K-pop artists Seo In-guk (left) and Park So-dam (right).
Credits: Instagram / imsodamm
New Delhi: Death's Game stars Park So-dam and Seo In-guk haven't been to India but are aware of the popularity K-dramas enjoy in the country, which is one of the destinations they would love to visit in future.
So-dam, best known to viewers for her role in Bong Joon-ho's Oscar-winning film Parasite and Korean dramas such as Cinderella with Four Knights and Record of Youth, said she learned a lot about India through her college friend and Squid Game star Anupam Tripathi.
"I haven’t had the chance to visit India. However, I went to school with Anupam, you may know of him, he’s an actor in Korea who came from India. We took classes together and in our downtime, we’d take walks around a lake together and I heard so much about India from him," So-dam told PTI in a virtual international roundtable.
"Recently, I watched the variety show Adventure by Accident where they visit India and I was amazed at the variety of different sceneries and backdrops India had, depending on where you go. So I’d really love to visit one day," she added.
Anupam, who broke out with his role of Ali Abdul, a Pakistani migrant worker in Squid Game, and So-dam studied at the Korean National University of Arts.
So-dam, 32, stars as Death in Prime Video's fantasy drama Death's Game, which revolves around In-guk's Choi Yi-jae. Yi-jae tries to end his life and angers Death who makes him experience the pain of death 12 more times through different incarnations. It is based on a popular webtoon.
In-guk, also a singer, is familiar to Korean drama enthusiasts for his roles in Reply 1997, Shopping King Louie, The Smile Has Left Your Eyes, Doom At Your Service and Café Minamdang.
The 36-year-old actor said he feels happy for the love and support he receives from his global fans.
"Unfortunately, I haven’t had the chance to visit India, so I would love to go when the opportunity comes and I’d love to meet the fans there," he said.
Asked about the global stardom that Korean actors enjoy today given the popularity of K-dramas internationally, In-guk said he takes it as a responsibility.
"I feel very happy and grateful that the music I put out and the stories I tell through acting are loved both in Korea and in other parts of the world. And it gives me a greater sense of responsibility."
"I want to meet my fan's expectations with my art and make sure that my global fans are happy with what I put out there. It gives me a sense of determination, motivation and responsibility," the actor told PTI.
So-dam is happy that Death's Game is available globally.
"It makes me happy because we tell a story with many universal themes and messages that I’m sure will resonate with a lot of different people around the world. We also have a universally resonant message about life, how you should look back on it and think about how precious we all are and our day-to-day mundane lives are. I hope that the global audiences will watch the show and relate to the themes being delivered," she added.
In-guk, who has already featured in the fantasy show Doom At Your Service, said he accepted the drama as he was a fan of the original webtoon.
"The drama carries a very important message, and it’s one that makes me look back at my own life too. That’s what I was drawn to the most," he added.
So-dam makes a comeback to the screen after undergoing surgery for papillary thyroid cancer in December 2021.
The actor said the script of Death's Game came to her during a time when she was "thinking a lot about the concepts of life and death."
"When I was reading the script, I deeply related to the story and it gave me a lot of food for thought. And I found myself closely following the emotional arc of the main character. It was also just such a quick read and brought me to tears," she said.
The first four episodes of Death's Game are available on Prime Video. The second part of the show will premiere on the streamer in January.
Death's Game also features some of the top Korean talents including Choi Si-won, Lee Do-hyun, Sung Hoon, Jang Seung-jo, Lee Jae-wook, Kim Jae-wook, Oh Jung-se, Go Youn-jung and Yoo In-soo.