The Sultan's transformation

I read "Türkan and Hayat" in one sitting. I think it's the book that best describes Türkan Şoray, Yeşilçam's "Sultan." Bircan Usallı Silan set out to explore the star's personal world rather than her professional life. There's probably no one better than her to do this job, as she's been by her side for the past twenty years, acting as her manager and continuing to do so. Their acquaintance goes back even further, perhaps thirty-something years.

I must have met Bircan around the same time. He was one of the most daring and determined workers in the press. Over the years, he earned the friendship of almost everyone in Yeşilçam, because he never compromised on the ethical values that tabloid writers rarely respected. Bircan Usallı, a graduate of Marmara University's Journalism Department, founded his own consulting and organization company after working for various newspapers. He served as a press consultant at festivals. In a country where biographical literature is quite limited, his decision to share his knowledge with readers was invaluable.

Bircan was a friend of all Yeşilçam's stars. In her book "Four Leaf Clover," she wrote about four of Yeşilçam's stars: Türkan Şoray, Fatma Girik, Hülya Koçyiğit, and Filiz Akın. Her other books include "Hello to Life," "Little Lady - Belgin Doruk: The Painful Years," "Everything Included in Life," "No Rehearsal for Life - Filiz Akın," "Nilüfer – That's All," "Good Thing Is Yours," and her first novel, "And Actually, All You Are Me." It's no wonder "Türkan ve Hayat" (Turkish: Türkan ve Hayat) became a bestseller upon its release. It sheds light on the inner world of Türkan Şoray, beloved by millions. In Şoray's words, this is a world filled with "great joys, great longings, great storms, even great madness..."

I NEVER PLAYED, I ALWAYS LIVED

I must have first encountered Türkan Şoray in Metin Erksan's "Acı Hayat." One of the masterpieces of the '60s, the film was a tale of "dark love" told with a touch of social realism. Then came "Vesikalı Yarim," another story of "Impossible Love," perhaps Lütfi Akad's finest film. It was impossible not to be captivated by Türkan Şoray's innocent yet mysterious gaze. Of course, her filmography wasn't limited to masterpieces. She starred in hundreds of films steeped in Yeşilçam clichés. She played the lead role in a whopping 222 films, which must be a record in world cinema.

It must have been 1979, when I was serving as Cultural Counselor at the Turkish Embassy in Paris. Türkan Şoray was among the guests at the "Turkish Cinema Group Screening," organized at the Centre Pompidou, France's largest cultural center, thanks to Mehmet Basutçu's initiative. We gathered with a small group of friends at my home in the Bastille. It was there that I witnessed Türkan Hanım's sincerity and sensitivity. Later, we kept running into each other at festivals. Among my unforgettable memories are the Antalya Golden Orange Festival, where the Four Leaf Clover group performed alongside Kadir İnanır, and the Adana Golden Boll Festival, where she performed with Kadir İnanır.

She's upset with Kadir İnanır, her partner in "Selvi Boylum Al Yazmalım," with whom she's appeared in 10 films. Bircan Usallı presses Türkan Şoray to find out why, but she can't get a word out. Answering Usallı's questions with great sincerity, Türkan Şoray, for some reason, chooses to remain silent on the matter. Among the actors Şoray has co-starred with are Ediz Hun in 20 films, Ekrem Bora in 15, and İzzet Günay and Murat Soydan in 13 each. And the actor she wanted to work with but couldn't? She remembers Yılmaz Güney with great admiration: "I so wish we had a film together. Our mindset back then, and our lack of foresight..." A tour through Şoray's filmography is like a journey from the 1960s to the 2000s. If you'd like to know which ones she loves most, I recommend consulting the book.

Şoray says the following about the women from different classes and professions she has portrayed: “When I played other characters, I experienced emotions and behaviors within myself that I wanted to experience but couldn’t. Because it wouldn’t have been possible for me to experience these things in my private life. I can say that I realized this and enjoyed it in the cinema.” She explains that she was influenced by the character in Kartal Tibet’s film “Sultan”: “The characters in my first films were oppressed, passive characters. I was a woman similar to this in my own life. My role in “Sultan” taught me to be strong.”

Şoray, who grew up with a father she couldn't find affection for and a mother who meddled in her every moment, found herself in the cinema at 15. At 19, she began a relationship with Rüçhan Adlı that would last 19 years. A lonely woman whose life revolved around film sets... Perhaps that's why she "never acts, she always lives" in films... But she also began to question life: "Why do I always make films filled with rosy lives?" Then came films like "The Prisoner," "Mother," her directorial debut "Dönuş," "If They Kill the Snake," "Bodrum Hakimi," and "Dila Hanım," which addressed social issues. Her decision to leave Rüçhan Adlı ushered in a new era in her life. "There was a man beside me, Cihan Ünal, who held my hand tightly, who was not afraid, who was in love," she says. The films she starred in undoubtedly influenced this decision. Atıf Yılmaz, who began making films championing women's independence in the 1980s, says the film "Mine" marked a turning point in his life. He began to move away from the feeling of "I can't cope with life."

Türkan Şoray is now a strong woman who knows what she wants. Her greatest strength is her daughter Yağmur, to whom she is deeply devoted. It's not hard to guess that her friendships with Deniz Türkali, Vedat Türkali, Aziz Nesin, and Yaşar Kemal played a role in her beginning to interpret the world from a different perspective. She's a woman who believes "knowledge is power," and who takes great pleasure in reading books at home. "There's no challenge in life I can't handle," she says. Having been away from cinema for twenty years, there's no role Türkan Şoray can't handle. I can't wait to see her on the big screen again.