Common Sense Media Review
By Barbara Shulgasser-Parker
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Indian girl pursues dream life in Korea; some language.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 13+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
Made in Korea
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
The thread through the competing stories in MADE IN KOREA is Shenba (Priyanka Mohan), a rural Indian girl who dreams of going to Korea. Her father has arranged for her to marry a prosperous local guy she doesn't love. Mani (Rishikanth), the guy she does love, is a ne'er-do-well who wants to help her but is struggling to pay his father's debts. In the worst possible way, he gets Shenba to Korea, but once she's there she must negotiate a new life completely alone. The next story focuses on Shenba's pluck and perseverance. Although she doesn't speak Korean, doesn't have a job, and doesn't know a thing about the culture, she discovers her remarkable resilience in making friends, finding a job, and creating a life. Jae-Jun (Baek Si-hoon) is the empathetic stranger who guides her. Granny (Park hi-jin of Squid Game) is the lively patient Shenba is hired to care for, and that relationship with a new best friend/substitute parent opens a world of adventure. The third story is one of Granny and Shenba acting as entrepreneurs.
Is It Any Good?
This movie is actually a bunch of different movies—some good, some not so good—an amalgam of precariously glued-together variations on familiar clichés. The most compelling is of the rural Indian girl who has always dreamed of visiting Korea. But her arrival in Korea takes 25 minutes, and it doesn't really get interesting until Shenba is hired by an ice-cold son to care for his mom, a comatose grandmother who turns out to be a live wire. Implausible developments abound. In secret, Granny is somehow out and about all day long without her controlling son noticing. Shenba and Granny magically open a restaurant from scratch without any visible financial means. That somehow leads to the formation and promotion of a band. The restaurant is a success. The band goes viral. There's no money, yet international plane tickets are purchased, a restaurant is opened, an elaborate music video is produced, and rent is paid.
On the subject of keeping expenses low, many scenes are shot without sound (or sound too poor to be used). People are talking, but we either hear music or a narration that tells us what everyone is saying. In many ways, the movie is kind of blissfully absurd.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the difficulty of rejecting parents' traditions in order to forge a life beyond those boundaries. Do you think Shenba's parents' reactions to her new life were surprising? Why, or why not?
Shenba manages to do many difficult things without knowing the language or customs of her new country. Do you find her accomplishments believable? Why, or why not?
What character strengths do you think Shenba displays in her adventures? Do you admire them?
Movie Details
- On DVD or streaming : March 12, 2026
- Cast : Priyanka Mohan , Park Hye-jin , Baek Si-hoon
- Director : R.A. Karthik
- Inclusion Information : Indian/South Asian Movie Director(s) , Female Movie Actor(s) , Indian/South Asian Movie Actor(s) , Asian Movie Actor(s) , Korean Movie Actor(s) , Indian/South Asian Movie Writer(s)
- Studio : Netflix
- Genre : Drama
- Topics : Adventures , Travel
- Run time : 113 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- Last updated : April 2, 2026
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