Calikusu

About the series

Çalıkuşu (The Wren) is a 2013 Turkish romantic period drama on Kanal D, based on Reşat Nuri Güntekin’s classic 1922 novel, adapted for the screen for the fourth time. It stars Fahriye Evcen as Feride and Burak Özçivit as Kamran.

Plot

Feride, nicknamed Çalıkuşu (the wren) for her lively, mischievous nature, loses her mother as a child. Her father, a military officer, leaves her with her aunt Besime and uncle Seyfettin, who raise her alongside their own children, Kamran and Necmiye. As a teenager, Feride learns that her father has been killed in action.

As adults, Feride and Kamran still tease each other without realising they are destined for each other. Kamran is now a doctor. Feride discovers that he is secretly seeing an older widow, and a series of misunderstandings, rivalries and family schemes leads to heartbreak. Wounded, Feride leaves Istanbul to become a teacher in Anatolia, beginning a journey of independence and self-discovery in the final years of the Ottoman Empire.

Why watch it

With its beautiful costumes and locations and the chemistry of Fahriye Evcen and Burak Özçivit, who later married in real life, Çalıkuşu became a favourite of period drama fans. The series ended in 2014 before the novel’s story was fully told on screen.

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