Made in Korea director Ra Karthik: Surge in light-hearted movies began with Nitham Oru Vaanam…| EXCLUSIVE

Made in Korea is an upcoming Netflix film from director Ra Karthik, starring Priyanka Arul Mohan. It is set to premiere on March 12

Made in Korea; Ra Karthik

It is a way of stars aligning when it was in 2022, director Ra Karthik’s debut film Nitham Oru Vaanam had released. A feel-good film which found more love after its Netflix debut, it is now in 2024, when Karthik’s second directorial Made in Korea, is a Netflix original, all set to premiere on March 12. “Nitham Oru Vaanam had more reach when it came on OTT. I had received about 15-16 hand-written letters expressing their love. Now my second film is an OTT film, which is like a circle by itself. In addition, to all the more places I wanted Nitham Oru Vaanam to reach, Made in Korea will go, because it’s been dubbed in 14 languages and subtitles in 35 more languages,” says Karthik in conversation with OTTplay.

What is Made in Korea about?

Women discovering about herself and the coming-of-age journeys have been there for a while, from examples like English Vinglish, Queen or even films like 36 Vayadhinile and Aruvi. How does Made in Korea fit among all these? Given the film is about a young woman Shenba from Kanniyakumari who wishes to travel to her dream destination South Korea, Karthik says, “Everyone wishes to travel and explore. But I want to do a story about a place that has some connection with us. Say an Australia wouldn’t have a ring to it, like Korea. For long, we have been attached to their culture. In fact, history says about a woman from Kanniyakumari who travelled to Korea and became a queen there. In fact, there are about 600 words that are similar in Tamil and Korean. A few cultural elements are similar. There are many historical connections.”

Also read: Made in Korea OTT release date: When and where to stream Priyanka Arul Mohan headlining film in Tamil, Telugu, Hindi

Further, the filmmaker says that it was not only in the past, but Indians also have a special taste towards Korean aesthetics; from food dishes like Kimchi and ramen, to pop culture like BTS, K-dramas, and even Korean skincare. “There are many here who wants to go to Korea. But what if a woman actually lands there and what she faces. That one liner piqued some interest in me. In fact, this is the first Indo-Korean film. We had new experience because there were about 16 Korean artistes and some local ADs. In fact, one of them who played grandmother, had worked in Squid Games. You will notice her as much you do Priyanka,” he adds.

How light-hearted films found its way?

Given Tamil cinema is now witnessing surge of feel-good films, Karthik says, “If I can say last three years has seen a lot of feel-good films, the starting point was Nitham Oru Vaanam. A lot of them said they missed watching the film in theatres, following which many began to turn up in theatres to watch light-hearted films. Both Nitham Oru Vaanam and Made in Korea is about how strangers can create an impact, but here, it is a step above and says what that person creates in strangers’ lives in return.”

Also read: 6 Latest Tamil OTT releases (March 9 – March 15) to watch on Prime Video, JioHotstar, Netflix, Sony LIV, theatres and more

The filmmaker says that making feel-good films is a little harder than doing violent or action films. “Probably you can use mocobot or phantom camera to create some gimmicks, but with light-hearted films, the emotions have to hit, the cinematography and music should connect. Now that we consume a lot from social media, we are tuned to look everything beautiful. So, we need to present it aesthetically well. Not just writing can carry a film. Every aspect of filmmaking and performance should go hand in hand.”

Given his film coming on OTT, does it consider a secondary option? “Many say that they want people to watch their film in theatres. But for me, I want people to watch my film. It could be on OTT or theatres. Now, that itself is a big deal. So, when Netflix is associated with this film, there is more scope for reach worldwide. They can also watch in their own language, which gives a different exposure among the international audience,” Karthik answers.

On choosing Priyanka Mohan, Karthik says she wanted someone who has innocence and maturity. “If you see in Nitham Oru Vaanam, there were four leads and four characterisations. But with Made in Korea, I wanted one character with three variations, which shows her aspirations, experience, and learnings. As far I know, Priyanka has carried the emotions very well and headlined solely on her shoulders,” the filmmaker mentions.

His biggest learning from Made in Korea, Karthik says that while one might think they are strong in their language and culture, it only when we interact with strangers, there are more learnings and understandings. “There is something to explore new aspects when we are in different environment. The perception we have had about them, and what they are in real might be very different,” he signs off.

Made in Korea FAQs

Q. Where can I watch Made in Korea?

A. You can stream Made in Korea on Netflix from March 12 onwards.

Q. Which movie did Priyanka Mohan play in Korea?

A. Priyanka Mohan's upcoming film Made in Korea will feature her as young woman who aspires to go to Korea.

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