New Delhi: The universal theme of love resonates with everyone, whether it unfolds in New York or Seoul. This was one of the convictions steering PVR INOX Limited —one of India’s most prominent theatre chains — to release the Korean-American filmPast Lives last Friday on over 70 screens across the country.
In South Delhi’s Vasant Kunj, 20 people turned up at the upscale PVR at DLF Promenade mall to watch Korean-Canadian director Celine Song’s directorial debut. The tale of two childhood sweethearts, Nora and Hae Sung, elicited laughter and even louder sighs from the audience as their ill-fated romance — spanning 24 years — played out on the big screen.
Nora and Hae Sung part ways when they are 12 years old, only to briefly reconnect virtually after 12 years and finally meet as 30-something adults at Madison Square Park. When they reunite, Nora is married to an American named Arthur. The story tugs at your heartstrings as all three characters try to bring out the best version of themselves for the person they love.
Its tranquil storytelling — mostly narrated through flashbacks — features over 80 per cent of the dialogue in Korean. This pivotal aspect led PVR to acquire the distribution rights for the film in India and promote it fervently before its theatrical release.
Past Lives had earned critical acclaim at the Sundance and Cannes film festivals, but that wasn’t the sole reason PVR decided to bring it to India.
“The K-culture phenomenon has clearly exploded around the world, and for a company like ours, which is into cinema exhibition and film distribution, it is difficult to ignore such an obvious phenomenon and acceptance that has happened around the world,” said Sanjeev Kumar Bijli, executive director of PVR INOX Limited, in an interview with ThePrint.
In addition to the surge in K-culture’s popularity, Bijli commended the coming of age of Indian cinemagoers, who have become “language agnostic” and “mature” thanks to exposure from OTT platforms. This demographic is driven by the desire to watch good movies where language is no longer a barrier.
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PVR’s rendezvous with Korean content
Past Lives is not the first Korean film that PVR has showcased in India. The chain initially brought concert movies of the K-pop group BTS to Indian audiences in 2018. The band’s latest movie, BTS: Yet To Come in Cinemas, ran for three days (3-5 February) with over 1,500 shows in 180 cinemas.
PVR didn’t limit itself to the lure of BTS; they also screened In a Dream, a concert movie by the K-pop group NCT Dream, last December.
Apart from concert films, the company has had success with the sub-distribution of the Oscar-winning film Parasite in 2020. Bijli said that the movie made about Rs 5.5 crore at the box office, which was “unheard of for a foreign language movie”.
Korean content seemed to have a Midas touch for PVR. Anything screened from that universe has been exceptionally well received in their cinemas. “That’s the reason we started being more aggressive as far as Korean content is concerned,” he said.
Towards world cinema
PVR’s foray into foreign-language films extends beyond Korean content. Over its 25-year history, the cinema chain has showcased French and Spanish-language movies, as well as independent English movies like Moonlight and12 Years a Slave. In fact, PVR’s trial with anime movies proved so successful that the group created a separate division for the genre in India.
The credit goes to Indian anime fans, who demonstrated their enthusiasm through a strong social media presence. Their comments got PVR to notice the fandom and the rest, as they say, is history.
In four years, PVR has released 15 anime movies, including Jujutsu Kaisen 0, One Piece Film: Red, and Demon Slayer. The latest addition, Makoto Shinkai’s Suzume, was released in April across 85 cities and collected Rs 10 crore at the box office.
Past Lives serves as a crucial litmus test for PVR to gauge the market’s readiness for a consistent influx of Korean films. The cinema exhibitor is not solely dependent on the Indian audience; it also seeks to attract Korean expats. As per the South Korean embassy, there were 10,672 Korean nationals residing in India in 2021.
“There is a huge Korean population in India now, especially in Delhi and Gurugram, and parts of Mumbai as well, because of so many Korean companies,” he said.
PVR is wasting no time in locking down its potential new audience base. Past Lives is being screened in South Delhi, Noida, and Gurugram — where there is a concentration of Korean expats. But the sparse group of 20 people at the PVR in Vasant Kunj didn’t include any Koreans.
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Looking at the future
PVR’s spearhead isn’t shy about the prospects of anime and Korean cinema in India, suggesting that other international-language films have a long way to go. While the movie chain may occasionally consider acquiring and bringing internationally acclaimed films “every now and then”, the possibilities are limited.
At the end of the day, PVR’s “bread and butter” remains films likePathaan, other Hindi and local language releases, and occasional big English movies. But Bijli expressed the desire to provide moviegoers with more variety and hopes that the content resonates with them.
PVR’s next big hope is for the Indian economy to grow to the point where more people have disposable income to watch movies, thereby incentivising Hollywood studios to include India in their list of pit stops for global promotions.
For now, Bijli looks forward to the reception Past Lives garners in India. “I will be very happy if it ends up earning around Rs 2-3 crore at the box office, maybe more,” he said.
(Edited by Theres Sudeep)