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Season one of the Korean series “Squid Game” became the most watched series on Netflix by achieving 265.2 million views and 2.8 billion hours viewed. The Korean movie “Parasite” became the first non-English movie to win an Oscar. On December 12th, the Korean pop song “Gangnam Style” became the first YouTube video to hit a billion views. BTS became the first Korean band to join Spotify’s ‘billions club’ when their song “Dynamite” reached one billion streams.
From being the poorest country in the world in the 1950s to becoming a cultural, technological and industrial superpower in the 2000s, Korea has witnessed rapid development in all sectors over the years. Korea is now the 11th largest economy. And now that the Hallyu wave, or the Korean wave, has taken over the world, the spotlight on the country shines even brighter, as it has fuelled the world’s interest in all things Korean, from Korean cosmetics to K-pop idols becoming household names all over the world. As it is said that Rome is not built in a day, Korean leaders have adapted some effective strategies over the years to make the country a cultural superpower and boost its tourism and economy. What can India learn from Korea to rebrand its cultural landscape and garner global attention?
During South Korea’s military dictatorship period, the films that were released had to undergo government approval for their scripts, and any films that criticised the government in any way or which showcased the socio-economic condition of Korea were banned. Even many foreign songs and movies were banned in the country due to them being “politically and morally harmful to the country’s youth”. Against this backdrop, a government report awakened the Korean people to the cultural industry's potential contribution to the national economy. After a Korean film, “Seopyeonje”, became the most popular Korean film to that point in history, the Korean government started thinking of a strategy to promote Korean culture as a global export.
The government established the Cultural Industry Bureau [CIB] in 1994 and launched the Motion Picture Promotion Law 1995 to attract investment into the film industry. The ‘Chaebols’, or family-owned businesses like Samsung and Hyundai, entered the film industry to boost their production and distribution. They hired highly professional and qualified people to research the audience’s tastes and preferences. ‘Shiri’, the first high-budget film produced by Samsung, became hugely successful and garnered attention for the country’s film industry. But the 1997 Asian financial crisis shook the country’s economy very badly.
Kim Dae Jung, regarded as the cultural president, brought a cultural revolution to the country during this period. He established the Basic Law for the Cultural Industry Promotion in 1999 and allocated huge investments into promoting Korea’s culture, especially K-pop music. The ministry developed infrastructure all over the country to increase the popularity of the culture, like opening culture industry departments in universities and karaoke bars. The rise of satellite media and the internet in the late 1990s and the early 2000s played a crucial role in disseminating Korean content globally. The first broadband services for the average householder became available in 1998, and the number of broadband connections exploded, reaching 11.9 million in 2004, making Korea the world’s most wired nation until today. Kim Dae Jung removed all the censorship laws and promoted artistic-style films, and all those films which showcased the socio-economic landscape of the country, which were earlier banned, faced no legal trouble then.
Korean movies like Parasite portrayed problems like poverty, unemployment, and crime, which were universal problems, and the movies’ emotional depth resonated with the global audience. After the Korean government lifted its ban on foreign travel following liberation, many Korean directors travelled to foreign countries, gaining knowledge about filmmaking styles. This birthed many legendary directors and many popular, critically appreciated movies. Many Korean movies were remade into Hollywood and Bollywood movies due to their great plots. Korean movies and K-dramas appeal to a wide global audience due to their interesting storylines, which encompass emotionalism, relatability, well-developed characters, and some films and dramas that infuse folk tales and mythological elements into their stories, which adds to their popularity. The K-pop song Gangnam Style became the most viewed song on YouTube on December 12th, 2015, due to its catchy lines, and made the whole world dance to its tunes. Then, K-pop bands like BTS and Blackpink garnered global attention with their catchy songs, dance and concerts and became household names in no time. All of these factors contributed to boosting Korea’s soft power and ultimately to the development of Korea’s economy.
India is a country of rich culture, history and diverse people. India is a country which has twenty-eight states and eight union territories. And each state and region has a different culture, speaks a different language, and has its own unique folktales to narrate. Yet, when the global audience refers to Indian cinema, they mainly refer to the Hindi film industry or the Bollywood film industry. That is like an insult to the diversity of India and its other film industry, which produces movies of high-quality content. There are even many web series whose content can compete with the English series and can be deemed superior. But all those movies run in theatres only for a short time due to no audience, and the series often go unnoticed or become limited to the Indian subcontinent only. And the Bollywood film industry faces a monopoly from a few big production companies which restricts small creators from emerging and producing good quality content. These big companies often produce mass commercial films which feature a story with recurring themes, tropes and a loose plot. These highly distributed films overshadow the good films produced in the country, and the people often express their dissatisfaction as to why the film industry is not developing any good films any more.
A Bollywood movie, “Laila Majnu” was re-released in August 2024, particularly after the film developed a cult following online, and some reports suggest that it has earned over 11.5 crore. While the original release struggled and managed to earn only around 3.25 crore, the re-release has seen substantial growth, with collections exceeding expectations. Many such critically acclaimed films which struggled to remain in theatres during their first release, became highly successful upon their re-release. But why can’t these movies become successful on their initial release? With the growing popularity of social media, the netizens hype movies and series with good storylines, which creates buzz and demand for these stories which initially were not promoted, and hence, the re-release.
OTT platforms have significantly altered the landscape for Indian cinema, offering an alternative to traditional theatrical releases, especially for films that might not find success in theatres. The availability of OTT platforms allows for more diverse content, including experimental and niche films that might not find space in mainstream theatres. But still, the space is not devoid of challenges. A movie like “Stolen”, which premiered and won acclaim at the 2023 Venice Film Festival, took two years and the backing of four popular names – producers Anurag Kashyap, Kiran Rao, Nikkhil Advani and Motwane – to finally get a release in India, its home country. This happens because OTT platforms do not want to associate themselves with the industry’s lesser-known names. This must not happen, as many such great films which deserve appreciation, are often not even being released.
There are many movies like the Assamese film “Kothanodi”, which featured Assamese folk tales and effortlessly captured the audience’s attention through its beautiful storytelling. But sadly, such films do not enjoy a mass theatrical release. The government must invest in such films and promote them on a global stage to showcase India’s rich culture and its stories. The initiative will also attract tourists and develop the tourism industry of India. The government must formulate an effective strategy, and this can further the Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of ‘Vikas bhi, Virasat bhi’ [Heritage and development together] for the ‘Viksit Bharat 2047 vision’. By implementing these measures, India can effectively leverage its cultural heritage to become a global cultural superpower, attract tourists, foster national pride and enhance its influence on the world stage.