Arabesque icon Muslum Gurses was known for years as the champion of the underdogs and downtrodden, the voice of the poor, working-class Anatolian youth that his own bitter upbringing perfectly embodied. Over the years he transitioned from an outsider to one of the most beloved musicians in modern Turkish history, with a legend that only continued to swell after his untimely death at the age of 59 in 2013.
His legendary status culminated in the recently released biopic “Muslum,” an ambitious yet well-executed film that takes viewers to the center of Gurses' famously difficult life, one that was riddled with emotional and physical pain. His mother was murdered by his own father, who is portrayed as a cruel alcoholic, and his brother was a military deserter who was shot and killed by soldiers after he refused to surrender. At the age of 24, Gurses was in a gristly car accident that left him in such terrible shape that he was presumed dead and transported to a morgue, only to be rushed to the hospital after staff noticed that he was moving. He suffered partial hearing loss and had to have a plate put in his skull.
