For actor Priyanka Arul Mohan, the Netflix film Made In Korea is more than just another project. It is a milestone—her first film as a lead actress, and a deeply personal journey of discovery shot entirely in the heart of the K-Wave: Seoul.
Ahead of the film’s release on March 12, Priyanka and director Ra Karthik spoke about creating this first-of-its-kind Tamil-Korean collaboration, the challenges and joys of filming abroad, and the story of self-discovery at its core.
The Story: A Dreamer in the Land of Morning Calm
Made In Korea follows Shenba (Priyanka Mohan), a young woman from a picturesque hill town in Tamil Nadu whose lifelong fascination with K-Pop and K-Dramas fuels a dream to visit South Korea. Propelled by family and relationship drama, she finally finds herself in Seoul. But the film is not just a romance; it is a journey of self-discovery.
Director Ra Karthik explains the origin of the idea: “The proliferation of the K-Wave and the immense popularity of all things K-Culture 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.”
He consciously moved away from typical romance tropes. “My target audience is people who love K-Dramas and K-Pop. 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.”
An Immersive Experience in Seoul
For both the director and the lead actor, filming in Seoul was a voyage of discovery that mirrored the film’s narrative.
| Artist | Experience in Seoul |
|---|---|
| Ra Karthik (Director) | Arrived a week early to soak in the experience. Navigating cabs and buses alone became material for the film. “All of this wasn’t born out of research but my own experiences there.” |
| Priyanka Mohan (Actor) | “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.” |
Working with a Korean Cast
The film features a host of Korean actors, including Park Hye-jin, memorable for her role as Cho Sang-woo’s mother in the global phenomenon Squid Game. While language barriers existed, they were overcome.
“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,” Priyanka laughs, highlighting the universal language of performance.
A Milestone Role
For Priyanka, who made her debut in 2019 and has since starred in Kannada, Telugu, and Tamil films, Made In Korea marks her first time as the unequivocal lead. She approached it with a sense of calm.
“I did not feel like this was a challenge,” she says. “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.”
The experience has been transformative. “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.”
A Cherished Memory
Despite rigorous work hours, the experience left a deep, positive mark on the actor. “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 began streaming on Netflix on March 12, 2026.
