Ektaa Kapoor seemingly took aim at Anurag Kashyap and other Indian filmmakers for their enthusiastic endorsements of the British Netflix series, Adolescence. Kapoor expressed her thoughts on Instagram, questioning whether Indian creators’ criticisms of local content were driven by ego or other misplaced sentiments.
Kapoor stated, “When Superboys of Malegaon and my dear friend Hansal Mehta’s The Buckingham Murders don’t perform in theaters, can we blame the audience? Maybe it’s more about India’s evolutionary stage in content creation—we could call it its adolescence.”
Adding to her critique, she challenged creators to combat corporate studios’ money-driven motives, stressing that movie-making and content creation are artistic endeavors rather than businesses. Kapoor urged creators to invest personally in their art to overcome industry limitations.
Earlier, Anurag Kashyap shared his admiration for Adolescence, remarking, “Just binge-watched Adolescence. I am numb and envious and jealous that someone can go and make that.” He lauded the cinematography and the effort put into executing scenes, expressing awe at the preparation required for single-shot episodes.
In the comments section of his post, Kashyap called out Netflix executives, accusing them of hypocrisy, thereby sparking a conversation around the expectations and standards for Indian content.
The exchange between Kapoor and Kashyap highlights a critical discourse on the state of Indian filmmaking and its evolution, as well as the pressures creators face from industry norms. Observers keenly await how this debate might influence future projects and creative strategies in Indian cinema. The conversation underscores the ongoing tension between artistic ambition and industry expectations, creating an open-ended dialogue on the future of Indian content in a globalized entertainment landscape.