Bollywood and Kdrama are emerging entertainment trends dominating Asia. They are slowly gaining popularity as new markets are opening. It used to be a purely regional thing about 10 years ago. People with blood and cultural ties are normally the only patrons abroad who miss their home. As the world becomes more digital, the adage small world is getting truer every day.

The world is getting smaller and people discover more and more things about other cultures. With the push for more apps, it is becoming even more personal. The proliferation of online groups in varied platforms enables the sharing of entertainment preferences in terms of movies and series. From China’s Ashes of Love, Taiwan’s Meteor Garden, India’s Black Mirror, Japan’s Gokusen, The Philippines La Luna Sangre, and South Korea’s Doctor Stranger, these are some of the more well-known Asian series that is slowly branching out to other regions.

Bollywood, the Indian Hindi-language movie industry which was Bombay Cinema has, for years, has produced and released more films than Hollywood. They have made their films available to the general public. More people have access to it because of its affordability. The genres are as varied as those made in Hollywood. Drama, comedy, documentaries, biopics, horror, romance, and the like. The most profitable is usually seasonal films like Christmas and masala movies. Masala is a combination of genres of comedy, drama, romance, action, and the occasional song and dance scenes.

Many countries have developed a love for Bollywood films including China, Egypt, Germany, Pakistan, and many more.  Opportunities have opened up and it is slowly reaching a stage of interest even with their Asian neighbors due to apps that offer subtitles and dubbing. Bollywood, or India’s version of Hollywood, sees an increasing demand for their dubbed movies. It is slowly moving away from the norm to more mainstream. However, the big winner seems to be Korean dramas or k-dramas and Korean novelas as we see a surge in new Korean Drama websites appearing around the world.

Hallyu. This is what the Korean wave that is spreading worldwide is called. Korean dramas and kpop have suddenly been found to be really popular outside of South Korea. It was like a guilty pleasure, liking these shows. Some who have actually developed a liking to it are warning their friends about it because it can be addictive.

Korean novelas are very different from your average TV series. Tailored to suit everybody, there is bound to be a kdrama for you.  From themes of cops and robbers, action and medical drama, romance-comedy, thriller, fantasy, and sci-fi, there is a kdrama for everyone. Video streaming sites are increasingly becoming popular.

The advent of Hulu and Netflix as mediums for companies that strive to reach farther and entertain more people with their products and services. Having a universal language definitely helps a lot as English-speaking viewers around the world await the next installment of their shows.

Why Korean dramas are popular

If you have ever watched even one full episode of these programmes, you’d see how good looking the performers are. Kpop and Korean novelas all have these celebrities described as “shining” or “radiant”. The stories they tell are full of unexpected twists and not just your ordinary narratives. They infuse every episode with bits of Korean culture like myths, sayings, poems, food, fashion, and dreamy locations.

These shows promote understanding, non-violence, a play on fate and destiny, relativity, or how one is connected and either past lives or karma. It definitely offers a fresh perspective from the storylines we are used to.