Priyanka Mohan on how filming ‘Made In Korea’ was an experience to cherish

Ahead of the release of Netflix’s cross-cultural project ‘Made in Korea’, we speak to Priyanka Arul Mohan and director Ra Karthik about filming in Seoul, working with a Korean cast and crew, and how the film felt like a journey of discovery

For Shenba, the protagonist in Netflix’s Made In Korea, South Korea is a faraway, fantastical land. She is fascinated by its history, and its K-Pop and K-Dramas of course, and initially believes a train from her town will lead her there. As she grows up, the fascination and yearning to visit this country she declares her favourite, only grows. 

In a first-of-its-kind Tamil-Korean collaboration by Netflix, Made In Korea has actor Priyanka Arul Mohan take on the role of earnest, wide-eyed Shenba who finds herself in the Land of Morning Calm, propelled by a mix of family and relationship drama. For the actor who made her debut in 2019 in the Kannada film Ondh Kathe Hella and has since gone onto star in Telugu, Tamil and Kannada films, this film marks a milestone; as the first film where she takes the reins as the lead.  

Made in Korea. (L to R) Hye-Jin Park as Yeon-Ok , Si-Hun Baek as Jun-Jae Heo, Priyanka Mohan as Shenbagam in Made in Korea

Ahead of the film’s release, Priyanka and director Ra Karthik, during a virtual interview, have much to say about their experiences in Seoul, and filming this cross-cultural project. 

“I did not feel like this was a challenge,” says Priyanka, when asked how she approached the role of Shenba. “I have been waiting for stories like this for a long time, and now that it came to me, my thoughts were on how to do justice to the role. I wanted to be more of myself here,” she says. 

The proliferation of the K-Wave and the immense popularity of all things K-Culture is something that piqued director Ra Karthik’s curiosity. “It got me wondering about how immersed people are in this world; how they love Lee Min Ho like their superstar. I began to think of how South Korea would be like, to people like this who finally make it there. Once I got this idea, I started scripting the film,” he says.