| Lost in translation? Those days are past us It was a sombre Monday morning in the office earlier this week until I walked out of my cabin to see Madhupriti in my team jumping with joy. Now, if you follow me on Twitter, you know how much I love Mondays (insert upside-down smiling emoji). “Hande Erçel is coming to India!” the otherwise shy Madhupriti squealed. Now, I’ve grown up on a steady diet of English and regional-language films — I even know how to pronounce Ioan Gruffudd and Jake Gyllenhaal correctly (did you?) — but I understood neither this name nor the wave of euphoria it had transmitted into Madhupriti. It got me thinking: the world has become such a small place. And it's not even just Turkish stars (here’s looking at you, Kıvanç Tatlıtuğ). Korean content has its own massive fan following in this part of the world, too. The Hallyu wave shows no signs of ebbing. The K- craze has surpassed even Ekta Kapoor’s early-2000s proclivity to have the names of all her shows begin with K, or the number of times mimics have done the K…k…k…Kiran routine for Shah Rukh Khan. As for the craze for Turkish celebs, I remember disbanding my guests at a New Year Party because it blew up into a three-way standoff between Burak Deniz, David Beckham and Idris Elba loyalists. Today, it’s the OTT boom that has made it possible for a Turkish actor to amass such a huge fan following in India. The rise of streaming sites and platforms has made this happy connection happen. I remember the time Pakistani comedy skits would be available on VHS, and be passed around from family to family. Then, came torrents (I have never downloaded a pirated version of any film or show, I solemnly swear). But today, with a streaming app subscription, I can watch an Israeli spy drama or an Argentinian rom-com or a trashy reality show from another part of the world without any fuss. One click, and the subtitles and dubs both are at your disposal. With so much convenience, the entire world is a market. Hence this cross-pollination of stars and, more importantly, content, has emerged as a major relief. It's very rare that you won't be able to find something you like whenever you turn on the TV or your laptop. In fact, this was how I was able to find gems from within our own country like the Malayalam film Kumbalangi Nights or Ram Charan's iconic Magadheera. From the context to the themes, everything just makes the magic come alive when you get to watch it in the language you understand. And courtesy social media, of course, the chance to interact with fans across the world has fetched actors visibility, too. Which is how a Hande Erçel shook up Mumbai with one visit. To India’s credit, it, too, has increasingly become a centre of attraction for performers from around the world, be it the Jonas Brothers, Justin Bieber, 50 Cent and more performing at sold-out concerts here in recent years. Ed Sheeran is, in fact, returning (Madhupriti will find me squealing with delight that day). Let me now get back to watching my new favourite, Burak Deniz, in Aşk Laftan Anlamaz. And no, I don't need to learn Turkish to enjoy it. | 
