Necati Sasmaz to star in Indo-Turkish co-productions

Mumbai, June 19 (IANS) Turkish actor Necati Sasmaz will feature alongside Indian actors in two films which are part of a co-production deal between his banner Pana Film and Indian film production house Eros International Media Ltd.

Necati, best known for playing the lead role of Polat Alemdar in popular Turkish TV series "Kurtlar Vadisi" ("Valley of the Wolves"), will shoot in both India and Turkey for the projects, which will be a bilingual.

"Pana Film greatly values this exciting partnership with Eros International. Our common goal is to build a cultural bridge between both regions. With our Indian collaboration, we aim to expand our presence and tell new stories that can bring Indian and Turkish audiences together," Sasmaz said in a statement.

"Pana Film and Eros International will make history together as the co-producers of the first Indo-Turkish feature films, which will open new doors and provide endless opportunities for everyone involved with filmmaking. We consider this only the beginning of a new era and cannot wait for our fans to see the result of this successful partnership," he added.

Kishore Lulla, Chairman, Eros International, said: "We are honoured to associate with a powerhouse entity like Pana Film. Following our pioneering Indo-China joint production initiatives, we continue to expand the scope of Indian films internationally with our exciting Turkish collaboration.

"With our similar cultures, we want to tell stories with a mainstream appeal that transcend language and geographical boundaries. We hope our Indo-Turkish productions will pave the way to open one of the significant regions in the world and reach out to fans across the two countries and the MENA (Middle East to North Africa) regions".