On Sunday, as Bengaluru was in the grip of FIFA fever, an auditorium in HSR Layout saw a fandom of a different kind gather to meet their idol – Thai actor Katsamonnat Namwirote aka Cooheart. Known for his roles in Boys’ Love (BL) dramas, the 29-year-old star appeared in a dazzling lehenga at his first fanmeeting event in India. This isn’t the first time that Thai celebrities have taken note of the city either, with Thai band LYKN (whose members are also actors) visiting the city in 2024 for a packed concert. “Thai dramas are a niche interest, but it’s growing rapidly and there’s a passionate fan community. I started noticing the spike in 2024, when I went to LYKN’s concert, before which they’d released a BL called ThamePo: Heart That Skips a Beat. I hadn’t expected such a large crowd,” shares Vaishnavi M Dixit, an engineer.
For many fans, who discovered Thai media in the late 2010s or during the pandemic, Thai BLs and GL (Girls’ Love) became a source of comfort and representation. “A friend who knew I was queer introduced me to this show called SOTUS and there was no looking back. The appeal was mostly how limited representation was; in Indian media, being queer was typically a plot twist, the character was a villain or in a sad indie film. Now here was something with endearing characters and a happy ending,” notes Shradha, a consultant, adding, “Nowadays BLs range from school dramas to office romances, to detectives to shamans and ghosts; it’s an endless array of stories to choose from.” Fans note that the Thai industry was bringing queer stories to the screen when J-dramas and K-dramas were still reluctant to do so.
While a handful of productions are available on streaming sites, many fans share the experience of having to scour the net to get their BL fix. “YouTube had episodes cut into smaller parts, sometimes MX Player would have it in Hindi, or random websites on the internet,” recalls C Jayanth, a brand solutions executive. Some shows, like 2gether and Bad Buddy though, ‘broke containment and made the genre more popular,’ notes Shradha.
An added layer of connection for Indian fans is the cultural similarities with Thai culture. “Thai dramas frequently emphasise respect for elders, close knit families. The characters are often trying to balance their personal feelings with family expectations and societal opinions, and that’s something Indians can relate to,” shares Dixit, while Devitt Ngaihte, a Korean translator, adds, “The language might be different, but many of the values and emotions in these dramas make it easier for Indians to connect with the stories. I’ve also learnt a lot about similarities in food and even festivals like Diwali and Loy Krathong.”
With the recent attention on Bengaluru, fans like Varsha Murali Kaushik, a freelance creative strategist, hope this extends to other Thai culture in the city, saying, “I’m a fan of Thai city pop music so I want more bands to come perform, more drama events and food, especially snacks and boba tea!”
On the Flip Side
The volume of BLs from Thailand is also because it is a billion-baht industry, with actors going through a training system much like K-pop idols. BLs have also been criticised for stereotyping gay couples into masculine and feminine roles. “With older shows, there used to be a ‘who wears the pants in the relationship’ kind of narrative,” notes Shradha, but adds that things are changing, “They’ve evolved with shows like Not Me, ThamePo and Ticket to Heaven which have dealt with serious topic with the sensitivity they deserve.” Kaushik, echoes this, saying ‘there are some BLs that are toxic But some of them are really well made, like Bad Buddy.’