The dramatic rise of K-drama In India; 6 Korean shows that bought Hallyu wave in the country

Rise of K-drama in India: From the descendants of the sun to It’s okay to not  be okay, it’s been almost half a decade that India fell in love with it’s neighbor’s entertainment contents. The pandemic era affected many things in society and continues to reveal diverse characteristics and interests of individuals; some found time away from their busy routines to examine their inner selves, while others had an excuse to look at the world more closely. With it comes the rise of OTT platforms and the global appetite for web programs. Not to mention the fact that the Korean entertainment sector has long dominated the OTT powerhouse Netflix, and continues to do so despite the Hollywood frenzy. When it comes to India, the country has seen a remarkable surge in Korean business and is feeling the effects of the Hallyu wave.

 

History of K-drama in India

But, the pandemic & post pandemic era was not exactly the first time when the  Indian audience lauded the K-drama’s, the wave started way before all of these probably the first time when a TV channel aired one of the most popular show from the korean shows universe. The limited but passionate Indian Hallyu-swayed audience had never experienced the  international dramas from the neighboring countries such as Korea or China until 2017, except those who already knew platforms such as Viki and Dramacool. When India's Zee Zindagi Channel announced the programming of Descendants of the Sun, the wave gave a knock at almost half of the households. Korean pop music, dramas, and entertainment are extremely popular at the moment. The number of Indians watching Korean dramas has surged by 370 percent, according to a recent Netflix study done in India. BTS is India's fourth most streamed boy band, according to Spotify's 2020 data.  

Here are 6 K-dramas which bought hallyu wave in India

 

Descendants of the sun

This Korean show craze went so high that it made the actor Song Joong Ki the hearthrob of the country overnight. The chemistry between the leads were not only admired by the desi fans, but, the show bound the audience in such a way that it became a global hit. With a cherry on the top, the leads even got married in real life, however things didn’t go very well, and they separated after a few years. The story revolves around a South Korean soldier who falls in love with a surgeon, however duty calls him back and their love story was left on a cliffhanger, but fate decided to unite them again but this time somewhere overseas.

Boys over flowers

The show was an adaptation of the Japanese series Hana Yori Dango, but it's fair to assume that the Korean and Chinese versions, dubbed Boys over Flowers and Meteor Garden, contributed to its success. After this drama, Lee Min Hoo became a household name among desi koreaboos, and his dramas have been soaring high in the country ever since. While the lead roles won the audience's hearts, there was also a segment who hoped the second lead would take the girl. The cult following for the second leads in the story grew from there.

My ID is Gagnam Beauty

Many K-pop stars, including actor Cha Eun Woo, are also into Korean dramas. Eun Woo is a member of the popular k-pop boy band Astro, and he is also known as Mr. perfectionist in his dramas and in real life, but the interesting aspect is that people adored him as a K-drama actor long before they realised he was a K-pop idol. The show was a huge hit because it addressed the dark side of beauty standards and bullying issues that are prevalent in the country, and viewers admired his calm and composed demeanour. His script selection is excellent, and most of them deal with social themes. True Beauty, a recently released drama featuring actress Moon Ga Young and Eun Woo also became a major hit owing to the amazing storyline.

Heirs

With his concept of Rich boy-poor girl, actor Lee Min Ho surely not only won over the old school desi koreaboos but, dragged the rest of them to love this genre.  Park Shin Hye the lead actress was no less and steadily became one of the most searched actress in the country. The story revolved around two young people who met overseas and later united in Korea, only to know that the girl is the daughter of the maid who works for the boy’s rich family. And once again the second lead won the hearts.

 

Legends of the blue sea

By the time people arelady started searching for more Min Ho contents and this show was a bonus. Legends of the blue sea will always be the iconic one and enjoys a cult following of those who are into fantasy K-dramas. Featuring again actor Lee Min Ho and Korean movie actress Jun Ji Hyun the story revolved around a con artist and a mermaid living in the blue sea who comes to land to find her true love. The actress who mainly works for the mainstream film industry gained huge appreciation and her irresistible beauty was a welcomed addition.

 

W

Last but not the least is the tale of two world, where a comic character comes into a real universe to find his creator who gave him such painful life and ends up falling in love with his daughter. This was also the first wave of India’s favorite oppa actor Lee Jong Suk which made it to several hearts. His on-screen chemistry with actress Park Shin Hye was the most loved one and soon his dramas such as Pinocchio, and others caught instant attention and popularity.

Picture credit- Viki