 acres are for Salahuddin’s historic palace in Damascus. The set also features shops, quarters of Muslim and Christian communities of the time, and a mosque is also being constructed in its vicinity.
“It’s happening for the first time that Pakistani producers are investing in a Turkish production,” Siddiqui told Arab News.
“Salahuddin Ayyubi was a figure who is liked in Europe as well. He was a leader for the world,” he said. “As far as Muslims are concerned, audiences will get to see Muslims’ contribution to Islamic history.”
The Pakistani producer, Kashif Ansari from Ansari and Shah Films, told Arab News that 16 Muslim and non-Muslim historians have worked on the script for 10 months to ensure the story depicts the truth.
“Islam’s true image, that the West is not ready to depict, will be presented in the series,” he said. “There is no counter-narrative to how Muslims are otherwise represented in foreign productions.”
For Ansari, the series aims to assemble people “under the flag of humanity.”
“The production will show that there are good and bad people in every religion. Key themes tackled in the series include justice, respect, humanity and equality, irrespective of one’s religion,” he added, giving as an example “Ertugrul,” a Turkish series that broke viewership records and enjoyed immense popularity in Pakistan a couple of years ago.
“The secret to Dirilis: Ertugrul’s success is that it talked about humanity, it talked about justice, love, and unity that made people realize this is also a way to live.”
