The controversy surrounding Netflix’s show ‘Sacred Games’ has sparked a heated debate between filmmaker Anurag Kashyap and TV producer Ekta Kapoor. It all started when Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos stated that launching ‘Sacred Games’ in India in 2018 might have been a strategic mistake. He claimed that if he had the chance, he would have started with more ‘popular’ content.
Anurag Kashyap took to Instagram to lash out at Sarandos, calling him ‘stupid’ for undermining the show’s success. Kashyap’s comments seemed to be aimed at Ekta Kapoor, who has recently partnered with Netflix to produce content. Ekta Kapoor did not take Kashyap’s comments lightly and fired back, calling him ‘classist’ and ‘stupid’ for belittling content formats that have emotionally resonated with millions of Indian viewers.
Ekta Kapoor wrote a post stating that people who consider family dramas and soap operas as ‘low-class’ are trying to prove their superiority. She advised Kashyap to show some ‘grace’ and ‘self-awareness’, emphasizing that every type of content has its own audience. The spat between Ekta Kapoor and Anurag Kashyap has reignited the debate about the perceived class divide between OTT and TV content.
With Ekta Kapoor being a prominent figure in Indian television, known for shows like ‘Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi’, ‘Kasautii Zindagii Kay’, and ‘Kundali Bhagya’, and Anurag Kashyap being a respected filmmaker with credits like ‘Gangs of Wasseypur’, ‘Black Friday’, and ‘Sacred Games’, the question remains: is there still a class divide between OTT and TV content? The dispute has brought attention to the different types of content and their respective audiences, leaving the industry to ponder the relevance of this perceived divide.