Indian Remake Of Korean Movies

[Manric Hock]

Koreanfilms have often acted as an inspiration for Indian filmmakers. In the past few years, we have seen several adaptations and remakes of Korean movies that have resonated very well with the audience. Films like Murder 2 (2011), Singh Is Bliing (2015), Bharat (2019), Oh! Baby (2019), Dhamaka (2021), and more (all remakes or adaptations of popular Korean films) have received a lot of love from cinemagoers. However, this trend has not only been confined to films. Many Indian remake of Korean dramas have also been produced in the last few years.

Thanks to the Hallyu wave, Korean dramas or K-dramas have gained tremendous popularity worldwide, including in India. Their unique style of storytelling, emotional depth, and well-developed characters resonate with the audiences, making it a favourable choice for viewing everywhere. Seeing the success of these Korean dramas, many Indian producers have attempted to remake these shows in the Indian context. Why Korean dramas? Well, producers believe that an Indian version will attract a large viewer base and replicate the success of the K-dramas.

From romantic dramas to suspense thrillers, many Indian remake of Korean dramas are available for the audience to watch. What makes watching an Indian adaptation more interesting is the fact that these shows are altered in a way that the Indian audience is able to relate to the show even more. Relevant plot twists, characters and climaxes are added to the storyline to make it more engaging for the Indian audience. So if you need some more masala and entertainment but with a Korean touch, here are some of the Indian shows that were inspired by popular K-dramas.

Remake of: Duranag is quite a popular K-drama remake in India. The Zee5 web series is an adaptation of the Korean drama titled Flower of Evil. The story revolves around a detective working on a gory copycat killing case, and finding out that her husband of 11 years is an accomplice of the person behind this gruesome act.

Remake of: This Indian television show was a remake of one of the most popular Korean dramas titled The Heirs. The plot revolves around a group of rich friends who stop talking to each other due to miscommunication. Things get even more tense when two of them fall in love with the same girl.

Remake of: Gyaarah Gyaarah will be the Indian remake of the Korean drama titled Signal, which originally featured Kim Hye-soo, Lee Je-hoon and Cho Jin-woong in lead roles. The story unfolds across three distinct decades and timelines where three cops try to solve a series of cold cases.

Bollywood films have often been trolled for being free-makes or unofficial remakes. There are many Bollywood films which are remakes of Korean films. Many of them were made in the early 2000s by top Indian filmmakers. Some of these movies are available on OTT platforms like Netflix, Prime Video, Disney + Hotstar and others. Here is a look at 10 such best films...

Bharat (2019)

The film Bharat made a lot of moolah at the box office. It is inspired by the Korean movie, Ode To My Father (2014). The Korean movie was an emotional story tracing the history of Korea from 1950 to 2010. The film had all the elements to be a blockbuster. Bharat is available on Prime Video.

Zinda

Zinda is an unofficial remake of the classic Korean revenge thriller, Oldboy (2003) made by Park Chan-wook. Zinda got John Abraham an award for Best Villain. Zinda is there on YouTube, SonyLIV and Prime Video.

Prem Ratan Dhan Paayo

Sooraj Barjatya's Prem Ratan Dhan Payo is also inspired by the Korean film, Masquerade. The movie made over Rs 300 crores at the box office. Prem Ratan Dhan Payo is there on Netflix.

Aashirvad Cinemas, the Malayalam cine banner that produced PAN-India famous Drishyam movies has sold its international remake rights to Panorama Studios, the same banner that produced the Hindi remakes of the Mohanlal starrer. At the Cannes Film Festival 2023, producers Kumar Mangat Pathak and Abhishek Pathak had unveiled the Korean adaptation of Drishyam.

A remake of the Korean series, Flower of Evil, this web series was released on Zee5 on August 19, 2022. This serial killer thriller shows Drashti Dhami, a detective enmeshed in a tedious case that somehow points towards her husband with a secret past.

