Anurag Kashyap slams Netflix CEO over comments on Sacred Games and streaming strategy
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Filmmaker Anurag Kashyap has taken a direct swipe at Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos, calling him “the definition of dumb” in response to Sarandos' recent remarks about Netflix’s initial content strategy in India.
Kashyap, who co-directed Sacred Games — Netflix India’s first original series in 2018 - shared his disapproval in an Instagram post.
Reacting to a headline that quoted Sarandos expressing doubt over launching in India with Sacred Games, Kashyap wrote, “He should have started with Saas Bahu... he would have done well. Which he is doing now. 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.”
His “Saas Bahu” remark alludes to Netflix India’s recently announced collaboration with Ekta Kapoor’s Balaji Telefilms, known for producing iconic Indian daily soaps like Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi. The move is widely viewed as a shift toward more traditional, mainstream programming.
Actor Lisa Mishra, who recently appeared in Netflix India’s The Royals, echoed Kashyap’s frustration in the comments, writing, “Everything in OTT is derivative now anyways, and specifically derivative of Sacred Games.”
The backlash comes after Sarandos appeared on Nikhil Kamath’s podcast and reflected on Netflix’s entry into the Indian market. “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,” Sarandos said.
This isn't Kashyap’s first public criticism of Netflix India.
In March, he called the platform “a totally opposite s***show” while praising the British crime drama Adolescence on Instagram. He referenced another post from Sarandos that described Adolescence as breaking creative ground and questioned whether that same commitment applied to Netflix India’s offerings.