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How K-Dramas created a stir and gained love and support from Indian viewers

Korean Dramas or K-Dramas have completely swept the people of India and won over our hearts. The sublime storyline, splendid soundtrack, unique culture and adorable actors have all contributed into getting us hooked. The ‘Korean wave’ or spread of Korean culture happened in bits and pieces but gained momentum with the airing of the worldwide blockbuster show ‘Descendants of the Sun’ on Zindagi Channel in India.

The Plot

What makes these dramas special is the earthiness of the stories. Unlike Indian TV shows which comprise of theatrics and whole new level of extra, K-Dramas remain realistic allowing us as viewers to relate. There are no thalis falling or mandir ki ghantis ringing; the characters, their problems, the setting and storyline all remains grounded. These dramas usually have 20 episodes, with the plot evolving and keeping you on toes with every episode. And thus, the story leaves an impact rather than being stretched for years where the same actors even play their own children.

Although usually famous for its heart-breaking and toe-curling romance, these dramas do justice to every genre. Shows like Goblin and Descendants of the Sun have raised the bar in every aspect of television content and thus every show- be it romance, thriller, action- has become addictive. Another reason for this susceptibility to getting addicted is the deep understanding of emotions in these shows, viewers do not remain spectators but as though become an active part of it. They feel the pain of the characters, cry along with them, feel the chills and suspense, gush with them- such is the command and charisma it holds.

The Soundtrack:

The dialogues, characters, story is all tied together by the soundtrack of the show, and K-Dramas have provided us with stellar music and music artists. These shows also come with beautiful locations, sets and cinematography all beautifully woven by music by popular and talented artists from Korea. While these sets have attracted people to visit South Korea, the OST of these shows has become a gateway for many into K-Pop as well.

The Characters

The best quality about the characters is this sense of relatability we have with them, we get to connect with them and the problems they face. As the story unfolds, we begin to get more and more attached to the characters. Each character has her own unique story, the other characters do not just exist to further the story of the protagonists.

K-Dramas are very subtle with regards to romance and only imply certain things, leaving their viewers wanting more. This innocence and the good-looking actors also add on to charm of the characters. The surreal performance by Korean actors brings these characters to life.

Culture

These shows give us glance into the culture of these people, the clothes, language, lifestyle, food, families and so on. A pattern in these K-dramas is that it depicts two extremes- the very wealthy and the poverty stricken. Most shows focus on pressures in school life, authoritarian parental relationships and importance of money. Among these what has gained major attraction are the skin routines and remedies and the funky and trendy sense of fashion, which Koreans are famous for.

This is only the first wave which has created such a strong place for itself in the hearts of the Indian audience, the future holds endless possibilities for this culture.

Featured Image Credits- grafpicf

Shivani Dadhwal
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What’s the first thing that comes to your mind when hear the word ‘South Korea’? Is it Psy’s ‘Gangnam Style’? Well, most of us have certainly danced to this tune without even understanding what he was trying to convey, but K-POP is not just limited to this tune. In fact, Korean wave or Hallyu as Koreans call it has marked its presence in the global music industry for at least 6 years now.

The Korean singers’ eccentric style-sense, ingenious approach to music, talented voices, on point choreography and not to forget their irresistible cute-faces, has certainly set K-Pop apart from other genres. So, let us look at 3 K-pop bands which are stealing the hearts around the world and leading the Korean wave at this very moment!

EXO

The largest band after Super-Junior, this band has 12 members and is equally divided in two parts – EXO-K (Korean) and EXO-M (Mandarin). EXO with its mixture of Korean and Chinese culture made its debut in 2012 through S.M. Entertainment and has a strong fan-base with each member having about 3 million followers each on Instagram.
They’ve been hailed as the ‘biggest boy band in the world’ by many media outlets due to their knife-point choreography which gels well with their songs. They’ve received numerous awards till now with their first solo concert being sold out in 1.47 seconds which is the fastest for any Korean artist ever.
This is the band whose boys will surely win your hearts with their strong personalities and talent as they concoct magic in each album! EXO has just released its fifth extended play For Life on 19th December, 2016. Go, check it out!

exo

BTS

BTS is a seven member band, also known as ‘Bangtan Boys’. They debuted in 2013 with their first album 2 Cool 4 Skool, for which they won several “New Artist of the Year” awards including those at the 2013 MelOn Music Awards and Golden Disk Awards, and the 2014 Seoul Music Awards.
Time and again they’ve surpassed themselves and have recently clinched their second daesang for ‘Artist of the Year’ at the 2016 Mnet Asian Music Awards in row. They have a strong international fan-base due to their strong and myriad range of personalities and talented members. They’ve also managed to dominate the worldwide music charts with their Most Beautiful Moment in Life trilogy and also became the most retweeted artist in March 2016 following which twitter launched its first K-pop emoji featuring BTS. Follow them for some Hip-hop and R&B tunes, in addition with young-cute guys role-playing as tough bad boys or just their usual adorable selves!

bts

GOT7

GOT7 is K-Pop which borders closely on hip-hop. It was formed in 2014 following which they won several New Artist awards at various award shows. The group consists of seven members including JB, JR, Mark, Jackson, BamBam, Yugyeom and WIN.
GOT7 took China by storm with Asia Style Best Influence Group. They have been twice nominated in MTV Europe Music Awards for Best Korean Act Category. They’ve recently released their first Japanese studio album, Moriagatteyo. They are the newest talent in the list and something to wait and watch for as they are steadily rising to fame. Their performances on stage are grabbing eyeballs all over the world as they include “martial arts tricking”.

got7

 Image Credits:
upload.wikimedia.org
http://cdn0.dailydot.com/
http://kprofiles.com/
Feature Image Credits:
http://www.createwebquest.com/

Nidhi Panchal
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