When Netflix ‘s “ Squid Game ” became a global phenomenon in 2021, it catapulted its cast into the international spotlight. For Anupam Tripathi , the India-born, Korea-based actor who portrayed Ali Abdul, it marked a turning point in his career that has since spanned continents and industries. “After ‘Squid Game,’ life has turned around a lot for me,” Tripathi tells Variety .

“Everybody knows me in the Korean industry now.” Post “Squid Game,” Tripathi played the role of Prince Samir in Korean drama “King the Land,” which brought increased public recognition. “It happens every time,” he says of being recognized on the streets.

“People remember me. They call me Ali. And sometimes after ‘King the Land,’ they started calling me Prince.

” The actor’s rise hasn’t been limited to Korea. He recently appeared in Anubhav Sinha’s hit Netflix India series “IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack,” based on the real-life hijacking of an Indian Airlines flight in 1999. Tripathi plays Ram Chandra Yadav, an operative of Indian intelligence service RAW in Kathmandu.

“I couldn’t have asked for a better character to start with in India,” Tripathi says. “In ‘Squid Game,’ people saw me as naive or innocent. This character was totally opposite.

It can show my different side as an actor to the world.” To prepare for the role, Tripathi immersed himself in research, even visiting the Indian embassy in Korea to observe how officials behave. “I kept th.