In a recording studio in Dhaka, voice-over artist Rubaiya Matin Gity dubs the latest Turkish soap opera to become a megahit in Bangladesh – a pop culture trend that reflects growing ties between the two countries.

“Yasmeen! Yasmeen! I have fallen in love ...” the 32-year-old actor cried in Bangla, her eyes fixed on the screen playing new episodes of the Turkish drama Kara Sevda , or Endless Love , which has captivated millions of viewers in the South Asian nation.

The success of Turkish shows, challenging the once unrivalled popularity of Indian television dramas, is the sign of a change that extends far beyond Bangladeshi screens.

It mirrors shifting alliances and expanding diplomatic, trade and defence relations between the two Muslim-majority nations, 5,000km (3,000 miles) apart.

More Turkish restaurants are opening in Bangladesh and there is a general interest in learning the language, coupled with rekindled warmth between the two governments, set against increasingly fractious relations between Dhaka and New Delhi.