Highlights
In recent years, a massive and giant engaging phenomenon has taken over the colourful and cultural fabric of our country India by capturing the hearts of countless Indian audiences and viewers. This craze is known as the K-drama craze. This massively ongoing and growing K-drama phenomenon in India is measured mainly by the outstanding surge in the popularity of Korean dramas, which has taken Indian audiences by storm.
The gradually increasing zeal and craze of Indian netizens and audiences for K-dramas is only becoming gigantic with each passing day. Significantly, this K-drama wave off late has been making huge waves in our country in the last couple of years since the COVID-19 pandemic. It might not be wrong to say that Korean dramas transport Indian audiences into a different world for a few hours, providing them all the gateway to escape the daily real-life grind.
With enthusiastic discussions on social media platforms among Indian fans and fan clubs organizing events that are also becoming a norm in India, here are the main reasons why K-dramas have become immensely popular in India.
1. The meteoric rise of the Hallyu wave in India:
The significant growth of Korean pop culture, also known as the Hallyu wave, has created an indelible mark and a gigantic impact in India. With visually appealing cinematography, emotionally packed yet riveting screenplay, mellifluous Korean OSTs, and exemplary performances by the cast, the most popular Korean dramas have successfully captured the hearts of countless Indian audiences. The intriguing element in Korean dramas offers Indian viewers a good break from mundane and traditional Indian television-style storytelling.
POPULAR DRAMA OF THE YEAR?
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2. Emotional attachment with characters and a break from real life:
One of the main factors for the ever-increasing popularity of K-dramas in India is their knack for creating a lasting emotional connection with Indian audiences and providing them with an escape from their routine life monotony. K-dramas present Indian audiences with a distinctive and new world with relevant yet relatable characters. These characters navigate through emotional turmoil, daily life problems, personal life drama, professional life woes, and various ups and downs. This roller-coaster ride of different emotions experienced by the characters in K-dramas creates a sense of deep connection, empathy, and solidarity among Indian audiences, who keep patiently waiting for the next episodes.
Like in Boys over Flowers, the most iconic and all-time popular K-drama loved by audiences in India, audiences witness a coming-of-age teenage love story set in an elitist South Korean high school called Shin Hwa High School. The gripping and engaging plot blends the economic backgrounds of Gu Jun-Pyo and Geun Jan-Di, the male and female leads. Geum Jan-Di is a poor but brilliant girl who secures an academic fully paid scholarship to Shin Hwa High School. In Shin Hwa High School, there is a traditional hierarchy system. The school is dominated and ruled by four elite and spoilt bratty boys. These four boys, together, are the deadly gang called F4.
On her first day, Jan-Di is bullied severely by Jun-Pyo. But instead of giving up, Jan-Di gives a fiery comeback to Jun-Pyo and his gang. This fire and spirit of Jan-Di unsettles Jun-Pyo, who starts feeling something for her. But amid the misunderstandings and his mother’s conniving plans to kill this blooming feeling of friendship between Jun-Pyo and Jan-Di, will their path to love be easy, or will it have bumps on the way? The myriad of emotions portrayed by Jun-Pyo and Jan-Di throughout the drama series made Indian audiences feel very connected to the characters, and they developed an unbreakable emotional attachment to Jan-Di’s character and this drama was the founding pioneer of the popular K-drama wave in India.
3. Captivating storyline themes and multiple genres:
K-dramas are renowned for their refreshing storylines and diversified genres. From heart-warming rom-com dramas to emotionally charged melodrama shows, followed by entertaining supernatural thriller-romantic drama shows and adorable fake marriage rom-com dramas, there is something in the lineup for every viewer. Indian audiences, who are now tired of the stale traditional ITV serials, have now started enjoying and loving the unique storytelling techniques, unanticipated plot twists, and quirky character arcs, which has created a massive surge in the popularity of K-dramas in India.
For instance, in Tale of the Nine Tailed K-drama series, viewers witness how Lee Yeon, a thousand-year-old mythical Gumiho (fox), stays aloof from love and females because of some disturbing events in the past. He lives in the human world as the protector of humans from alarming supernatural threats at the Samdo River. He is also searching for his lost reincarnated love.
Later on, viewers see Lee Yeon have a random and chance encounter with Jo Bo-Ah, who is a logically sorted and compassionate TVC news producer. She looks like Yeon’s lost love. The accidental encounter of Yeon and Bo-Ah slowly starts developing into a friendship or maybe more. This captivating storyline of a nine-tailed peace-loving Gumiho who lives in the mortal world to protect humans, and instead of staying away from love and females, he falls in love with Bo-Ah, which upsets the balance of the supernatural world with the backdrop of emotional upheavals, love, romance, supernatural threat, sweet moments and remarkable performances made this K-drama a massive hit in India.
4. Character driven solid-narratives in K-dramas:
A significant uniqueness and core strength of Korean drama shows is their impressive character development from the first episode and its opening scene. The opening scene of the maiden episode introduces the suave male and stunning female leading protagonist to audiences.
For instance, in Indian audiences-favorite K-drama show My Demon on Netflix, viewers see the feelingless demon deity Jeong Gu-Won’s cruel streak within the first few episodes till the moment he meets his soul mate and his potential other half in the logical and rational-minded woman, Do Do-Hee who has had a painful childhood with countless traumatic events that have left her disillusioned in love.
What follows next is Gu-Won’s changing behavior from feelingless to becoming an emotionally vulnerable person who falls in love with his human and mortal wife Do Do-Hee. This multilayered character arc and development within both Gu-Won and Do Do-Hee’s characters made Indian viewers and K-drama lovers fall in love with the K-drama show My Demon and also made them love both characters a lot as Indian K-drama fanatics have given countless rave reviews for nuanced portrayal by Kim Yoo-Jung and Song Kang as Jeong Gu-Won and Do Do-Hee in My Demon.
5. Cultural exploration and globalization of Korean culture in India:
K-dramas provide audiences and fans a complete gateway into learning more about the enriching Korean culture. However, Indian viewers get a golden chance and a distinctive opportunity to explore the cultural fabric of a different world through K-dramas. The fascinating cultural elements shown in these dramas include their traditional rituals, delicious Korean food, voguing Korean fashion trends, and the brilliant Korean language.
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These interesting indicators have piqued the zeal and curiosity of Indian viewers. This cross-cultural exchange between two countries fosters an in-depth sense of cultural fondness and reinforces the admirable bond between both countries.
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