The JTBC drama "King the Land," which is available on Netflix, is facing criticism from international viewers for distorting Arab culture.
On the review site IMDB, critiques of episodes 7 and 8 of "King the Land" have been posted. While other episodes received an average rating, the latest episode received an average rating of 2.2. Notably, over 94.1% of viewers rated the episode with just one point.
Viewers who rated "King the Land" with one point argue that "the drama completely disregards Arab culture" and demand the removal of certain scenes.
In the recent episodes of JTBC's "King the Land," Arab prince Samir stays at the King Hotel where characters "Gu-won" and "Cheon-salang" work. Samir, one of the world's wealthiest men, chooses to stay at the King Hotel due to his relationship with salvation. In the first scene of Samir's appearance, he is seen on the phone with Gu-won, surrounded by women in a lavish club. Furthermore, during a scene where Samir and Gu-won share a meal after check-in, Samir is shown drinking a glass of wine and openly flirting with Cheon-salang. Gu-won responds by referring to Samir as a "flirt" and commenting on Samir's numerous relationships.
Following the broadcast, international viewers expressed their anger, stating that the portrayal of Samir, an Arab prince, as a playboy, and the depiction of alcohol being served to Muslims who do not drink for religious reasons, distorted Arab culture and religion.
Another concern raised is that an Indian actor was cast as the Arab prince. Anupam Tripathi, an Indian actor who gained recognition for his role as Ali Abdul, a foreign worker from Pakistan, in Netflix's original series "Squid Game," portrays Samir.
As a result, viewers from Arab cultures are requesting feedback from 'Kingderland.'
Note: Some of the changes made were to clarify certain phrases and improve sentence structure for better readability.
Foreign Viewers Criticize Cultural Misrepresentation and Casting Decisions in Popular Drama
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