Cengiz Coşkun, a Turkish actor famous for playing Turgut Alp in the show Diriliş: Ertuğrul, recently asked his followers on social media whether they would support Turkey and visit the country despite calls from India to boycott it. This question came after Turkey supported Pakistan in the India-Pakistan conflict, which upset many Indians.
Coşkun, 46, has a large fanbase in Pakistan, where he has even received marriage proposals from fans. On social media, Coşkun asked, “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?” He has over 96,000 followers on the platform X (formerly known as Twitter).
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 responses to his post were from Indians who were angry about Turkey’s support for Pakistan. They reminded Coşkun that India had sent humanitarian aid to Turkey after the 2023 earthquakes, including a field hospital, medicines, and rescue teams. Some Indian users expressed their disappointment, saying they now feel hurt by Turkey’s actions.
One user, Pankhuri Pathak, said, “Indians had a soft corner for Turkey. We sent aid after the earthquake, but Turkey supported Pakistan, a country that kills innocents. It pains me to say this, but a boycott is the least Indians should do.”
Another user, RJ, added, “We sent aid, but now Turkey is helping Pakistan, even though it has no issues with India. This feels wrong.”
However, not all reactions were negative. Some people defended Turkey, saying it was only standing by its belief in justice. One user, Jypsy, wrote, “Turkey doesn’t judge friendships based on boycotts. Those who travel with kindness will always be welcome in Turkey.” Another user, Mansour Khan, reminded people that India once boycotted the Maldives, but relations improved when the Indian government provided a loan to the country.
Cengiz Coşkun’s popularity in Pakistan grew rapidly after former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan recommended the Diriliş: Ertuğrul series in 2019. The show was already available on Netflix, but after Khan’s endorsement, it became a national hit and was even dubbed in Urdu and aired on Pakistani TV. Coşkun later thanked Khan for helping boost his fame.
During the pandemic, the show became very popular in Pakistan. People named restaurants and even cattle after characters from the show.
In 2020, Coşkun revealed that he received many marriage proposals from Pakistani women after his popularity grew there. He joked, “I can’t marry everyone!” At the time, he was in a relationship and got married in August 2022.
