Days after political analyst Mithun Vijay Kumar sent a legal notice to Netflix demanding the removal of its show The Big Bang Theory, the OTT giant redirected him to Warner Bros, who is the licensor. Talking to Hindustan Times about the response, Kumar tells us that he expects sensible action from the show producer. Also read: Netflix gets legal notice for The Big Bang Theory’s ‘offensive and deeply hurtful’ line on Madhuri Dixit
Kumar accused the show of promoting sexism and misogyny. In the first episode of The Big Bang Theory Season Two, which aired on September 22, 2008, actor Jim Parsons (Sheldon Cooper) called Aishwarya Rai ‘a poor man’s Madhuri Dixit.’ In the same scene, actor Kunal Nayyar’s character Raj Koothrapalli, replied, “Aishwarya Rai is a goddess, by comparison, Madhuri Dixit is a leprous prostitute.”
Reacting to objections raised in the notice by Kumar, Netflix directed him to Warner Bros. The streaming platform has also informed the producers about the same who is expected to take the next step in the matter.
When asked about Netflix’s response, Mithun Vijay Kumar said, “As a sensible streaming service provider that understands cultural sensitivities, Netflix has informed the original producers of the show regarding the gravity of the issue raised by me. I hope Warner Bros will take appropriate content moderation measures and ensure that their content is free from such abusive language towards people and cultures.”
“As an individual, I believe that all such programs that use derogatory language in the name of humour must be taken down. We even have recent observations from an honourable high court on the need to regulate content with vulgar language on social media and OTT. While the Big Bang Theory episode may be one such issue, there are plenty of other shows where the content needs to be regulated. But I hope this incident has highlighted the need for content moderation on streaming platforms when foul language crosses a particular line. In our society, even today, swear words are not spoken in the presence of family, women, children, etc., then why is OTT an exception?” he further opined.
The Big Bang Theory first premiered on CBS on September 24, 2007. The show has remained one of the most-watched sitcoms on Netflix.