Hyderabad:

Sarandos recently appeared on a podcast hosted by Nikhil Kamath. During the conversation, he reflected on Netflix's early journey in India and questioned whether starting with Sacred Games was the right move. He said he may have chosen something more "populist" in hindsight, perhaps suggesting content with broader mass appeal, like soap operas.

Filmmaker Anurag Kashyap has strongly criticised Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos for his recent comments about Sacred Games, Netflix's first original Indian series. Kashyap took to social media and didn't hold back his frustration, calling Sarandos "the definition of dumb."

Kashyap, who co-directed Sacred Games alongside Vikramaditya Motwane, didn't take this lightly. He posted a screenshot of a news story on Sarandos' comments 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 is what I didn't know. This explains everything now."

The strong words quickly drew attention online, with many users debating the quality of content on Indian OTT platforms and whether Sacred Games was, in fact, too ahead of its time. Launched in 2018, Sacred Games starred Saif Ali Khan and Nawazuddin Siddiqui, and heralded many aspects of production, story, and acting. The first season garnered glowing reviews for being fresh and cutting edge, while the second season received mixed reviews and the show was eventually cancelled.

Sarandos acknowledged that Netflix had early challenges with finding an audience, and he was also frank about the void for culture and content. He additionally mentioned that they could have developed a quicker insurgence in India had they rolled out something a little more mainstream. Kashyap's response also ignited larger conversations around creative freedom, mass market appeal, and whether global platforms can really embrace local stories.

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