Author and political analyst Mithun Vijay Kumar has sent a legal notice to Netflix, asking the streaming giant to remove one of the episodes of the popular sitcom The Big Bang Theory.
In the first episode of the second season of the show, Jim Parsons who plays Sheldon Cooper, went on to compare Bollywood actress Aishwarya Rai Bachchan with Madhuri Dixit Nene.
In one of the scenes, he called Aishwarya 'a poor man’s Madhuri Dixit.' In response, the character Raj Koothrapalli, played by actor Kunal Nayyar, says, "Aishwarya Rai is a goddess, by comparison, Madhuri Dixit is a leprous prostitute."
According to several media reports, Mithun Vijay Kumar issued a statement and accused the show of promoting sexism and misogyny. He also demanded the removal of the show from Netflix, calling it 'offensive' and 'defamatory'.
Mithun Vijay Kumar's statement
In a statement, he reportedly said, "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."
"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. 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," he added.
Mithun Vijay Kumar also stated that he will take further legal action against Netflix if they fail to respond or does not comply with the demands made in the legal notice.
About The Big Bang Theory
Big Bang Theory is a CBS sitcom created by Chuck Lorre and Bill Prady. It premiered in 2007 and concluded in 2019 after a 12 season run.
The show revolved around Leonard Hofstadter (Johnny Galecki) and Sheldon Cooper (Parsons), both physicists at Caltech, who share an apartment; Penny (Kaley Cuoco), a waitress living across the hall; and Leonard and Sheldon's friends and coworkers, aerospace engineer Howard Wolowitz (Simon Helberg) and astrophysicist Raj Koothrappali (Nayyar).
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