Netflix CEO is ‘Dumb', says Anurag Kashyap after Ted Sarandos makes critical comment about 'Sacred Games'
Filmmaker Anurag Kashyap has strongly criticized Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos following the latter's recent comments about the streaming giant's first Indian original series,
Sacred Games
. The show, co-created by Kashyap and Vikramaditya Motwane, debuted in 2018 featuring Saif Ali Khan and Nawazuddin Siddiqui. It marked Netflix's first original content production in India and was initially well-received. However, the second season met with mixed reviews, eventually leading to the show's cancellation.
Sarandos recently appeared on Nikhil Kamath's podcast, where he reflected on Netflix's Indian strategy. He expressed doubts about starting with
Sacred Games
and suggested the platform might have benefitted from launching with more populist content. This perspective did not sit well with Kashyap, who responded sharply on social media.
Ted Sarandos' Comments on Netflix India
During the podcast, Ted Sarandos acknowledged the challenges of entering the Indian market, noting the country's vast size and diverse audience made it difficult to introduce new entertainment formats. He explained, 'Our very first Indian original show was
Sacred Games
. And I thought, 'This is going to be great. People in India love movies. This is a TV show that feels as big as a movie, it has movie stars.' What's interesting about it is that it was very, very novel, but what I didn't understand was that we were introducing a brand new kind of entertainment in a country the size of India.'
Sarandos further admitted that, looking back, he might have delayed the release of
Sacred Games
and chosen more broadly appealing content initially. He said, 'For me, if I did it all over again, would I have done
Sacred Games
a couple of years later, and did things that were more populist instead? Maybe. But we knew that India was going to be a slower journey to get to where we wanted to get to. But it's a great prize, at the end of the day. The addressable market is growing in the next couple of years in India, so it's exciting.'
Anurag Kashyap's Reaction
Kashyap did not hold back in his reaction. Sharing a screenshot of a news report on social media platform Threads, he sarcastically suggested that Netflix should have started with 'Saas Bahu,' referring to traditional soap operas popular in India. He wrote, 'He should have started with Saas Bahu .. he would have done well. Which he is doing now.' He continued to criticize Sarandos, stating, 'I always knew the tech guys are dumb when it comes to storytelling but @tedsarandos is the definition of dumb is what I didn't know. Good to discover that. This explains everything now.'
The remark alluded to Netflix's recent partnership with Ekta Kapoor's
Balaji Telefilms
, known for producing saas-bahu soap operas, hinting that the streaming platform is now focusing on more populist shows similar to those Sarandos mentioned.
Public Response
Fans of
Sacred Games
showed support for Kashyap's outburst, emphasizing the show's role in establishing Netflix's presence in India's OTT space. Many social media users praised the series, calling it a gateway to web content in India and expressing disappointment with Sarandos' take.
One user commented, 'Sacred Games was the show that got Netflix in the game,' while another said, 'Imagine not starting with
Sacred Games
.' Some viewers humorously predicted Netflix's decline in India if the platform moved away from quality storytelling.
This is not the first time Kashyap has criticized
Netflix India
. Earlier, he expressed frustration about the platform's reluctance to back unconventional content. When the show Adolescence was gaining attention, he remarked that Netflix India would likely have rejected such a series or forced it into an unsuitable film format due to its ambiguous ending and complex themes.
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