Yabancı Damat

Yabancı Damat (literally: The Foreign Groom) is a Turkish television drama distributed by Erler Film with 106 episodes in total. It deals with the relationship between a young Greek man Niko and a Turkish girl Nazlı, and the problems (and especially the prejudices) encountered in an intercultural marriage. Its comedic tone and play on historic Greco-Turkish antagonism made it a huge hit in both Turkey and Greece, as well as making stars out of the leading actors. The episodes are shot in Turkey and Greece. The music is Turkish and Greek.

Yabancı Damat
Written bySulhi Dölek
Selin Tunç
Directed byDurul Taylan
Yağmur Taylan
StarringNehir Erdoğan
Özgür Çevik
Engin Akyürek
Erdal Özyağcılar
Theme music composerGökhan Kırdar
Country of originTurkey
Original languageTurkish / Greek / English
No. of episodes106
Production
ProducerTürker İnanoğlu
Running time60 min
Release
Original networkKanal D
Original releaseNovember 12, 2004 - June 15, 2007

The series ran from November 12, 2004 till June 15, 2007 on the Turkish channel Kanal D Friday evenings at 20:00 hrs.

Plot

Nazlı is the daughter of a conservative Turkish father Kahraman, who is a famous baklava maker in Gaziantep. Her grandfather Memik Dede is a Greco-Turkish War veteran. Then there is Kadir (Engin Akyürek), son of Ökkeş, the business partner of Kahraman. Kadir is engaged to Nazli. He is kind-hearted and loves her very much. But Nazli falls in love with Niko. Niko, whose parents are immigrants from Istanbul, is the son of a wealthy Greek ship owner Stavro. Nazlı and Niko meet in Bodrum, fall in love at first sight and decide to marry. The comedy starts when Niko goes to Gaziantep to ask for her father’s agreement to the marriage. Historical enmity between the two nations makes it very hard and both families oppose their marriage in the beginning. Finally, Nazlı and Niko form a family and settle in Istanbul. They meaningfully name their son Ege ("Aegean"), the sea between Turkey and Greece. The families visit each other several times for various reasons and get so closer. Niko's spinster aunt Katina gets married with a Turkish man, much exasperating her mother Efthalia. Even the initial hatred between the older members of the families, Memik Dede and Efthalia, turns to a romantic affair. As Nazli and Niko enjoy their time, Kadir and Niko’s secretary Anna fall in love. Kadir and Anna get engaged, but circumstances make them to separate as Anna’s modeling profession is not accepted by Kadir’s family. Stella (another foreigner) is the next woman in Kadir’s life. They are happily married and living peacefully, when again tragedy strikes. Stella unable of having kids leaves and asks for a peaceful divorce from Kadir as she wants him to live a complete life with family and children. Finally, Kadir is married to a Turkish girl Aysel. They have a daughter whom he names ‘Nazli’.

Cast

The cast of the series is mostly made of experienced Turkish actors and actresses.

Nazlı's family

Niko's family
  • Özgür Çevik - Niko (Nikos)
  • Mazlum Kiper - Stavro (Stavros), Niko's father
  • Ayla Karaca - Eleni, Niko's mother
  • Tülin Oral - Eftelya (Euthalia), Niko's grandmother
  • Nilgün Belgün - Katina, Niko's aunt
  • Ege Uslu - Nazlı and Niko's older son
  • Meryem Adda - Nazli and Niko's baby-daughter

Kadir's family
  • Engin Akyürek - Kadir, former lover of Nazlı
  • Zeki Alasya - Ökkeş, Kadir's father and Kahraman's business partner
  • Seray Gözler - Hayriye, Kadir's mother
  • Asli Altaylar - Aysel, Kadir's last wife
  • Nazli - Aysel's and Kadir's baby-daughter

Minor characters
  • Yeliz Akkaya - Esra Akman, Niko’s assistant
  • Güzin Alkan - Döne, maid of Nazlı's family
  • Natalia Doussopoulos - Anna, Kadir’s girlfriend
  • Katerina Moutsatsou - Stella, Kadir's ex-wife
  • Binnaz Ergin - İkramiye, housekeeper of Nazlı's and Niko's house in Istanbul
  • Yılmaz Gruda - Celayir Usta, Ökkeş’s baklava master
  • Ahmet Uz - Hikmet
  • Şinasi Yurtsever - Hamit, Döne's husband
  • Nazlı Tosunoğlu - Rabia, Ruşen's mother
  • Kayra/İlayda/Talıa Songur - Nazire's and Ruşen's daughters
  • Alara Bozbey - Natalia, Nursemaid

Locations

The episodes are shot in Bodrum, Gaziantep, Istanbul in Turkey and on the Greek Islands of Symi, Santorini, Crete and in Athens.

International broadcast

The Greek channel Mega TV broadcast it from July 4, 2005. The first season was shown on daily basis at 23:00 hrs, the second season was shown every Monday at 21:00. The third season was split, half of the episodes where shown Saturdays of 2007 at 21:00 and the other half episodes are shown in 2008, every Saturday at 17:00. The series used to have great success, especially when the first season was shown. The ratings of the third season are very low, so the channel decided to move the series in the evening schedule. The Bulgarian channel bTV broadcasts it since August 29, 2009 daily at 17:00 hrs. with the title Brak s chujdenets (Marriage with a Foreigner). The series was also dubbed into Arabic with the title Al-Gharib ("الغريب", The Stranger) and aired in March 2009 on MBC+ Drama.

Awards
  • 2006 "Best TV series of the Year" award by the Turkish Association of Radio and Television Journalists along with two other TV series.
  • 2004: "Best Supporting Actress" award by 1st Annual Primetime Beyaz Inci Awards
  • 2004: "Best Actor" (nominated) by 1st Annual Primetime Beyaz Inci Awards
  • 2004: "Best Actress" (nominated) by 1st Annual Primetime Beyaz Inci Awards
  • 2004: "Best Music" by 1st Annual Primetime Beyaz Inci Awards
  • 2004: "Best Actor in a Supporting Role" (nominated) by 1st Annual Primetime Beyaz Inci Awards
  • 2004: "Best Director" by 1st Annual Primetime Beyaz Inci Awards

References
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