Erdoğan Dikmen

Written by Yılmaz Erdoğan and first staged at the Beşiktaş Cultural Center (BKM) in 1995, Otogargara ran for four seasons to sold-out audiences. The play was also performed 468 times in many provinces and districts of Anatolia between 1995 and 1999, in addition to Ankara and İzmir. During its run at BKM, Otogargara was directed by Turgay Kantürk and featured Yılmaz Erdoğan, Demet Akbağ, Sinan Bengier, Olgun Şimşek, Zerrin Sümer, Erdoğan Dikmen, Gürdal Tosun, Evrim Solmaz, and Serhat Özcan, along with 22 other actors and dancers. It was the first play produced by BKM.

Niyazi is a humble factory worker whose life is turned upside down when he wins the “altılı ganyan” (six-horse accumulator) lottery. Suddenly, everyone from neighbours to total strangers, claiming to be his long-lost relatives, crowds around him hoping for a share of his fortune. Thanks to his quick wit, Niyazi manages to outsmart these opportunists and keep his winnings.

It can be considered a pioneer of absurd comedy on Turkish TV channels. It has a very original script and a warm atmosphere. It has a structure that is never tiring to watch, and it leaves behind a considerable legacy of subtle and high-quality jokes for future generations.