Turkish actors Emin Günenç and İlsu Demirci on global popularity of Arafta, gruelling shoots, massive fandom | Interview

Marriage of convenience may be one of television’s oldest romantic drama tropes, but Arafta: Bound by Fate has managed to give the familiar setup a much wider reach. What begins as a marriage built on revenge between Ateş and Mercan gradually turns into a slow-burning romance, drawing viewers from across the world and finding a particularly passionate audience in India. Turkish actors Emin Günenç and İlsu Demirci, who play Ateş Karahan and Mercan Yıldırım respectively, have been at the centre of that journey.A year after their first table read on September 15, the actors spoke to Hindustan Times in their first joint interview for India. They opened up about their characters, the difficult conditions they faced while filming some of the show's most intense scenes, their shared birthday and the unexpected response they have received from Indian fans.