Bosnia selects its own ‘Hürrem and Süleyman’

ISTANBUL

Sabina Panjeta (L) and Alan Alicic(R). AA Photos

Bosnia and Herzegovina’s OBN TV has selected its own Süleyman the Magnificent and Hürrem Sultan, characters from a hit Turkish TV show, in a competition to find the two people that most resemble the real show’s actors, Anatolia news agency has reported.

Bosnians were called to apply to OBN TV, which airs “Muhteşem Yüzyıl” (The Magnificent Century), if they looked like the lead actor, Halit Ergenç, or the actress, Meryem Uzerli. Hundreds of people sent their photos after the call went out in September, and 13 people were chosen to attend the finals.

Alan Alicic and Sabina Panjeta, the two chosen as the winners, will come to Istanbul and celebrate New Year’s with a trip on the Bosphorus as part of their prize. Alicic and Panjeta will also have a chance to meet Ergenç and Uzerli during their visit.

Despite the show’s massive popularity both at home and abroad, “The Magnificent Century” has run afoul of senior government officials for its alleged historical inaccuracies that have prompted the administration to vow to remove the historical soap opera from the air.