(August 29, 2024) This month, HBC House South Korea premiered its eight-episode mini-series ‘Landed in Korea’ on YouTube. Billed as the first Indo-Korean drama, it has received positive reviews from audiences eager for something different – a fusion of two different cultures. Beyond the drama itself, the main protagonist, Seetha, has also garnered attention with her debut performance.
The story follows Seetha, a young woman who seizes an opportunity to travel to South Korea – a country she has always dreamed of visiting. Secretly, she hopes to find love, much like in her favourite K-dramas. After arriving in Korea to reunite with her childhood friend, things take an interesting turn when he introduces her to his social circle. As Seetha forms genuine connections in this new land, the drama centers on whether she will find the love for which she has always longed.
Although the character shares her real name, Seetha, the actor is not new to the country, unlike the role she plays. She has been living in Korea for the past eight years, making her well-prepared to work with the Korean cast and crew and familiar with the culture. “But you get to know more about it when you work closely with Koreans, especially in projects like Landed in Korea,” she remarked in an interview. Landed in Korea is a collaborative project by Indian and Korean producers, K-pop artists Aoora and Fridayy, and Mumbai-based entrepreneur Rachna Puri. Singer-composer Aoora also plays one of the lead characters in the series.
Landing in Korea
After completing her graduation from Manipal University in Dubai, Seetha Ranganathan landed in Korea eight years ago to pursue a Global MBA from Dongguk University, Seoul. She has been working as a media professional after the completion of her MBA program.
The actor hails from Kerala and apart from English and Korean, can speak in Malayalam and Tamil. “I come from the border between the two states in the southern part of India, so I grew up with a lot of Malayalam, Tamil, and, of course, Bollywood movies,” the actress revealed.
Seetha with a co-artist during a shoot in Korea
Love for art and culture
Seetha respects the art and culture of both India and South Korea and takes pride in being aware of both. When it comes to acting, her favourite actress is Shobhana, whom she calls her inspiration. Although new to the field of acting, Seetha aspires to adopt the veteran actress’s method of acting – fully embodying her characters and bringing a raw, powerful energy to her performances.
The actor admires the entire Indian film industry, which she describes as “full of style and drama, powerful and captivating.” She loves the energy infused into every film, regardless of the genre, and region it is being made in India.
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Adding a touch of India on the Korean sets
While shooting Landed in Korea, she even tried teaching the cast members a few words in her mother tongue, Malayalam, which was captured in a few scenes of the mini-series. Additionally, the cast was filmed wearing traditional Indian clothing. These were some improvisation initiatives by Seetha. “I brought a bit of India with me, and it was fun. I hope to continue doing this,” says the actor, who aspires to work on more acting projects.
Let’s make Indo-Korean cultural relations stronger!
Seetha had remarked while announcing the release of ‘Landed in Korea’
Recently, some television stars have appeared in South Korean series, and as part of this growing fraternity, Seetha hopes that all Indian actors working in Korea can bring the charisma of the Indian film and television industry to Korean sets. “I want to spread joy and showcase aspects of Indian culture that people may not be familiar with in Korea,” tells the actor who tries to bring the synergy into everything she does.
Seetha with friends during an event in Korea
Life lessons in Korea
After eight years in Korea, the country has significantly influenced her personality. She has become a stickler for time and has developed excellent time management skills – a trait that has greatly benefited her acting career, which ‘involves a lot of planning, schedules, and meetings’. Seetha enjoys the strong sense of teamwork in Korea, which was one of the highlights of her experience working with the Korean cast in her debut acting assignment, where she played an Indian girl in love with Korea – a reflection of her own life.
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