Filmmaker Ektaa Kapoor has stirred controversy with her recent comments on the quality of Indian content and the role of audiences in determining a film’s success. Addressing the debate over whether Indian cinema and TV match international standards, she blamed audiences for the box office failures of Superboys of Malegaon and The Buckingham Murders.
Ektaa Kapoor Calls Out the Audience
Taking to Instagram on Friday, Ektaa Kapoor did not hold back in addressing criticisms that Indian content is inferior to internationally acclaimed films and series. She questioned whether such complaints stem from ego or misplaced accusations.
“When Indian creators cry that Indian content is not at par with internationally acclaimed TV series and films, I wonder if it is ego, anger, or just misplaced accusations,” she wrote.
According to Ektaa, it is not the industry but the audience that is the real culprit. She stated, “Can we blame the real culprits—the ‘audience’? Since it’s no fun blaming people in such abstract terms (because we can’t take them down on social media), let’s just say that a major part of India is in its evolutionary stage as far as content is concerned! You could call it adolescence.”
A Call for Filmmakers to Invest Their Own Money
In a sharp critique of corporate-driven filmmaking, Ektaa also called out profit-driven studios and streaming platforms, including herself. She urged filmmakers to take financial risks rather than rely on big corporations.
“These money-hungry corporate studios and apps only think of numbers (me included)!!! Movie-making, content creation is not a business—it’s an art! So, I urge creators to put in their own money… Problem solved!!!!” she wrote.
Is Ektaa Kapoor Targeting Anurag Kashyap?
Social media users speculated that Ektaa’s remarks were a veiled dig at filmmaker Anurag Kashyap, who recently criticized Netflix India for its alleged lack of creative vision. Kashyap had praised the international Netflix series Adolescence while slamming Netflix India’s leadership as “corrupt.”
A Reddit user pointed out, “She is shading Anurag Kashyap for calling Netflix India corrupt—especially since its head, Monika Shergill, is Ektaa’s friend.” Another added, “This must be a jab at Anurag Kashyap—she made sure to bring up ‘adolescence’ just after he praised the show.”
Anurag Kashyap’s Criticism of Netflix India
Kashyap had earlier accused Netflix India of lacking vision and described the leadership as dishonest and morally corrupt. He claimed that if Netflix India had received a pitch for Adolescence, they would have rejected it or turned it into a generic 90-minute film.
“Netflix India’s leadership lacks empathy, courage, and competence. They only care about increasing subscriptions, nothing else,” Kashyap had written. He also alleged that the leadership in Los Angeles enabled this hypocrisy, prioritizing business over artistic integrity.
With Ektaa Kapoor and Anurag Kashyap seemingly at odds over Indian content, the debate over the future of Bollywood and streaming content in India continues to heat up.
Sources By Agencies
