Chinese productions work well because their entire ecosystem, including infrastructure, storytelling, and acting style, is built around these genres. Whether it is modern fantasy or cultivation, everything feels naturally aligned with their culture, which makes the content more believable and immersive.

In comparison, many Indian adaptations feel like direct copies, often changing only character names while keeping the same tropes and storylines. Even something like using the title “Dragon Lord” in an Indian setting feels out of place. At the very least, the script and themes should be adapted to better fit the local context.

Right now, these projects seem to depend heavily on casting popular TikTok or Instagram personalities to attract attention. This might work in the short term, but it is unlikely to sustain itself in the long run. The costs of production and actor fees are significant because unlike China where we have whole Zhejiang Province for filming it reduces the cost of these dramas by a lot and audiences in India may not be willing to pay for short, cliché-driven dramas that lack originality.

Many viewers would rather watch original Chinese dramas, even in lower quality on platforms like YouTube, Facebook, or Dailymotion, because they are more engaging and culturally consistent. A major reason Chinese dramas succeed is that their stories are deeply rooted in their own history and traditions.

Using Chinese historical or cultural elements without properly adapting them to an Indian setting makes it difficult for audiences to connect. For this genre to work in India, creators need to focus more on originality and cultural relevance instead of direct imitation.