Nomita Jeswani, Mumbai Uncensored, 27th March 2023:
A legal notice was sent to Netflix by political analyst Mithun Vijay Kumar for allegedly insulting Bollywood actress Madhuri Dixit in one of The Big Bang Theory’s episodes. Kumar claimed that the creators were encouraging sexism and misogyny in their work. He also ordered that the show be taken off the air for defaming the actress.
For those who are unfamiliar, Sheldon Cooper, played by Jim Parsons, compares Aishwarya Rai to Madhuri Dixit in the first episode of The Big Bang Theory. He refers to Aishwarya Rai as poor man’s Madhuri Dixit in one scene. Raj Koothrapalli, another character played by Kunal Nayyar, responds to his remark by saying, “Aishwarya Rai is a goddess, by comparison, Madhuri Dixit is a leprous prostitute.”
“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.” said Mithun Kumar in a statement
“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,” he concluded.
Chuck Lorre and Bill Prady’s CBS sitcom The Big Bang Theory started in 2007. The show also starred Kaley Cuoco, Johnny Galecki, Simon Helberg, Mayim Bilaik, and other actors. 2019 saw the airing of the final episode.
