How does Lee Joon-gi feel about 'Duranga', Indian adaptation of 'Flower of Evil'? Korean star responds
Popular drama Flower of Evil, starring Lee Joon-gi and Moon Chae-won, has inspired India’s first-ever remake of a Korean drama series - Duranga.
FollowPopular drama 'Flower of Evil', starring superstar Lee Joon-gi and Moon Chae-won, has inspired India's first-ever remake of a Korean drama - 'Duranga'. Following its release on the streaming platform ZEE5, popular Korean actor Lee Joon-gi expressed his joy over his hit show getting an Indian adaptation, which stars Gulshan Devaiah and Drashti Dhami.
Lee, also known for K-dramas such as 'Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo' and 'Criminal Minds', took to Instagram on Saturday to send his best wishes to the team of 'Duranga'.
"Happy to see you (Indian) friends! Looking forward to it," Lee captioned the posters of 'Flower of Evil' and 'Duranga'.
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'Duranga' follows Sammit (Devaiah) as the perfect man who is hiding a twisted past from his wife Ira, a super cop, played by Dhami. Pradeep Sarkar and Aijaz Khan directed the Hindi series. It is showrun by Goldie Behl, who has co-produced the project via his Rose Audio Visuals along with Shradha Singh.
'Duranga' also stars Rajesh Khattar, Divya Sheth, Zakir Hussain, Barkha Bisht, Abhijit Khandkekar and Hera Mishra.
"We were certain from the beginning that this particular show would fit well with the Indian sensibilities because the Korean culture is a lot like Indian," said Goldie Behl, a producer at Rose Audio Visuals Pvt. Ltd.
'Flower of Evil', which aired on the South Korean broadcaster tvN in 2020, is available in India on streamers Netflix and Viki. Lee Joon-gi is also known for films such as "The King and the Clown" and "Resident Evil: The Final Chapter".
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During the Covid-19 pandemic lockdown, Korean dramas gained even greater traction in India, with Netflix reporting a 370 per cent increase in k-dramas' viewing in 2020 over 2019.
"The vivacity of Asian culture and its inherent similarities is one of the key reasons for Korean content finding a huge fan base in India," said Nimisha Pandey, chief content officer, Hindi Originals, ZEE5.
"With such high affinity, we are delighted to announce Duranga and we hope that Duranga receives as much love and success as Flower of Evil has with the audiences," he added.
'Duranga' is a first for India; other countries that have produced remakes of Korean dramas include China, Japan, Vietnam, Thailand, the US, and the Philippines.
"The remake of a Korean drama for the first time in India, which has different sentiment and content trend, is a remarkable achievement," said Sarah Jang, the Studio Dragon producer who developed and produced the series.
"I hope Flower of Evil, which was well-recognized for its unique combination of romance, thriller and immersive storyline, will gain popularity in India as well," Jang added.
(With inputs from PTI)
