A Turkish actor's appeal on social media to visit the country amid boycott calls from India has received an overwhelming response from online commentators, with most users refusing to support the country as it backed Pakistan after the Pahalgam attack.
Cengiz Coşkun, 46, has acted in television shows and films. He is best known for playing Turgut Alp, a close friend of the protagonist Ertugrul, in the popular show Diriliş: Ertuğrul. Coşkun has a large fan following in Pakistan that has often been documented in media reports. He even claimed to have received marriage proposals from Pakistani women.
"There is a campaign in India to boycott Turkey and not travel there for supporting Pakistan. Will you support Turkey, and come to see Turkey?" Coşkun asked on X where he has more than 96,000 followers.
There is a campaign in India to boycott Turkey and not travel there for supporting Pakistan.Will you support Turkey, and come to see Turkey?#IndiaPakistanWar2025 pic.twitter.com/xcSLwncGc5
Cengiz Coskun (@CengizCoskuun) May 11, 2025
Most of the responses to his post were from Indians who were passionate about expressing the hurt they felt when Turkey, a beloved tourist destination for Indians, supported Pakistan in the India-Pakistan conflict. Many were also quick to remind Coşkun that in 2023, when earthquakes hit Turkey, India had sent a field hospital, medicines, and rescue teams under "Operation Dost".
"Indians had a soft corner for Turkey," wrote X user Pankhuri Pathak (@pankhuripathak). "We were the first ones to send humanitarian aid after the earthquake. Our tourists visited in even larger numbers thereafter. And what did you do? Support a terrorist nation that kills innocents? Believe me, it pains me to say this but a boycott is the least Indians should do. Introspect and repent."
"Turks have no beef with Indians, then why is your government helping Pakistan?" asked @WhateverVishal. Another X user RJ (@rahuljaitley) commented. "Never ever. We were one of the first to send aid, food, water, money supply along with NDRF team to rescue survivors after the massive earthquake in Turkey. Didn't expect Turkey to supply weapons and assist Pakistan when they have no role or geographical benefit or any problem with India."
There were, however, some who spoke out in Turkey's favour and a few others who claimed that Indians would roll back their boycott of Turkey as they have for the Maldives.
"Turkey doesn’t measure its friendships through hashtags or boycotts. It stands where it believes justice lies. As for travel… hearts that carry hate won’t find beauty anywhere, but those who travel with grace will always be welcome in Turkey," wrote X user Jypsy (@IsmaatM). "The same nonsense was done for Maldives, later the Indian government agreed on a loan package for the country and things went back to normal... it's gonna last just for a few days," added Mansour Khan (@khan_mansour).
Former Pakistan PM Imran Khan advocated watching the Dirilis: Ertugrul series
Coşkun's popularity in Pakistan grew in leaps and bounds around 2019, when the then prime minister, Imran Khan, advocated it as great viewing material. Until then, the series was streaming on Netflix and was a mild success. After Khan's remarks, however, it became an all-out sensation and was subsequently dubbed in Urdu and aired on the national broadcaster, PTV. Coşkun later thanked Khan for the gesture.
During the pandemic, the show was consumed by the masses locked inside their homes and soon an "Ertugrul fever" spread in the country, Pakistan's English daily Dawn reported. People began to name restaurants after the show, and even named cattle after their favourite heroes from the show.
Coşkun received marriage proposals from Pakistani women: Report
In 2020, Coşkun revealed that he received several proposals from Pakistani women. “I learnt about my popularity in Pakistan from Instagram. I had so many marriage proposals,” The Siasat Daily quoted him as saying. “I can’t marry everyone!”
The Turkish actor had, at the time, been in a long-term relationship. He got married in August 2022.
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