POP CULTURE BLOG: Paris Sewell on how American TV shows get remade & translated for countries around the world

This is another installment of my Versus series. My first one was where I compared the original and rebooted versions of Saved by the Bell. For this piece, I am going to be reviewing The Suite Life of Karan and Kabir to see how it reflects the original (The Suite Life of Zack and Cody).

Zack and Cody are two twin boys who live in the Tipton Hotel and create chaos every episode. Karan and Kabir is the Indian adaptation. I grew up watching Suite Life and I still love it to this day. The reason why I decided to watch the Indian version is because it went viral a few years ago because people were astonished to see American classics being translated internationally. As someone who also enjoys watching foreign entertainment, this intrigued me. I am going to be examining the similarities and differences between the two, while also seeing if the Indian version incorporates Indian culture and ideals. 

It is the exact same as the original, but the language is different. Even the theme song is the same. One other difference I noticed is the two main stars aren’t twins like Dylan and Cole Sprouse. As an American, it would have been nice to see them try to mix it up and make it different to reflect the home country.  However, if they don’t have access to American television, then it makes sense. There are unfortunately no English subtitles so I couldn’t understand what they were saying. Because of that, it is unfair to rate it or brush it off by saying the original is better. I don’t mean to sound ignorant but certain times they would have English words mixed into the language. Is it because they are trying to appeal to the Americans or reflect their American counterpart? Or is it like Spanish where they have words that sound like English? 

When I did some further research into this question, I discovered that it’s because India was under British rule for so long that English is the second language for a wide array of Indians who otherwise would speak totally different dialects or languages. Over time, especially in their pop culture, Indian actors and musicians pepper their speech with English phrases, sentences, witticisms, etc. And what’s more amazing, many Indians, being equally bi-lingual, immediately get the joke or reference in both languages.

Also, I discovered that Disney has pursued a content plan of re-creating their properties in the native languages of different countries around the world to get the widest possible audience. This is something that many shows do including the sitcom The Office which has dozens of versions around the world in dozens of languages.

It made me realize that while Karan and Kabir may appear to be a carbon copy of the American show, it’s the small details like these that actually reveal a world of difference in terms of certain aspects of the culture.

You can read more of writer Paris Sewell’s reviews and pop culture appreciation posts @parishatesyouxo.