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Anurag Kashyap’s strained relationship with Netflix has long been public, but the filmmaker recently shed deeper light on why his disappointment with the streaming giant runs far deeper than creative differences. In a candid conversation with Komal Nahta on Game Changer, Anurag accused Netflix of losing the authenticity that once set it apart.
“Our worst experiences have been with Netflix,” he admitted. “They would control every aspect of filmmaking — the cast, the story, everything. When that started happening, I stepped away. And after me, many other filmmakers who don’t want to compromise on their storytelling have also stepped away.”
Anurag contrasted Netflix’s current direction with other OTT platforms. “Other OTTs aren’t pretending to be elite,” he said. “Many of them are free. But Netflix charges so much and then brings shows like The Great Indian Kapil Show and CID — things people already watched for free on television. You have snatched it from the audience and are now asking them to pay for it. They are trying to play a massy game at a premium cost — it’s not going to work.”
He argued that Netflix lost its distinct voice — the bold, uncompromised storytelling that initially made it special. “People came to Netflix because they found something new, fresh, and brave — something they couldn’t find elsewhere. But now, it wants to be massy and compete with Hotstar and MX Player. Why would anyone pay to watch the same content?”
Anurag’s fallout with Netflix traces back to his dream project, Maximum City, based on Suketu Mehta’s 2004 book Maximum City: Bombay Lost and Found. Despite months of work, Netflix never officially greenlit the project — nor did they reject it outright. “They ghosted me,” Anurag told The Juggernaut. “It was one and a half years of emotional investment, and they didn’t even have the courage to tell me no.”
Following the success of Netflix’s British series Adolescence, Anurag even called the Indian arm of the company “dishonest and morally corrupt.” “They would never allow something like this in India,” he added.
Netflix’s Chief Content Officer, Bela Bajaria, later responded to his criticism in The Hollywood Reporter India, calling Anurag “very talented” but disagreeing with his claims. “We are trying to entertain the world,” she said, “not just a small group with one definition of what’s good or premium.”
Anurag Kashyap and Netflix had last collaborated for the iconic project, The Sacred Games. The show, however, was cancelled after two seasons. This too had created an issue between the filmmaker and the OTT platform.
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