Ariza – Episode 3

Ariza - Ali Riza Altay is a taxi driver who lives with his family in an Istanbul neighborhood where the warmth and close-knit spirit of community life have endured. He shares a two-storey wooden house, left to them by his late father, with his sister Nihan and their mother, Rukiye. When his father, Mehmet Emin Bey, died young, Ali Riza had to give up his dream of attending university and take responsibility for supporting his family. Though he is willing to stand his ground and fight when there is no other choice, he has never wanted to become one of the armed bullies who rule through fear. The values he lives by are summed up in the Thamets slogan: “There are two things to fight for: our home, our honor”. Guided by those words, Ali Riza has always watched over his family and put their safety first. Now, as he prepares to marry his beloved sister Nihan to his dear friend Ferit, he hopes their lives are moving towards a happier future. But everything changes when he stands up to the men trying to force Halide, a vulnerable customer, out of his taxi. That act of defiance shatters the quiet, ordinary world he has built and sets him on an unexpected path—from hardworking taxi driver to the man poised to claim the throne of Istanbul’s largest criminal empire. From now on, he will be known as “FAILURE”, not Ali Riza. This is, Ariza.