Netflix gets sued for 'insulting' Madhuri Dixit in The Big Bang Theory
Political analyst Mithun Vijay Kumar has sent a legal notice to Netflix for allegedly insulting Bollywood actress Madhuri Dixit in one of the episodes of The Big Bang Theory. Kumar accused the makers of promoting sexism and misogyny through their content. He also demanded to remove the show for defaming the actress.
What is the issue?
For the unversed, in the first episode of The Big Bang Theory, Jim Parsons who plays Sheldon Cooper compares Aishwarya Rai with Madhuri Dixit. In a scene, he calls Aishwarya Rai a poor man’s Madhuri Dixit. In response to his comment, another character Raj Koothrapalli played by Kunal Nayyar replies, "Aishwarya Rai is a goddess, by comparison, Madhuri Dixit is a leprous prostitute."
Well, the dialogues didn’t go down well with many people, as they started trolling the popular show on social media. Mithun Vijay Kumar would take legal action against the OTT platform, if they don’t response to the notice.
Legal notice against Netflix
In the statement, Mithun Vijay Kumar stated, "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."
"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," Mithun Vijay Kumar concluded.
Talking about The Big Bang Theory, the show also starred Kaley Cuoco, Johnny Galecki, Simon Helberg, Mayim Bilaik and so on. It’s last episode was aired in 2019.
