The trend of adapting Korean dramas or K-dramas for Indian audiences is here to stay, says producer Goldie Behl, who has backed Duranga, the Hindi version of the popular show Flower of Evil.
Behl, also the creator of the ZEE5 web series Duranga, said he and the team at his production house Rose Audio Visuals are currently working towards acquiring the rights of more Korean-language serials.
“There are a couple of other shows that we have identified and are in conversation with the original creators. (We will announce them) in due course. We like to do the work and then talk about it,” the producer said.
He followed a similar approach with Duranga as well. The Hindi show was announced weeks before its August 19 premiere on the streaming platform ZEE5.
It follows Sammit (Gulshan Devaiah) as the perfect man, who is hiding a twisted past from his wife Ira, a super cop, played by Drashti Dhami.
Behl said the team was quiet about acquiring the adaptation rights of Flower of Evil (2020) from original creators Studio Dragon Corporation, the drama arm of the Seoul-based media company CJ ENM.
“We kept it under the wraps. We thought we’d shoot it, edit it, get it together and then tell the world about it. Nimisha Pandey, Chief Content Officer - Hindi Originals, ZEE5 was supportive of this idea,” he added.
Duranga is billed as the first Indian adaptation of a K-drama and Behl believes this is just the beginning.
Earlier this year, it was reported that Something in the Rain, the popular K-drama starring Son Ye-jin and Jung Hae-in, is also set for an Indian remake.
“I definitely think there will be plenty of more adaptations,” he added.
Behl, whose small screen credits include TV shows like Remix, Guns & Roses, and recently Mithya, said it was his creative director Aleena Chakraborty who came up with the idea of adapting Flower of Evil for Hindi viewers.
“We have a couple of people in our office who are great K-dramas fans. Aleena, who also works as my creative director, is a big K-drama fan. She is the one who identified the show and asked me to watch it. Then we got in touch with the original company and optioned the rights from them. The whole process of getting the rights happened within a year,” he added.
The producer said the team was inclined towards making an official adaptation of Flower of Evil, which originally starred Korean stars Lee Joon-gi and Moon Chae-won, because of the twists and turns of its plot.
“The one line really drew us all in: ‘I suspect my husband of 12 years is a serial killer’. I, along with writer Charu and the team, dug out a little bit more as to what was the motivation of the original creator of the show,” he said.
With Duranga, the creator-producer said he saw a great opportunity to examine a marital relationship in a larger-than-life thriller kind of a plot.
“Generally, the thing that we hide from our partner is having an affair or something like that. What was really interesting to me was that is it necessary to have full disclosure for a successful marriage, especially when you have had great years with your partner and a past you are hiding from your partner gives that betrayal?”
Behl said they have localised the show, directed by Pradeep Sarkar and Aijaz Khan, and adapted it according to the sensibilities of the Hindi-speaking audience.
“We haven’t really messed with any scene that was around the plot per se because that’s the reason we got the rights. The Hindi version is grungier than the original, which is very soft.
“Duranga is a web series, which is set in a Hindu colony, Dadar area. We have tried to capture Mumbai in the show. The world is completely different,” he pointed out.
They have also altered the ‘two-episode a week’ format of the show and converted it into a ‘binge-worthy’ web series. Originally made for South Korean TV channel tvN, Flower of Evil was directed by Kim Cheol-kyu and written by Yoo Jung-hee.
“That show was made according to their linear television format. So, it's a bit soapy. But our show is far faster paced and edgy. We made it keeping in mind that people are going to binge watch. Our episodes are shorter, tighter and crispier. The point of doing remakes is having a different interpretation of the same story,” said Behl, adding that the story of Duranga doesn’t end with season one. While Flower of Evil had 16 episodes, Duranga had eight.
“So we have changed the show towards the end. We haven’t finished the story. We are looking at a season two for Duranga and hopefully it does well enough that ZEE5 is ready for us to go in for another season,” he added.
Duranga also stars Rajesh Khattar, Divya Sheth, Zakir Hussain, Barkha Bisht, Abhijit Khandkekar and Hera Mishra.
