K-craze: Korean dramas and culture are taking India by storm

As India locked down last year, locals turned to Korean dramas, leading to a jump in the sales of Korean food, makeup and music.

New Delhi, India–  CS Mani, a 67-year-old Indian, isn’t someone you’d expect to become enthralled by a South Korean limited television series. But as he watched the finale of Crash Landing on You in his apartment in Mumbai, he couldn’t hold back his tears.

“Didn’t you cry in the end? Episode 16? I cried rivers,” he told Al Jazeera, recalling the sweet-sad love story of a South Korean heiress and a North Korean army captain.

“My wife thinks I’m mad,” Mani added.