Transcultural Reception of Dubbed Television Narratives: A Thematic Analysis of How Sinhala-Dubbed Foreign Dramas Mediate Cultural Meaning and Relationship Ideologies in Sri Lanka

Abstract

Sinhala-dubbed foreign TV dramas remain super popular in Sri Lanka. Since Rupavahini first aired the hit Japanese show Oshin in 1989, such shows kept drawing big crowds. Even reruns drew viewers for decades! They launched a wave of similar content too. For instance, Korean hits like Sujatha Diyani and Boys Over Flowers followed. These shows now define Sri Lankan media culture. So they play a huge role in what folks watch. Despite its widespread viewership, there's a critical lack of empirical research on how Sri Lankan audiences take in, interpret, and behave after watching these programs especially regarding their cultural lifestyles, romantic ideals, and identities. This study steps in to fill that gap. It explores three main questions. The first one is: How do Sinhala-dubbed Korean dramas influence Sri Lankans to adopt certain styles, like haircuts, accessories, clothes, cooking methods, and food likes? Second, do Sinhala-dubbed Korean rom-coms influence what Sri Lankan viewers want in love and art? And third, does watching foreign dramas from Oshin to today's Korean shows help Sri Lankans form and discuss their cultural identity? For this, they used a qualitative research design based on a constructivist view of knowledge. We did small group interviews with 15 people, split into three focus groups. Each had five folks. For analysis, we used Braun and Clarke’s six-phase thematic method from 2006. This study is guided by two theories: Hall's Encoding/Decoding Theory from 1973 and 1997, and Straubhaar's Cultural Proximity Theory from 2007. This research builds on Hall's encoding/decoding framework and Straubhaar's cultural proximity theory in a South Asian, multilingual, postcolonial setting. It shows that Oshin’s multigenerational impact provides the historical base needed to fully grasp how Korean dramas are now received in Sri Lanka.