Netflix failure in India. Case Study: Loop Lapeta l Amit Kumar Agarwal Feature

The biggest media news last week in India was the reported statement of Reed Hastings, co-founder and CEO, Netflix, during the company’s earnings call, “the great news is in every single other major market, we’ve got the flywheel spinning. The thing that frustrates us is why haven’t we been as successful in India, but we’re definitely leaning in there.” 

It may be interesting to note that Netflix is finding India to be a very tough market despite lowering price points and pumping in millions of dollars into developing local content. The writer feels, the real reason for the failure in Indian market is the lack of content that will appeal to Indians, their latest film Loop Lapeta is a classic example.
 
Here is the case study: In 1998 Tom Tykwer made Run Lola Run, a film often studied at film schools, analyzed at film workshops. In 2022, after quarter-of-a-century (almost!) Netflix commissions a film based on this classic cult: titled Loop Lapeta, which is nothing but an utter waste of time and resources. Except for the brilliant cinematography there is nothing else. A film works when the emotions connect. That was the success of Run Lola Run, the emotions connected, worldwide! Here, in spite of connecting the film's line with the famous Indian tale of antiquity of Satyavaan and Savitri; and a greater running time to develop the characters, the film fails to connect.

There have been some amazing black-comedies in India - Sankat City, Delhi Belly, Andha Dhun are the best from the last decade, Loop Lapeta ends up with an immensely pale narrative. 

Coming back to Run Lola Run by Tom Tykwer, the writer has a very interesting anecdote to share. Tykwer made a very gripping short Epilog that made him secure funding for Run Lola Run simply look at the characters, deftly developed. This is exactly the undoing of Loop Lapeta