New Delhi: Squid Game, a Netflix Korean show, has gained immense popularity in many regions since its release on September 17, 2021. It's a dark, survival, somewhat dystopian take on the financial struggles of people around the world and how many debt-ridden individuals would go to any extent to gain economic stability.
Although it's bleak, audiences are thrilled with its ominous storyline and semblance to the depiction of class disparity in real life.
Directed by Hwang Dong-hyuk, the plot of the show revolves around 456 individuals or players who've agreed to partake in a game show to win a ₩45.6 billion prize. For this huge cash prize, they can face deadly consequences including death if they lose any of the games.
The series stars Jung Ho-yeon, Lee Jung-jae, Wi Ha-joon, Heo Sung-tae, Park Hae-soo, and Anupam Tripathi among others.
Watch the trailer here:
What's all the buzz about Squid Game?
Squid Game quickly became a critic favourite with review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes giving it a rating of 94% or 8/10. On Netflix, it became the first Korean drama to reach the platform's top 10 weekly most-watched TV shows worldwide. It appears to be the next big show after the Spanish crime-thriller Money Heist.
Indian users have also found a liking towards the show. It gained more buzz when a few netizens compared it to the 2009 Imran Khan-starrer 'Luck' and pointed similarities between the two storylines.
People saying squid game is a really unique show haven't watched Luck
— Rishit (@x2Rish) September 30, 2021
The show has gained so much traction that netizens, worldwide, have adopted games featured on the show as online challenges/games such as the honeycomb cookie game and "Red Light, Green Light" game.
Squid Game was initially scripted in 2008
Did you know writer, director Hwang Dong-hyuk had conceptualised and scripted the show in 2008? Yes, almost 13 years ago! However, he only found producers for the series in 2019 which is why the show was released this late.
The nine-episode series Squid Game is currently streaming on Netflix.
