Anushka Sen Becomes First Indian Actor To Star in a Korean Film with 'Jeju Olle': 'All My K-Drama Wishes Fulfilled'

Fifteen years into her acting career, Anushka Sen has, at 23, become the first Indian actor to lead a South Korean film.

Jeju Olle, her upcoming romantic musical drama, stars Sen as Alisha, a singer who arrives on Jeju Island grieving the loss of her sister, and finds an unexpected connection with a singer-songwriter named Sunwoo, played by Kang Hyung-seok. Sen gushes as she notes that she shares a last name with her character in the film, adding that this detail made the film doubly special for her.

This is also Sen's first commercial film and her first acting project performed largely in English. Shot across Jeju Island, the production is trilingual, with dialogue majorly in English and Korean, and some portions in Hindi. The film is currently planning for releases across India, Korea, and several markets across Asia and the Middle East.

Speaking to THR India days after wrapping shoot, Sen reflects on her three-year association with South Korea, learning experiences from the Korean filmmaking system, and why international projects are often harder than they look.

Could you talk a bit about your history with Korea and what drew you to Jeju Olle?

This journey started three years ago, when I was appointed the honorary ambassador for Korea Tourism. That was a huge honour because I always wanted to be the bridge between Korea and India. 

With Jeju Olle, this becomes more historic and more prominent because this is a romance musical. When I started watching K-dramas during COVID, I always wanted all my K-Drama wishes fulfilled. I wanted to star in a movie like that.

What were some learning experiences from this project?

Everything that I experienced here is going to stay with me. For the first time, everybody on set was Korean, so there were language barriers too. But I realised that when it comes to art, it doesn't matter where you're from, or what language you speak, because everybody was so passionate and working hard to make this project happen.

I'm singing, dancing, performing and acting in this movie. As an artist, I think this was a beautiful opportunity because I got to work on these three different skills.

What’s something about the Korean film industry that people might not know?

They're really strategic.

Our director, Jin Kwang-Kyo, and Jisoo, our assistant director, created around 360 pages of storyboards in seven days. For me, that was wonderful because I'm a filmmaking student and I studied it in university. To see it actually happening was incredible. Every single scene was drawn to perfection.

They're also very efficient with their time. If it's written that we're going to shoot a scene from 1:00 to 1:30, they make sure it ends at 1:30 or even 1:29, without making the actors feel rushed.

There's a perfect balance between giving the artist ease and being beautifully organised. I loved being on a set where I didn't feel rushed, where I was given the time and space I needed, while also feeling that my time was valued.

A decade ago, an international collaboration for an actor would have usually meant working in the West. Does your generation think about global careers differently?

I love that we're in a time where people are crossing boundaries. They're not seeing a project by the language or the country. They're just trying to create something beautiful and unique. I've travelled to 29 countries, and every place I go, I feel it would be wonderful if we could do something together in terms of art.

Even with my music, I have collaborated with Ken Lewis, a two-time Grammy Award-winning American producer. I learned Indian music from a very young age, but I never thought my first producer would be American.

As an artist, I feel like there is no limit. You can do many different things that nobody has imagined. I hope younger people look at us and think, 'If she can do it, I can do it too'.

What is something people don't realise about working on international projects?

Even though I've been on set since I was a child, walking into a set like this meant there was a lot to keep in mind. I wanted to be prepared. I wanted to make my people proud. I wanted to make my director proud. It's way harder when you step out of your home base. I was doing dialogues in English for the first time. When we had Hindi lines, I was helping them translate those lines. It's a huge responsibility to bring out our Indian culture in the best way possible.

Then you're also away from home for so long; I’ve been missing my pets. But this is the challenge that I like. Every year, I want to do something that makes me uncomfortable and challenges me so I can grow from that experience. This experience will always stay with me.