Starring Kartik Aaryan and Mrunal Thakur, Dhamaka was an official remake of the 2013 Korean Movie, The Terror Live. Both movies show a TV news anchor stuck in a war with his conscience and a phone call that asks him to betray it every step of the way.

K-dramas and Korean films have a massive fan-following across the globe! So much so that many film industries fight for remake rights of the hit one! Recently, it was announced that series Crash Landing On You and Squid Game will soon be getting American remakes.

We aren't far behind! Indian audiences are a sucker for Korean films and television programmes as well and unbeknown to many, there are a handful of shows that have been adapted in India as well. Don't believe us? Check it out:

Gyaarah Gyaaraah, a forthcoming procedural drama, will be produced by Guneet Monga's Sikhya Entertainment and Karan Johar's Dharmatic Entertainment. The drama's original cast included Kim Hye Soo, Lee Je Hoon, and Cho Jin Woong. The series is a Hindi translation of the Korean serial Signal. The lead roles in the Indian adaption have been cast with Kritika Kamra, Raghav Juyal, and Dhairya Karwa.

This online series, a replica of the Korean programme Flower of Evil, debuted on August 19, 2022. In this serial killer thriller, Drashti Dhami, a detective, is caught up in a tiresome case that inexplicably ties to her husband's mysterious history.

Dhamaka, which starred Mrunal Thakur and Kartik Aaryan, was an authorised remake of the 2013 Korean film The Horror Live. Both films feature a TV newsreader who is engaged in a conflict with his conscience and receives phone calls that implore him to betray it at every turn.

The acting debut of Farhan Akhtar was a huge success, loaded with drama, strong emotions, and a fantastic album. It was influenced by the 2007 Korean movie The Happy Life, which served as its inspiration. The lives of two collegiate rock bands that decide to reconnect were shown in these films.

The same narrative was depicted in Boys over Flowers when Gum Jan Di, a poor girl, unexpectedly received a scholarship to attend a prestigious college. In Nandhini, a teenage girl who moves to Bombay from her hometown and enrols in an elite college. The immensely well-known love story of Nandini and Manik was inspired by the hugely successful Korean drama Boys Over Flowers.

Officially remaking the 2013 South Korean film Montage is Ribhu Dasgupta's mystery-thriller film from Bollywood. Bollywood drama-thriller adaptation rights were acquired by producer Sujoy Ghosh, who also secured the services of legendary actors Amitabh Bachchan and Vidya Balan.

The South Korean movie "I Saw The Devil" served as inspiration for Mohit Suri's romantic thriller "Ek Villain."Sidharth Malhotra, Shraddha Kapoor, and Riteish Deshmukh played the main characters in a Bollywood movie.

While the Indian filmmakers gave the thriller a romantic tarka, the original movie, which starred Choi Min Shik and is currently regarded as one of the best movies ever made, is said to be more violent.

Die-hard romantics riding the narrow line between lovingly realistic and over-the-top portrayals of love are sure to find solace in Korean Dramas, which strike the ideal balance of dreamy moments, feel-good stories, and progressive heartburn. Tell us your favourite ones in the comments section below.

Iraa Paul writes for Indiatimes OTT section - Binge. She has equal passion for hot coffee and hot OTT content. She is a pro at suggesting movies and series to watch on the weekend or when you are having a bad day. On special days, you can find her interviewing streaming era stars.

Producer Sunitha Tati of Guru Films is fond of foreign movies. She has already brought out Samantha's 'Oh Baby', Regina Cassandra-Nivetha Thomas' 'Saakini Daakini', and 'Dongalunnaru Jagrattha'. Each of those movies was a remake of some or the other foreign movie. The first two were remakes of Korean dramas. The last of these was the remake of a Spanish survival thriller.

Last year, in an interview, here is what the producer said: "We are going to remake six Korean films. We are doing a film in both Hindi and down South. There is another interesting film, which is an investigative thriller. It's a hero-centric film. There are three more films, one of which is a heroine-centric one. This pipeline is going to keep us engaged in 2023."

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