Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos says, RRR and Gangubai Kathiawadi were the most-watched films during award season

SS Rajamouli’s RRR emerged as a sensational blockbuster in 2022 and received tremendous critical acclaim. It was soon released on Netflix, which helped it become a global phenomenon.

Gangubai Kathiawadi, directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali, too did well last year and received favourable reviews. It was also released on Netflix after its theatrical run. Netflix’s co-CEO Ted Sarandos has now praised these films. He said that RRR and Gangubai Kathiawadi were ‘deeply discussed’ during awards season.

In a new interview, Ted Sarandos has said that RRR and Gangubai Kathiawadi were watched a lot during awards season.

“Every once in a while there’s an inflection point… a change in the distribution or a change in storytelling,



or a change in appetite. Being in Los Angeles during award season, the year, RRR and Gangubai were in the discussion deeply. Everyone was talking about (them)… there were 180 movies to watch on the voting site, and these two got watched a lot. They got found out because…they saw them on Netflix,” he told Economic Times

He further added that RRR was the first Indian film many international viewers had ever watched.

“So, those movies kind of got pushed into the culture of Netflix, and people started talking about ‘Hey, did you see this movie…did you this movie’. And RRR, for many people that I know, may have been the first Indian movie they have ever seen. For them, it was such a wild journey that they want more,” added Ted Sarandos.