Mumbai: A legal notice has been served on Netflix for streaming an allegedly ‘offensive as well as defamatory’ show.
Political analyst Mithun Vijay Kumar, who mentioned one of the episodes of the popular show ‘The Big Bang Theory’, has accused the content of promoting ‘sexism and misogyny’, and even demanded that the show be removed from the OTT platform.
Jim Parsons, who plays Sheldon Cooper, describes Aishwarya Rai as “a poor man’s Madhuri Dixit” in the first episode of The Big Bang Theory’s second season. In response, Kunal Nayyar, who plays the character Raj Koothrapalli, says, “Aishwarya Rai is a goddess… by comparison, Madhuri Dixit is a leprous prostitute.”
The petitioner has referred to the above-mentioned scene and urged further legal action against Netflix if they fail to respond or do not comply with the demands made in the notice.
“It is important to hold companies like Netflix accountable for their actions and to ensure that they are sensitive to the cultural values and sentiments of the communities they serve. I strongly believe that streaming service providers have a responsibility to carefully curate the content that they offer on their platforms. It is their duty to ensure that the material they present does not include derogatory, offensive, or defamatory content. I was deeply troubled by the use of a derogatory term in one of the shows on Netflix – Big Bang Theory. This term was used in reference to the acclaimed actress Madhuri Dixit, and it was not only offensive and deeply hurtful but also showed a lack of regard for her dignity,” Mithun said.
“I strongly believe that streaming service providers must take such issues seriously and act quickly to address any instances of offensive or defamatory content. Furthermore, streaming service providers should be proactive in preventing such content from being streamed. This can be achieved through clear guidelines and rigorous screening processes for all the content published. Ultimately, streaming services have a significant influence over the content that is consumed by millions of individuals, and with this influence comes a responsibility to ensure that the content they offer is respectful, inclusive, and free from harmful stereotypes. I hope that this incident will serve as a wake-up call to all streaming services providers to work towards creating a more equitable and respectful media landscape,” the petitioner concluded.
