When K-pop feeling Jungkook talked about his love for chicken makhani and naan a few weeks ago on live TV, it wasn’t just a viral fan moment for his fans in India. BTS band member and global icon quietly signaled a change in narrative.
For nearly a decade, Indians have been voraciously devouring South Korea’s soft power – K-pop, Korean dramas, Korean food and even Korean makeup. But throughout 2023, which marks the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between India and South Korea, there have been signs that India has finally emerged on the South Korean cultural landscape. The situation is changing.
K-POP SINGER OPENING AN OFFICE IN MUMBAI, WANTS TO COOPERATEBesides Jungkook, there’s K-pop star Aura, who released a version of Bappi Lahiri’s hit Jimmy Jimmy that racked up nearly 800,000 views in a matter of weeks. His K-pop version of Yeh Sham Mastani has 1.2 million views on his YouTube channel in a month. Aora recently opened an office in Mumbai to actively seek collaborations with Indian artists.
“We plan to spend at least six to seven months in India working here and opening an office here was extremely important. After Naatu NaatuIndian music and films are becoming prominent in South Korea. My dream is to collaborate with Shah Rukh Khan, Shilpa Rao, King, Tony Kakkar and Tiger Shroff,” says Aura, who just performed at a UP Tourism event in Mathura.
INDIAN STARS EXPLORE THEIR KOREAN CONNECTIONThere’s a singer on the other end Neeti Mohan recently performed a Korean song at the Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium in Delhi, which also featured Korean artistes performing Naatu Naatu. Niti says, “I was invited to speak at the South Korean Embassy in Delhi to celebrate 50 years of India-Korea diplomatic relations. They asked if I could learn and perform a Korean song. I found Stay With Me from the K movie soundtrack. -drama “Goblin”, which became a huge hit. I posted my performance on Instagram and the comments praising my Korean pronunciation overwhelmed me.”
Indian actress and influencer Anushka Sen, who is making her Korean debut with the film Asia, spoke about her experience of filming in the country. “It was surreal filming near the Han River, which I have seen so many times in dramas. We had actors from different Asian countries, and I play a murderer. I’m still learning the language to get the emotional nuances right. This is very important for an actor like us. Now they are using English to write Korean scripts.”
K-POP COMPETITION SEES SOUTH KOREAN GROUP AS JUDGESCross-border interactions between the two countries can be seen in small but significant events across the country. South Korean boy band MCND flew down to judge the All India K-Pop Competition 2023 in Delhi last month, where Prachi Sharma from the capital and With Nine from Itanagar were declared winners. MCND also shook the leg of Tu Meri from the movie Bang Bang at the event.
On the K-pop front, two Indian-origin performers – Lara Raj, an Indian-American from Los Angeles, and Ezrela from Australia – have been shortlisted by HYBE, the company behind BTS and other successful groups such as Tomorrow Together. , New Jeans, Le Sserafim, Enhyphen and others.
During a live broadcast with fans on October 3, Jungkook told his Indian fans called ARMY, “Main tum logon se pyaar karta hoon.” This sentiment holds true for performers and fans alike on both sides of the cultural divide. this love cannot be stopped yet.
HOW THE INDIA GAME IS BECOMING BETTER IN SOUTH KOREABTS singer Jeon Jungkook talked about his love for Chicken Mahaney and Naan during a live chat with fans. He also sent fans into a frenzy by singing ‘Naatu Naatu’ from RRR and speaking in Hindi by saying ‘Main tumse pyaar karta hoon’.
Among the other BTS members, Kim Taehyung aka V greeted fans with a namaste and the video went viral. Min Yoongi aka Suga previously spoke about his desire to perform in India and his love for Indian films. Jimin mentioned seeing “3 Idiots” and the band members were spotted at an Indian restaurant in South Korea.
GOT7’s Jackson said he wants to learn “Indian dialect” and watches Bollywood movies regularly.
Shriya Lenka from Orissa is a member of the K-pop group BLACKSWAN, while Aria from Kerala is one of the vocalists of the five members of X:IN. Actor Anupam Tripathi starred in the Korean drama “The Squid Game”.