New Delhi, March 21 – Director Ra Karthik and actor Priyanka Mohan are delighted that their cross-cultural drama, which tells the story of a young woman's love for all things Korea, brings together two worlds through their shared love for movies and shows.
Priyanka Mohan says that Indians are very fond of K-dramas, films like "3 Idiots", BTS, K-pop, and K-food.
Karthik says that he was inspired to make the film after seeing his wife's love for all things Korean, including kimchi and Korean buns.
They are happy that the film has topped Netflix's Global Top 10 Non-English Films chart in 24 countries. It was released on the OTT platform earlier this month.
"I think I'm living many people's dreams. After this film, I think people will want to go to Korea," Mohan says.
Karthik says that he was first introduced to the popularity of K-dramas in 2015, recalling that the genre had a strong following even before the advent of OTT platforms. He remembers having a large collection of Korean shows on his computer.
"I gave the hard drive to all my friends so they could copy the entire 500 GB of K-dramas. Slowly, I started thinking about why they liked K-dramas so much and why they switched to food after watching these shows."
"In my house, I have seen my wife preparing kimchi and the Korean buns. In Chennai, there used to be only one Korean restaurant, but now there are 20, and in music, I think K-pop is the most popular after Ilaiyaraaja and A R Rahman," the filmmaker says.
There's also the story of an Indian princess who traveled to Korea and married the king there, which inspired Karthik's story for "Made in Korea."
In the film, Mohan's character is portrayed as an Indian princess, known as Sembavalam or Suriratna, playing in a school play – which sparks her desire to travel to Korea.
"There are so many similar words in Tamil and Korean, like 'Appa', 'Amma', and others. It just inspired me to make an Indo-Korean movie," says Karthik, who made his directorial debut with the 2022 film "Nitham Oru Vaanam."
Mohan, known for her roles in films like "Doctor", "Don", and "Saripodhaa Sanivaaram", says that shooting the film in South Korea felt like a new chapter for her.
"To be honest, my character knew a lot more about Korea than I did. I wanted it to be a learning experience. So, I wanted to go there and learn about the culture and people and their traditions. But I found that we all have the same feelings, the same emotions, the same values, and the same traditions."
"That really helped me understand them better," she says.
Most of Mohan's scenes are with senior Korean actor Park Hye-jin, who is known for her roles in hit shows like "Squid Game", "Pachinko", and "Beyond Evil."
"We were really happy that she was part of the project, and she was very professional. She's around 60-65 years old, but she brought a lot of energy to the set. She's very lively, almost like a curious child. She was very interested in learning everything and improvising. And she was very friendly with me. I think that really came across on screen as well."
Priyanka says that like her character Shenba, technology was helpful when communicating with her Korean cast members.
The crew, which included 35 people from Korea, were surprised to learn about the popularity of K-dramas in India, according to the actor.
Karthik and his team spent almost 58 days in South Korea while Mohan shot for the movie for 35 days.
"I have not shot outside the country before. This is my first time. The takeaway would be the friendships and the warmth that I shared with the people there. I really enjoyed my time here. We had such a great bond."
"In fact, one name we kept hearing was Aamir Khan sir, and how much everyone loved watching '3 Idiots' on big screens there... I'm happy that the world is coming together, and there are no more barriers to separate us. It's nice that cinema is bringing people together, and we can tell stories from the heart, and people are enjoying it," she says.
Karthik says that he loved the discipline and planning that the crew had while filming.
"It was interesting to see how organized and disciplined they were," he says.
He is also happy that he could finally take his wife to the land of kimchi during the making of the film.
"She put a story on Instagram every day for the 58 days we were there. I think it was my first international trip since our marriage. So, it was like a honeymoon for her after 10 years. Her input helped this film a lot," he says.