Ekta Kapoor slams Anurag Kashyap for putting down saas-bahu soaps: ‘Artists who talk of inclusive world are the most classist’

Kapoor referred to a prestigious research in Chicago which documents the impact of her saas bahu soaps on Indian masses, particularly about how Indian women got their voice. “But artists who talk of an inclusive world are actually the most classist! We must do away with this ‘u can’t sit with us we r better’ attitude for democracy n fair play,” she further wrote.

The controversy began during Sarandos’ appearance on Nikhil Kamath’s podcast, where the executive reflected on Netflix’s early foray into the Indian market. He expressed reservations about whether launching with Sacred Games in 2018 was the right strategic move, suggesting the platform might have benefited from a more “populist” content offering at the time.

Kashyap took to Instagram to express his displeasure, sharing a screenshot of a report on Sarandos’ comments on Nikhil Kamath’s podcast. In a post, he 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.”

Sacred Games, starring Saif Ali Khan and Nawazuddin Siddiqui, was widely praised upon its debut and marked a pivotal moment in India’s streaming content landscape. Directed by Kashyap and Vikramaditya Motwane, the gritty thriller was lauded for its storytelling and production value, although its second season drew mixed reactions, and the series was not continued beyond that.

Meanwhile, on Saturday, Netflix India and Balaji Telefilms announced a long-term creative collaboration to develop a wide array of projects across various storytelling formats. As part of the partnership, Netflix and Balaji will “deliver fresh and culturally resonant content” tailored for streaming audiences. It will span across Balaji Telefilms Ltd’s various divisions, including Balaji Motion Pictures and Balaji Telefilms Digital.

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The first offering from the collaboration is an untitled series currently in advanced stages of development, with more projects expected to follow soon. Balaji and Netflix have previously worked together on several acclaimed films such as Kathal, Pagglait, Jaane Jaan, and Dolly Kitty Aur Woh Chamakte Sitare.