For Shenba, the protagonist in Netflix’s Made In Korea, South Korea is a faraway, fantastical land. She is fascinated by its historical past, and its Okay-Pop and Okay-Dramas after all, and initially believes a practice from her city will lead her there. As she grows up, the fascination and craving to go to this nation she declares her favorite, solely grows.
In a first-of-its-kind Tamil-Korean collaboration by Netflix, Made In Korea has actor Priyanka Arul Mohan tackle the position of earnest, wide-eyed Shenba who finds herself within the Land of Morning Calm, propelled by a mixture of household and relationship drama. For the actor who made her debut in 2019 within the Kannada movie Ondh Kathe Hella and has since gone onto star in Telugu, Tamil and Kannada movies, this movie marks a milestone; as the primary movie the place she takes the reins because 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 movie’s launch, Priyanka and director Ra Karthik, throughout a digital interview, have a lot to say about their experiences in Seoul, and filming this cross-cultural undertaking.
“I did not feel like this was a challenge,” says Priyanka, when requested how she approached the position of Shenba. “I have been waiting for stories like this for a long time, and after 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 Okay-Wave and the immense reputation of all issues Okay-Culture is one thing 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.
The romance of a brand new metropolis apart, Made In Korea doesn’t restrict itself to like and grounds Shenba’s story in a journey of self-discovery, one thing Karthik says was a aware writing alternative. “I was certain I didn’t want the romance people had already seen in several K-Dramas. My target audience is people who love K-Dramas and K-Pop and I wanted to connect with them on a shared aspiration of being able to visit South Korea. I decided to make it about a woman, and explore both the fantasy and the realities of this dream, and have her journey through human values rather than romance,” he explains.
Priyanka Mohan in Made In Korea
Karthik remembers touchdown in Seoul per week previous to Priyanka and the crew becoming a member of him there. “I was alone and had to navigate how to catch a cab from the airport, taking the bus, and a host of other things that feature in the film as well. All of this wasn’t born out of research but my own experiences there. I was learning so much about being in this new country and I realised I wanted Shenba to experience this in the film as well,” he explains.
Priyanka, whose first time it was in Seoul as properly, chimes in. “The team also was like Shenba; we were learning so much, and discovering something every single day through our one-and-a-half months of filming there. For me, it was an immersive experience into the culture, people, food, emotions and values of the country.”
While we’re initially launched to Shenba in her picturesque hilly hometown in Tamil Nadu, the movie quickly strikes her to Seoul and her life there turns into populated with a bevy of locals, performed by a number of Korean actors together with actor Park Hye-jin who was most notably, additionally seen in Squid Game as Cho Sang-woo’s (performed by actor Park Hae-soo) mom. “While the assistant directors on set helped translate for us, I soon began to pick up on their emotional cues and gestures truly helped, of course,” laughs Priyanka.
Made In Korea. (L to R) Priyanka Mohan, Park Hye-Jin in Made In Korea. Cr. Courtesy of Netflix © 2026
| Photo Credit:
Sheik Fareeth/Netflix
The actor, who was final seen within the Telugu movie They Call Him OG reverse Pawan Kalyan has a fantasy rom-com with actor Kavin within the works, in addition to the Kannada movie 666 Operation Dream Theatre arising for launch. “We shot Made In Korea last year and I feel like I was transformed, in a way. The film ensured I did not restrict myself and encouraged me to think broader. The experience of working on this film has given me the confidence of working on different stories going forward,” she says.
The work hours might need been rigorous on this undertaking however for Priyanka, the movie, she says, was an expertise to cherish. “I went to bed at peace everyday, and I feel like I have carried this forward to every film I have worked on since. I am really having fun,” she smiles.
Made In Korea streams on Netflix on March 12
Published – March 11, 2026 10:46 am IST
