iWorld
Kiran Desai exits Netflix India after seven years
General counsel who built Netflix India’s legal team announces departure, teases next chapter
Mumbai: The credits have rolled on another key chapter at Netflix India. Kiran Desai, who built and led the streaming giant’s legal and business affairs function in the country, has announced his departure after more than seven years with the company.
Desai shared the news in a LinkedIn post, saying he had decided it was “time to turn the page and step into a new chapter.”
He joined Netflix in July 2019 as director, business and legal affairs before being promoted to senior director and India general counsel in April 2022. In February 2025, he took over as vice president and India general counsel, a role he held until his departure.
During his tenure, Desai oversaw the legal and business affairs function for Netflix India as the company expanded its original programming and licensed content portfolio across Hindi and South Indian languages.
Netflix, vice president and India general counsel, Kiran Desai said building and leading the company’s legal and business affairs team from the ground up had been one of the most rewarding chapters of his career.
In his farewell post, Desai thanked his colleagues, creative partners and legal team, saying he had the privilege of working with “stunning colleagues” and extraordinary storytellers while witnessing India’s streaming landscape evolve rapidly.
He highlighted several projects he worked on during his time at Netflix, including Sacred Games, Heeramandi, The Elephant Whisperers, The Railway Men, The Ba**ds of Bollywood*, Operation Safed Sagar, Dhurandhar and RRR. He said it had been an honour to help grow both the platform’s original and licensed slate across Bollywood and South Indian cinema.
Before joining Netflix, Desai founded Desai & Partners in 2007, a law firm specialising in media and entertainment, intellectual property and sports law. Earlier in his career, he worked in the chambers of senior advocate Shyam Divan and as an associate at DSK Legal.
Desai holds an LL.M. from Georgetown Law and an LL.B. from the University of Mumbai.
While he did not reveal his next destination, Desai said he was “energized about what’s next”, signalling that another chapter in his legal and media career is set to begin soon.
