Netflix’s King the Land Faces Criticism For Casting Indian Actor as Arab Character, Misrepresenting Culture

Netflix’s latest K-drama, King the Land starring Lee Jun-ho and Im Yoon-ah, is facing backlash from viewers. According to the fans, the show is culturally insensitive in portraying an Arab character.

The show, which premiered on June 17, 2023, features an Arab prince named Samir, who is portrayed as a womaniser and a heavy drinker. In one scene, Samir is seen drinking alcohol with a group of women, and in another scene, he is seen flirting with a female hotel employee.

nawt the squid game reference????#KingTheLand #KingTheLandEp8 pic.twitter.com/WXrWN8GLms

— aki (@makiathhyo) July 9, 2023

K-drama fans react to King the Land and its cultural insensitivity

Some viewers have taken to social media to express their anger and disappointment with the show’s portrayal of Samir. They have accused the show of perpetuating harmful stereotypes about Arab men and of being disrespectful to Arab culture. Furthermore, Samir is played by Indian actor Anupam Tripathi, who is known for playing Ali Abdul in Squid Game, a Pakistani character. Viewers were also not happy with casting a non-Arab actor to portray a character from the culture.

What do you want to convey by insulting the Arabs?
????We don’t drink
????We don’t go to bars
????The men don’t touch the women.#JTBCAPOLOGIZE#KdramaOffendsTheArabs pic.twitter.com/cXJql50qb3

— ????Lana (@3hp_e) July 9, 2023

“Did King the Land team really have to add this unnecessary Arab prince part and also make him an annoying dumb womaniser,” wrote one user.

“I was enjoying watching an episode of King of the Land, but when this scene came, I got angry. This is not what the Arabs look like! First, the non-Arab actor, Is it that difficult to bring an Arab actor?” wrote another.

The production team of King the Land issued a statement saying that they did not intend to offend anyone with the portrayal of Samir. They said that the show is a work of fiction and that the characters are not meant to be representative of any particular culture.

However, many viewers remain unconvinced. They argue that the show’s portrayal of Samir is based on harmful stereotypes that have been used to justify discrimination against Arab people for centuries. The statement also received flak from Korean fans, who urged the broadcasting company JTBC to apologise properly.