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Following Turkey and Azerbaijan’s support for Pakistan after Operation Sindoor, there is a growing sentiment in the country to boycott these nations altogether – be it for travel, film shoots, weddings, or the import of their products. Celebs like Atul Kasbekar, Rupali Ganguly, and Vishal Mishra have also taken to social media to urge their followers not to visit these countries. Palash Sen , frontman of the band Euphoria, who shot a short film in Turkey in 2019 and travelled to Azerbaijan in 2023 for a corporate gig, tells us he doesn’t see himself visiting either country again unless they change their stance.

‘Turkey is a beautiful country but saare jahan se achha Hindustan hamara’
Talking about his visit to Turkey in 2019, Palash says, “I went to Turkey in 2019 and shot a film there. There’s no two ways about the fact that it is a beautiful country. I was only in Istanbul and Cappadocia though, but even then, their internal issues were pretty obvious in 2019. While most people (in the team) were Indian, some Turkish people were also involved – the heroine was Turkish. We had a good time but there was an underlying tension in the air – a lot of strife within Turkey. And they didn’t have a very good attitude towards people from anywhere else. The Turkish have a little attitude. I felt a certain kind of animosity, an anti-India stance in Turkey. So when I hear about them helping Pakistan with drones, whatever their political understanding is, Bharat ka dushman matlab mera dushman . We all should take this stand that we should not be supporting Turkey and I don’t think I see myself going back to Turkey ever. There is no point unless they make amends. I am not saying that everybody is like that – but that’s true for every country. Establishment hi hota hai jiske apne views hote hain . If you are anti-India, you are anti-me and why will I support you? It is a beautiful country but saare jahan se achha Hindustan hamara . Aise koi cheez wahan nahi hai jo yahan nahi hai. Haan gaye thay wahan shoot karne – so thanks, but no thanks, Turkey.”

‘India has everything, I fully support domestic Indian tourism’
Talking about his Azerbaijan trip, Palash adds that he went there for a corporate gig. “It is popular for corporate gigs and destination weddings. Wahan pe there is not much population and our travellers keep looking for newer places to go to. Travel and stay is cheaper, but I have no attachment. However, unlike Turkey, people in Azerbaijan are sweet and very welcoming. This is my honest opinion. But what I want to say is that India has everything, we don’t need to go anywhere. I fully support the (domestic) tourism industry of India. I would never want to go to these countries unless they make their stance clear against the wrong elements in the world.”

He adds, “These problems are establishment-based, not people-based. Can we differentiate? That is the bigger question. I have been to Pakistan in 2008 or 2009 and people were supportive, (they were) so welcoming in Karachi but then 2008 is different from 2025. The people of Pakistan also say that the problem is with the government, they have their own issues. But I don’t think people anywhere have hatred towards people. That is my stand on the two countries.”