Netflix chief says Squid Game, Money Heist could come from India next

Netflix chief content officer Ted Sarandos believes India is full of creative storytellers and will soon have its own success story like the globally hit Spanish series “Squid Game” and South Korean survival drama “Money Heist”.

Sarandos was in conversation with Indian film producer Siddharth Roy Kapur, founder and managing director, Roy Kapur Films, at the ET virtual Global Business Summit.

When asked what Indian creators need to do to be able to have their own “Money Heist” or “Squid Game” to happen, Sarandos cited the example of actor Shefali Shah’s successful series “Delhi Crime” and said the country’s rich culture of storytelling will be recognised soon.

“I think it’s inevitable. Look at projects like ‘Delhi Crime’ (it) just won the International Emmy for best television series, which is phenomenal. “I think that is an inevitability given the rich storytelling culture in India and the distribution platform that we can offer that ‘Squid Game’, that ‘Money Heist’ could definitely come from India next,” he said, adding that they are committed to push intelligent stories from the region.

Netfilx founder and chief executive officer Reed Hastings had in the past commented on the slow pace of progress of the streaming platform in India, responding to the same, Sarandos said it is always a tough task to launch a new format.

“Launching anywhere in the world is difficult. We have not had an easy go of it anywhere, including in the United States, where what we do is a very difficult thing to do. It’s very difficult to compete with legacy players who’ve been doing this for 100 years,” he said.
 

Sarandos asserted they have been continuously dealing with intense competition and internet limitations across the globe. “But finding the right formula that we have found really is about persistence and commitment and staying the course and staying steady and constant little improvements to the business. So India has not been different in that way,” he added.
 

Sarandos believes Indian market offers exciting content and he is thrilled about taking it to the global audience. “The variety of languages, the regional storytelling being as successful as it is for as many places as it is, it’s absolutely worth. But it’s what makes it so exciting. It makes it so exciting to jump out of bed every morning to make this work,” he said.