Behind the screen: What makes India an intriguing market for Netflix?

India's an integral part of the company's experiments that include taking the blockbuster mobile-only plan to other markets

Masaba Masaba is a strange show.The banter between Neena Gupta and her daughter Masaba seems real. What genre is this mix of documentary, drama and sassy writing that’s been trending on Netflix? “It is scripted reality – reality morphed into fiction,” says director Sonam Nair. When producer Ashwini Yardi took the idea to Netflix, it promptly said yes. Nair says, “They didn’t try to mainstream the show. They told me, just say what you want and it will find its audience.”
 
That anecdote tells you why the $20.2-billion firm that birthed the streaming video industry continues to dominate it.