Comedian Kemal Sunal exempted from Azeri foreign-language TV ban

ISTANBUL

Hürriyet Photo

Azerbaijani television has made an exception for late Turkish actor Kemal Sunal, exempting the classic funnyman’s lines from new standards that require channels to dub foreign-language into Azeri, Anatolian news agency has reported.

A private broadcaster in Azerbaijan has dubbed over the rest of the dialogue in Sunal’s movies, but left the dialogue of the Turkish actor, whose passing in 2000 was much lamented, in its original.

Azerbaijan’s National Television and Radio Council (NTRC) imposed a ban on foreign languages in May.

Sunal’s movies were also brought up in Parliament during talks on supporting Turkish culture.

“We all understand Kemal Sunal’s speaking in the movies. If Kemal Sunal’s dialogues are not translated, why are others [translated]? Do others speak in a different way?” Azerbaijani deputy Ferec Guliyev said. “We easily understand Turkey’s Turkish, dubbing is not needed.”

Some TV channels in the country reportedly stopped airing Turkish movies after the ban was imposed.