Nation First!: Indian OTT Platforms Voluntarily Pull the Plug on Turkish Dramas

As Turkey’s support for Pakistan during Operation Sindoor became evident, calls from Indians to avoid travel to the Middle Eastern country gained momentum.

Days after the Indian government imposed a blanket ban on the streaming of Pakistani dramas in the aftermath of the Pahalgam terror attack and the subsequent launch of Operation Sindoor, several OTT (Over The Top) platforms voluntarily decided to pull the plug on Turkish dramas.

According to reports, popular shows like Ertuğrul, Feriha, and Masum were removed from multiple OTT platforms. ZEE5 was reportedly among the first to drop Turkish content, including Relationship Status: It’s Complicated.

A report quoting an insider stated, “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, part of the Zindagi bouquet, were doing well in Tier-1 and Tier-2 cities, but the risk of reputational damage outweighed the benefits.”

While Amazon MX Player has not removed any Turkish shows, it is reportedly not accepting new productions from the country.

Meanwhile, the Federation of Western India Cine Employees (FWICE) urged the film industry not to promote tourism in Turkey and Azerbaijan by shooting films there.
The All Indian Cine Workers Association (AICWA) also requested Indian actors and filmmakers to “decline any invitations for stage performances or events sponsored or financed by entities from these countries” and to “not engage in any artistic or commercial projects involving Turkish or Azerbaijani stakeholders.”

Following the Pahalgam terror attack on April 22, which claimed 26 lives, India launched Operation Sindoor targeting terrorist camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. Claiming that civilians were targeted, Pakistan launched retaliatory airstrikes, which were successfully intercepted by India’s air defence systems. The Armed Forces confirmed that Turkish drones were used by Pakistan to attack India’s civilian and military infrastructure.

This is not an isolated incident. Turkey has repeatedly raised the Kashmir issue at international platforms, including the UN General Assembly (UNGA), the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), and during bilateral meetings.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has called for a peaceful resolution of the dispute through dialogue and in accordance with UN Security Council resolutions. He has also expressed concern about alleged human rights violations in Jammu and Kashmir, particularly after India revoked Article 370 in August 2019.

However, India has consistently maintained that Kashmir is a bilateral issue. It has strongly rejected Turkey’s remarks, calling them interference in its internal affairs.

In addition to cancelling a $2.3 billion naval deal with a Turkish company in 2020 following Erdoğan’s UNGA speech on Kashmir, India has downgraded diplomatic ties with Turkey.