Ted Sarandos labelled the “definition of dumb”
When Netflix stepped up to the streaming palette aeons ago, the streamer shouldered the responsibility of making the phenomenon fan-centric. But no matter their intent, you cannot find a Netflix subscriber who is one and the same. Even then, the OTT platform wide opened its fist of content, fully aware of the diversity spanning demographics, geography, language, location, and culture. However, years after its South Asian dip, Netflix has fallen victim to the wrath of a bigwig filmmaker, not even sparing co-CEO Ted Sarandos a reprieve.
Acclaimed Indian filmmaker Anurag Kashyap recently slammed Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos, branding him the “definition of dumb,” following his critical outlook for Sacred Games. Directed by Kashyap and Vikramaditya Motwane, Sacred Games is Netflix’s first Indian original series.
The reaction comes on the heels of Sarandos’ visit to India, where he stopped by Nikhil Kamath’s People by WTF podcast. Recounting Netflix’s early strategy, specifically with the release of Sacred Games, Sarandos said, “I thought this is going to be great.”
Sarandos explained that he always thought the Indian population loves movies, and Sacred Games? “This is a TV show that feels as big as a movie. Has movie stars.” However, what he failed to realise is that they were on a discourse of “introducing a brand new kind of entertainment to a country the size of India,” because, according to him, India hadn’t seen anything like it before. If given the chance to do it again, Sarandos might have brought Sacred Games a few years later and opted for “a little more populist programming” instead.
The Netflix co-CEO acknowledged that they always knew India “was going to be a slower journey” in achieving what they want to. But then again, they were always aware of what was in line. As the not-so-sacred crumbs spread out, Kashyap wasted no time in responding to Sarandos’s critical peeling of Sacred Games. “He should have started with ‘Saas Bahu’ .. he would have done well. I always knew the tech guys are dumb when it comes to story telling but @tedsarandos is the definition of dumb is what I didn’t know,” Kashyap wrote on social media.
“This explains everything now,” the director concluded. For those unaware, Kashyap referred to the mother-in-law, daughter-in-law daily soap, Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi, which aired in India famously between 2000 and 2008 on Star Plus. Produced by Ekta Kapoor, Kyuki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi, remains the most popular entry in a series of similar work: a staple across millions and billions of households.
This could have been just another shade. However, the timing was too detrimental to overlook. On Saturday, Kapoor’s production company, Balaji Telefilms, embarked on a new creative partnership with Netflix. And the rest is about to become history.