Bollywood director Anurag Kashyap’s sarcastic remark about ‘saas-bahu serials’ triggers a fiery response from TV queen Ekta Kapoor, igniting a trending debate on Indian entertainment and women’s voices in media.
Anurag Kashyap’s Netflix Comment Sets Off Controversy
Media storm in the recent past, because acclaimed director Anurag Kashyap made a remark in a not-so-serious tone about saas-bahu serials of popular i.e. ‘India’ Kashyap was the centre of media space recently as he had made a humorous reference to India’s favourite ‘saas-bahu serials’. Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos even went on the record recently musing aloud about the Indian strategy of streaming service, making a modest case for why it’s not so wise to debut with shows like ‘Sacred Games’ for example. Kashyap would never miss an opportunity to be funny and quip about how he should have begun streaming with a ‘saas-bahu serial’ on Netflix.
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Ekta Kapoor Fires Back: Defending the Power of Soap Operas
Ekta Kapoor, the undisputed ruler of Indian television and mastermind behind numerous saas-bahu shows is not taking Kashyap’s comment lying down. Sulking on Instagram, Kapoor let off steam about Kashyap without giving a direct name. She called the soap operas lame, “How stupid, I mean,” and perhaps this one line makes you think that is so much better because don’t know how. Would you like to be kind, Sweetie? Or are you self-aware? And hardly an art in which every artist is endowed with… Kapoor defended her genre, that these shows have given a voice to Indian women and defined the genre of television here.
The Social Impact of ‘Saas-Bahu’ Serials: More Than Just Drama
Kashyap’s quip being what it was, the way that Kapoor responded exposed a very real problem. Saas Bhi Bahu Hain, the saas-bahu serials over the years has engendered a fervency in many millions of viewers of Indian TV. Numerous academic research projects, for example, those done in Chicago have shown how these shows turned the tide for women portraying them as central characters and giving a voice. The emotional defence of Kapoor scores very high in articulating the crucial things that these serials mean to Indian culture vs its critics.
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A Trending Debate: Art, Audience, and Class Divide
The debate has been kindled by the clash of Kashyap & Kapoor and it’s far more than entertainment evolution in India. With the arrival of Netflix partnering with more and more traditional TV giants like Balaji Telefilms, the debate heats up as to what stuff appeals to Indian viewers. The discussion has now moved beyond personal barbs into the class that lots of content is eaten and this whole media landscape transformation of India has yet to play out. With said discussion still on the search results front page, it is evident that the fight for entertainment’s tomorrow is burning hot.
