Filmmaker Anurag Kashyap has launched a fresh attack on Netflix, accusing the platform of failing to grasp the nuances of Indian audiences and storytelling. In a recent interview with The Juggernaut, Anurag didn’t hold back, calling out the streamer for relying on what he sees as superficial and misinformed strategies in the country. He also doubled down on his criticism of co-CEO Ted Sarandos for believing the ‘bulls**t’ he is fed about Indian audiences by his local team, whom he described as ‘bad television people’.
“I started a debate because the problem is, they do the same kind of sh**y stuff because they don’t understand India,” Anurag said. “For example, I wrote about Ted Sarandos. And I wrote about how they understand India only as it’s taught to them. He doesn’t understand India. So whatever the India office tells them, they believe that bulls**t. They totally believe that bulls**t.”
According to Anurag, the quality of Netflix India’s content mirrors the same formulaic programming that once plagued Indian television, only now, audiences are being asked to pay for it. “They are doing exactly what bad television has been doing to India. The thing is, they’re charging money for it. And what they’re charging money for, that same crap is available for free on other platforms, channels, and places,” he said. “They don’t understand why they’re losing value in the country. And they buy into any bulls**t.” The director also criticised the platform for lacking originality and courage, especially when it comes to producing bold or unconventional stories.
“What makes me angry is that he pats his own back for the shows they didn’t even have the courage to produce,” Anurag added. “All good shows on Netflix are acquired. Squid Game was acquired. When they produced the second season, you saw the result. Adolescence was acquired. Black Warrant was acquired. All good shows are acquired. What they don’t believe in is the only thing that works. For example, a show like Kohhra, which they won’t promote. Trial by Fire, they won’t promote that either.” In his view, Netflix’s strategy is increasingly being dictated by algorithms and a singular obsession with subscriptions, with little regard for content quality.
“They are so driven by algorithms. They are only interested in subscriptions. India’s biggest power for Netflix is its 1.4 billion population. That’s what they’re chasing, subscriptions,” he said. “But they don’t understand that they need to be better than their competitors for the subscriptions to come. It won’t come to them otherwise. And they don’t understand what quality is.” Anurag didn’t mince words when describing the internal culture of the streaming giant in India: “They have tech people. Tech people who’ve hired bad television people. It’s full of people from bad TV. And none of them get it. It has become like the old days of bad TV.”
Anurag lamented the lost potential of the streaming era in India, saying, “There was a breath of fresh air when OTTs came in. Suddenly we were watching new shows. Look at India now. I see more people watching Korean shows than watching Netflix ones.” He also claimed that the people in charge are more interested in maintaining their status than delivering quality storytelling. “Whatever idea they’ve bought into… they really don’t understand. They don’t know how to handle things. They don’t know how to do anything. They panic. They need your reaction. Because most of the people there are just trying to save their jobs. They’ve suddenly found a lifestyle they never dreamed of having, and they don’t want to lose it.” He concluded: “Nobody is interested in quality work, or cinema, or storytelling.”
Story continues below this ad
This isn’t Anurag’s first run-in with Netflix. Earlier this year, he posted a long note on Instagram in which he praised the global success of Adolescence while criticizing Sarandos and Netflix India’s leadership. In a sharp comment on Sarandos’ congratulatory post about the show, Anurag wrote:
“Now coming to my envy and jealousy. Ted Sarandos recently put a post where he says, ‘every once and a while one comes along that pushes into brand new territories, defies the limits of creativity and features career defining performances.’ And I hope he means it. Because for Netflix India is a totally opposite shitshow. If they were pitched this, most probably they would have rejected it or turned it into a 90-minute film (that too seems like an impossibility because it doesn’t have an ending that is black and white).” He also revealed that he had tried collaborating with Netflix twice after the success of Sacred Games, but was met with “apathy and dumbness.” He labelled the current leadership at Netflix India as “morally corrupt.”
