Anurag Kashyap slams Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos, calls him 'definition of dumb', indirectly mocks Ekta Kapoor's collab with OTT platform: 'He should have started with saas-bahu'

Filmmaker Anurag Kashyap has hit back strongly at Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos over his recent comments about Netflix India’s early content choices. Kashyap, who was one of the creators of Netflix India’s first original series, Sacred Games, didn’t hold back in his criticism.

The controversy started when Sarandos appeared on Nikhil Kamath’s podcast and spoke about Netflix’s early days in India. He questioned whether launching with Sacred Games in 2018 was the best move, saying the platform might have done better with more "populist" content. Anurag even took an indirect jibe at Ekta Kapoor's collab with the OTT giant. 

Reacting to this, Kashyap posted a screenshot of a news article about Sarandos’ remarks on Instagram and 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 - that I didn't know. Good to discover that. This explains everything now."

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Anurag Kashyap (@anuragkashyap10)

For the unversed, on Ekta's 50th birthday, which falls on June 7,  Netflix announced a collaboration with Netflix. Which means that Ekta will be producing content for the OTT platform. Sacred Games, starring Saif Ali Khan and Nawazuddin Siddiqui, was praised when it first came out and was seen as a turning point for Indian streaming content. Directed by Kashyap and Vikramaditya Motwane, the show was known for its intense storytelling and high production quality. However, the second season got mixed reviews, and the show wasn’t renewed afterwards.