Overview

• Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos said on a podcast that debuting Netflix India with Sacred Games in 2018 may have been a misstep and that a more populist show might have connected faster.
• Anurag Kashyap fired back on social media, calling Sarandos “the definition of dumb” and arguing the service should have started with ‘saas-bahu’ dramas instead.
• Ektaa Kapoor responded on Instagram by labeling Kashyap’s remark classist and pointing to research on how ‘saas-bahu’ soaps amplified women’s voices in India.
• Netflix has unveiled a long-term creative collaboration with Kapoor’s Balaji Telefilms to produce a diverse slate of projects for Indian audiences.
• The exchange highlights a broader tension in India’s streaming market between taking creative risks and pursuing mass-market appeal.