Anurag Kashyap Slams Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos, Calls Him ‘Dumb’ Over Sacred Games Comments

June 8, 2025: When Netflix launched its first Indian original series Sacred Games—directed by Vikramaditya Motwane and Anurag Kashyap and based on Vikram Chandra’s acclaimed novel—it was hailed as a bold, game-changing move. However, Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos recently admitted in a podcast interview that releasing Sacred Games as the platform’s debut in India was a misstep.

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Speaking on Nikhil Kamath’s podcast, Sarandos reflected that the show, though “very novel,” was perhaps too ambitious for the Indian market at the time. He suggested Netflix should have started with a more mainstream, easily digestible show to quickly capture Indian audiences. “If I did it all over again, would I have done Sacred Games a couple of years later, and done things that were more populist instead? Maybe,” Sarandos said.

The remarks did not sit well with co-director Anurag Kashyap, who didn’t hold back his criticism. Kashyap tweeted, “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. Good to discover that. This explains everything now.” He even sarcastically suggested Sarandos should have started with a typical Indian soap opera like Saas Bahu dramas, alluding to Netflix’s recent partnership with Ektaa Kapoor, known for producing such content.

Sacred Games follows police officer Sartaj Singh (Saif Ali Khan) as he races against time to stop gangster Ganesh Gaitonde (Nawazuddin Siddiqui) from destroying Mumbai. The series was praised for its complex storytelling and strong performances from a star-studded cast including Radhika Apte, Pankaj Tripathi, Kalki Koechlin, and others.

Sarandos acknowledged the Indian market’s complexity and said Netflix’s journey to find the right “product-market fit” was gradual, but promising. “The addressable market is growing, so it’s exciting,” he said.

Despite Sarandos’ critique, Sacred Games remains a landmark in Indian streaming history—proof that bold storytelling can make a lasting impact, even if it wasn’t the easiest path.