Monika Shergill At The CII Big Picture Summit 2025: "The More local And Rooted We Are, The Further..."

Mumbai, December 2, 2025: Netflix participated in the 12th CII Big Picture Summit with creator-led sessions that offered insights on the impact of streaming on the creative landscape in the country. As Netflix approaches its 10 year milestone in India in early 2026, Monika Shergill, VP, Content, Netflix India, spearheaded a powerful conversation with actor Rajkummar Rao, creator Sudip Sharma and Sameer Nair, MD of Applause Entertainment on how India's media and entertainment landscape has evolved over the past decade.
Talking about Netflix's past decade in India, Monika Shergill- Vice President Content, Netflix India said:, "I think one of the most defining things streaming has done is open up opportunities for all kinds of talent to participate in the storytelling business, to share in the joy of storytelling, and to entertain our country. We are a large country, and a small pool of people with a small pool of ideas can never satisfy the audience, so programming more, telling more stories, and discovering more talent becomes essential."

The conversation highlighted how the next decade will be shaped by creators who are ready to push boundaries, experiment with storytelling styles and build stories that spark larger cultural moments.

The panelists reflected on the opportunity that streaming provides for discovery of new talent. Actor Rajkummar Rao described streaming as "a platform for emerging talent". He expanded, saying, "I've known so many actor friends of mine who came to the city along with me, and were looking for opportunities. A lot of series and films on streaming platforms have given them that opportunity and now they are doing fabulously well."

Talking about the strengths of streaming as a storytelling medium, writer and producer Sudip Sharma said, "I think the biggest change streaming has brought in recent years is the overall elevation of audience taste. Streaming also allows for a lot more immersiveness. When you say, 'I'm going to create a world,' the world building becomes a lot more important and richer. Audiences immerse themselves in this world over episodes and over years, which is something unique to streaming."

Talking about Indian content breaking globally Sameer Nair, Managing Director, Applause Entertainment, said, "Whenever you tell a story, you're always telling it for your core audience. You always start with that. If it works for the core audience, sometimes you get lucky and it travels and resonates further. We beat ourselves up a lot on the debate of when will India have its global moment. We happen to be a country of over one and a half billion people. We are trying to entertain them. So, you know, the rest of the world should also be entertained and thankfully now the technology exists to do that. I'm sure that moment will happen. And I think it won't be any particular kind of story or genre, it's going to be stories that are deeply local, personal, and universal."