Indians display their love for Kristian Nairn, Game of Thrones at Delhi Comic Con

Game of Thrones has long been an international phenomena. It’s popular in Australia, Britain, the U.S., Spain…it also has a pretty fervent following in India, which is important, since India is the second-most populous country in the world, with around 1.252 billion people to its name.

BeingIndian got up close and personal with some of the show’s Indian fans at the recent Delhi Comic Con, where they were interviewed by (very) enthusiastic host Sahil Khattar. Kristian Nairn (Hodor) was also in attendance, although he’s one of the few cast members who has made the trip. When the topic of an Indian remake of Game of Thrones came up, Nairn said he’d be fine with it, so long as HBO is allowed to finish its version first. The Game of Thrones stuff starts around 1:58.

The guy around 3:32 provides as amusing a description of the show as I’ve ever heard. “It’s like The Hobbit or Lord of the Rings if imagined by a perverted old man.” There’s room for interpretation, but fair enough.

Nothing is certain, but we can expect the popularity of the show in India to keep growing. Ahead of Season 5, illegal downloads of the show among Indian fans shot up by a staggering 155%, which outpaces the year on year average of 45% by a decent margin. Also, Tourism Ireland thought India was important enough to mount a promotional campaign aimed at getting Indian fans to visit set locations in Northern Ireland.

And then there’s Rami Mahal, an (admittedly loose) Indian adaptation of A Song of Ice and Fire that we heard about earlier this year. Despite outlets reporting that actors had been cast in the roles of Jon Snow, Daenerys Targaryen, and Cersei Lannister, we haven’t heard much new information since. If the popularity of show in India continues to grow, that may change sooner rather than later.

h/t DNA, Tourism Ireland