Fans of Turkish drama series can easily recognise their Arabic remakes: they share the same settings, storylines and key scenes, recreated by a new cast speaking in a Levantine dialect and bringing local humour and social codes to the material.
Viewers have embraced shows such as 2019’s Arous Beirut, adapted from Bride of Istanbul, and Stiletto, released in 2022 and adapted from Stiletto Vendetta, turning both into major hits on MBC’s streaming platform Shahid.
MBC backed the model further in 2022 by signing a five-year agreement with two of Turkey’s largest production houses, Medyapim and Ay Yapim.
Among the productions that followed was 2023’s Al Khaen, adapted from Sadakatsiz, itself a Turkish version of the BBC drama Doctor Foster.
The latest, Hob Aa Waraq, is a 90-episode remake of the Turkish romantic drama Sen Cal Kapımı that began streaming in June, with five episodes airing each week.
The popularity of these remakes raises the question of where does original Arabic drama fit? If Turkish and Arab stories draw on similar family and community values, why commission an adaptation rather than create an original? And at what point does a remake become a high-end knock-off?
For Lebanese actress Rita Harb, part of the ensemble of Hob Aa Waraq, that notion ignores what changes during the adaptation.
“All you are really looking for is a quality story to tell,” she tells The National.
“These shows are not carbon copies of the Turkish originals. They are Arabised adaptations. Some people say these stories do not resemble us, but they are good stories. When we make an Arabic version, we place it in settings that are more familiar to us, and it has its own flavour.
“The proof is that Arab viewers who watched the original in Turkish return for our version.”
Arabic adaptations are also a natural progression of the region’s love affair with Turkish drama. That history goes back to 2008, when Noor, dubbed into Syrian Arabic, became a regional phenomenon, followed by the spy drama Valley of the Wolves, which was also a hit in the Gulf.
In 2011, Ezel had become so popular after being dubbed into Arabic on Abu Dhabi TV that stars Kenan Imirzalıoglu and Cansu Dere came to the UAE for a red-carpet gala and to meet fans.
Then came Arous Beirut, the first major Arabic adaptation of a Turkish drama, Bride of Istanbul. Released in 2019, it broke with the standard 30-episode structure of Arabic drama and ran for 220 episodes across three seasons.
Harb, whose 25-year career has included both formats, says long-form adaptations are not always more gruelling than shorter series.
“A 30-episode run is not easy because, depending on the role, there is a real intensity in getting all the emotions across directly,” she says.
“But after doing a few longer series, you realise that you become more comfortable with the character as you go through the peaks and troughs with them.
“The best part is that the audience really gets to dig in to the characters. By the end of the series, the character feels as much a part of their lives as it does of mine.”
Harb says she is already experiencing that reaction from viewers in her role in Hob Aa Waraq, a family drama about the unlikely romance between a hard-hearted billionaire and a rebellious young woman.
She plays Joumana, whose controlling nature is driven by agoraphobia, a fear of leaving home that developed after the death of her son.
“And this is really where the longer format helps, because you can play the character and all her rhythms more delicately. People can really understand these important topics of mental health, grief and trauma,” she says. “People tell me they have experienced circumstances like hers and have lost someone in the family, so they say this character represents them.”
Harb has drawn on some of her own struggles to convey Joumana’s resilience. After beginning her career as a model, she got her small-screen break presenting the entertainment programme Oyoun Beirut in 2000. Her star turn came in the 2014 Ramadan drama Ashara Abid Zghar, in which she played Lamis, a character who undergoes severe psychological trauma. It was the role that pushed Harb to prove herself.
“On set, I listened to every useful note. If a director said something that felt truthful to me, I took it and built on it. Then I told myself that I needed to study, so I brought an acting coach to my home and began taking intensive classes after each shoot,” she recalls.
This led to more high-profile roles, including the 2015 drama Hayat School, in which she played a divorced woman struggling to rebuild her life, the 2020 Saudi social drama Darb Al Raml and her acclaimed role in Stiletto.
The latter was nearly cut short after Harb survived a near-fatal car accident while travelling to the set in Turkey. She underwent surgery and used a wheelchair, walker and crutches during her recovery.
When Harb returned to the set, her character’s storyline was changed to include an accident, explaining why she needed a walker. The trauma of the experience, however, has not fully left her.
“I will have titanium plates in my face and leg for the rest of my life,” she says.
“My appearance before the accident is different from my appearance after it. I also cannot undergo cosmetic surgery. When people discuss whether they should have something done, it hurts because they have the choice, while I already know that I cannot.
“I begin asking myself what I will do if something happens to me or if the metal in my leg becomes inflamed. I still have that struggle in my mind about what will happen in the future.”
Instead of slowing down after a near-death experience, Harb accelerated her career to make the most of whatever life still has to offer.
“My whole view of life changed after the accident,” she says. “I became even more hyper because I want to benefit from every minute. I could already take on several things and do them at the same time, but now that has doubled.
“It is as if I want to make use of every minute of life. My ambition and my sense of challenge increased, and I do not like to postpone things. No one knows what will happen to them. If there is something I want, I want it now. Why should I delay it?”
Harb wants Arabic drama to also make the most of the talent and budgets it already has.
She disagrees with assumptions that international productions, whether American, British or Turkish, are necessarily superior. The difference, she says, lies in bringing every creative element together.
“Sometimes I see good productions where money has been spent only on spectacle that passes without impressing the viewer,” she adds.
“What is a large budget if it is not spent in the right place? These elements are connected, and the casting must also be right. You need the right person in the right place. When all of these elements come together, our industry can challenge anyone.”
Hob Aa Waraq is streaming on MBC Shahid, with new episodes released from Sunday to Thursday
