The chaebol heiress who is in line to inherit her father’s congolomerate is left stranded on the wrong side of the DMZ and is rescued by an officer of the North Korean army. The man is close to killing this damsel, but then through a twist of fate promises to send her back to South Korea. And thus begins an epic love story that takes the viewers through a treacherous journey from Pyongyang to Seoul, replete with heart warming romance, mystery of a dead elder brother, power of the elites on either side of the DMZ and finally, the destiny of the star crossed lovers. My chingus, this is Crash Landing on You — a show that has done more for the Korean dramas in India than any other show.
Korean Dramas, or more popularly K-dramas have been around for a while and I watched my first show in 2017. Back then it was a niche not much explored by the Indian viewers and I had watched it on a friend’s strong recommendation. I really liked the show. But life got in the way; I got busy with work, having a baby and that was the only show I watched for a really long time.
Fast forward to 2021 and along with the deadly covid wave we are also hit by a wave of another kind — The Hallyu Wave. I have watched 15 dramas in the last year. I have friends recommending shows, everyone is talking about them on facebook, people are buying ramyeon on amazon, kimchi is being searched high and low, metal chopsticks are flying off the shelves. And oh, did I mention my pantry has light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, vegetable broth, tofu in the fridge (at all times), rice noodles, soba noodles,udon noodles and buckwheat noodles (Song Joong-ki ordered his in Pyongyang and I ordered mine on amazon — cause & effect!!!).
The reason for this tsunami to have hit the Indian millennials (and not so millennials, like me) is the tragedy of the Indian television. The progressive TV shows of the 80s-90s like Udaan, Shaanti, Swabhimaan made way for the saas bahu sagas — Yes, Ekta Kapoor here is looking at you.!! These shows were not made for our generation, they were catering to an entirely other generation preceding us. The television industry never bothered to exploit the young demographic that has now found solace in the K-dramas. While the K-dramas are exploring fantasy, time travel, modern occupations, parallel universe; the Indian television is stuck at “rasode me kaun tha”.
None of us had imagined living through a raging pandemic, with each day bringing news of devastation in different parts of the world and country. Staying at home is even more frustrating for a generation used to hanging out in restaurants and pubs after a long week of work. We have started to live vicariously through characters brought to life in the K-dramas. The career oriented main leads meeting over coffee, food and drinks is a every relatable experience for so many of us.
Rom-coms like Crash Landing on You and What’s Wrong with Secretary Kim, revenge dramas like Itaewon Class and Vincenzo, fantasy genre like Legend of the Blue Sea & Goblin (Guardian), comedies like Mr. Queen gave us an escape from the present times of turmoil. Those 16 episodes became a portal into the parallel universe of beautiful people, glamorous clothes and good food. The lifestyle we all lost in 2020, the K-dramas returned it to us.
The variety Indian television industry failed to provide, we found in the Korean television industry. One’s loss is another’s gain. As the pandemic shows no signs of letting up, we are falling deeper into this amazingly beautiful rabbit hole of the K-dramas. The fans in India are increasing by the day. My husband who had been ridiculing my K-drama addiction for the past year, finally agreed to watch Vincenzo. In the early episodes, I waited with trepidation for him to give up. However, as the show progressed he got as hooked onto it as me and when it ended he exclaimed “I feel life is so empty after Vincenzo”. And in those words he captured the crux of our love for K-dramas. Life mein waise hi bahut dukh hain, why not find happiness where we can.
