Bela Bajaria: The Most Powerful Woman In Entertainment | The Titans | THR India

In this inaugural episode of The Titans on The Hollywood Reporter India, Anupama Chopra sits down with Bela Bajaria, Netflix's Chief Content Officer who oversees a staggering $18 billion content budget across 27 offices worldwide. Bela shares her remarkable journey from being fired as President of Universal Television to becoming one of the most powerful executives in global entertainment, creating content in 50 languages. She discusses Netflix's philosophy of backing authentic local voices, citing examples from Baby Reindeer's Emmy sweep to the global phenomenon of Money Heist, and reveals how shows like K-pop Demon Hunters and Heeramandi are pushing creative boundaries. The conversation touches on her working relationship with co-CEO Ted Sarandos, whom she describes as equally passionate about storytelling, and addresses critiques from filmmakers like Anurag Kashyap about the Indian streaming landscape.

Bela opens up about her superpower of not suffering from jet lag despite constant travel, her preference for empowering teams with greenlight authority, and the liberating experience of learning from failure. She responds to industry concerns raised by Aamir Khan about theatrical windows, explaining Netflix's consumer-first approach while discussing the success of boxing events like Mike Tyson vs Jake Paul that attracted 108 million viewers without pay-per-view fees. Throughout the conversation, Anupama explores how Bela's Indian heritage influences her global perspective, her belief that specific local stories become universally resonant, and her excitement about Mumbai's creative energy. The interview concludes with Bela sharing her all-time favorite films on her IMDb Watchlist and a humorous anecdote about being pitched story ideas everywhere from airports to doctor's offices.