Anurag Kashyap Slams OTT Platforms For ‘Prioritising Profits’: ‘They Have Lost Their Sheen’
Renowned filmmaker Anurag Kashyap has expressed his growing disillusionment with the Indian film industry and its evolving relationship with OTT platforms. In a candid interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Kashyap shared his frustrations about the industry’s shift in focus, accusing OTT platforms of prioritising profits over creativity, which he believes has hindered the progress of Indian cinema.
Kashyap, who initially welcomed the arrival of streaming giants like Netflix and Amazon Prime, described how their entry into the Indian entertainment market once brought hope for creative change. However, he feels the platforms have lost their innovative spark. “At first, they brought a positive change, but slowly they’ve lost their sheen and are now producing run-of-the-mill content,” he said.
The filmmaker was particularly critical of the executives running these platforms, arguing that their television backgrounds have led them to undervalue cinematic artistry. “But who are the people running the OTTs? They’re all on TV. They have no cinema experience. They don’t understand cinema. What is their only motive? Subscribers. And to increase subscriber base, they have to dumb it down,” Kashyap explained.
He also pointed out the lack of risk-taking by OTT platforms, stating that multinational corporations now dominate the industry. According to Kashyap, these companies, which are primarily answerable to global stakeholders, have become risk-averse. “The top streamers are multinationals. They’re not Indian-origin companies. They’re scared to take risks. In every way, it’s a leash for creativity,” he remarked.
Kashyap further criticized the lack of meaningful dialogue with top executives, explaining that many in the industry are more focused on safeguarding their high-paying jobs than fostering creative conversations. “There are very few people I can have a creative conversation with. That’s why I’d rather not do anything than sit down with someone trying to save their job,” he added.
Despite his criticisms, Kashyap expressed a sense of optimism for the future of filmmaking. He believes the OTT industry’s eventual decline will lead to a resurgence of creative freedom in cinema. “OTTs came in and disrupted the system. Now, nobody is willing to come down, which is good, because one day, everybody will fall. And then it’ll be a great time to make films again. Golden times are coming,” he concluded.
Kashyap, who co-directed Netflix’s first original Indian series Sacred Games and later directed films for Netflix anthologies like Ghost Stories and Lust Stories, remains hopeful that the industry will eventually return to its roots of creative exploration.
