Chennai’s love affair with Korean culture started well before Parasite

For Sanjay Ranjhi, a Korean translator, this moment was very special. “I got into K-culture around 2000. I remember watching a lot of Korean films and really enjoying them. One of the films I really liked was The Host – and that was directed by Bong Joon-ho. After that, I became completely immersed in Korean films,” said the 37-year-old, who is also founder of The K-Wave India, an official Korean culture club in the city that is affiliated with the Korean Consulate.

“Previously, people were not interested in Korean films because there were subtitles and many people don’t prefer that. They would also have certain cultural misconceptions – they’d group Chinese, Japanese and Korean movies as one and sort of mock at them. But now, there’s a spotlight on Korean media, and that’s a good thing,” explained Ranjhi.

According to Varsha Ramesh, a college student and Koreaboo(someone who is immersed in Korean culture), the appeal of Korean films are their character-based stories and engaging plotlines. K-Wave India wentfrom having five members in 2009 to having 1,500 members in Chennai by 2020.

“Not many older people are interested in this, which is understandable. But younger generations are getting into it because of the food, music and the cultural uniqueness. Now, with Parasite’s accolades, even more people are going to be interested in Korean culture,” Varsha said.

 In Chennai, local stores offer Korean staples like kimchi and buckwheat noodles and gochujang, a chilli paste

 Korean dishes like bibimbap, pajeon, a pancake-like Korean dish and Korean bbq are on the menu of  several restaurants