iWorld
Why legal professional Kiran Desai swears by Netflix
MUMBAI: From being a partner in a successful law firm to taking up employment in a global corporation can sound strange to some – but not to Kiran Desai. The legal professional-turned-entrepreneur founded and led Desai & Partners, a prominent law firm specialising in media, entertainment, intellectual property, and sports law in 2007. Over a 12-year tenure, he built a thriving practice, representing high-profile clients in a rapidly evolving digital media landscape.
Then Netflix came knocking in 2019, as he explained in a note on linkedin in 2020: “When I was offered a position at Netflix, I saw an opportunity to be a part of a rapidly growing organisation that could veritably build and help influence the manner in which entertainment is consumed in India. I took a leap of faith and decided to join Netflix.
“To leave a law firm which I had founded and built over the better part of my professional career was a difficult decision, fraught with emotion. It was tough explaining to my colleagues and clients that I was moving on and needed to do so for my own personal development. While I had many doubts, one thing I was sure of was self-belief, stemming from the years of experience I had gathered as an entrepreneur, having seen both, success and failure. I was willing to start all over again, without fear of the unknown. While few could confidently predict the future trajectory of this fast-paced industry at the time, by joining the team at Netflix, I believed I would be standing at the leading edge of it. Now, a little over a year later, I can confidently say that it was the right decision.”
He joined Netflix in July 2019 as director – business & legal affairs. Nearly six years later in February 2025, Kiran was promoted to the role of vice president – India general counsel, from senior director – India general counsel.
Over this period, Desai has played a pivotal role in Netflix’s legal strategy in India, helping the company navigate complex regulatory landscapes, forge critical content deals, and support the company’s expansion in a highly competitive market.
As India remains a key growth territory for Netflix, Desai’s promotion signals a continued commitment to strengthening operations and compliance frameworks in the region.
Desai holds an LLM from Georgetown University Law Center, where he focused on intellectual property, antitrust, and international environmental law, as well as an LLB and BCom from the University of Mumbai. He actively participated in leadership roles during his academic years, including serving as general secretary of the sports council at the University of Mumbai. His earlier legal roles include serving as counsel at the chambers of senior advocate Shyam Divan and as an associate at DSK Legal.
Reflecting on his journey with Netflix, Desai said, “Joining Netflix was a leap of faith after years of running my own practice. The company’s culture, built on the values of freedom with responsibility, context over control, and open feedback, has been transformative both personally and professionally. Working here has not only made me a better lawyer but also a better person.”
Desai highlighted the importance of Netflix’s unique working culture, where employees are empowered to make independent decisions while being supported with extensive contextual information. “The open feedback culture initially felt unfamiliar but has become one of the most impactful aspects of my professional growth,” he added.
Going by Desai’s admissions, the Netflix culture, which Ted Sarandos and team have built is not just a folklore of books written to make it attractive for talent to join, it is reality. Even in India.
Desai’s leadership has been instrumental in supporting Netflix’s ambitious content strategy in India, fostering legal frameworks that enable creative freedom while ensuring regulatory compliance.
As Desai steps into his new role, Netflix continues to fortify its position as a leader in India’s rapidly growing streaming market, which has seen intensified competition alongside shifting consumer behaviours and expanding internet accessibility.
iWorld
Why Peaky Blinders is one of television’s biggest hits that still deserves more attention
Six seasons, multiple awards and the release of Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man bring the Shelby saga back into the spotlight
In the crowded universe of streaming content, only a handful of shows manage to leave a lasting cultural footprint. Peaky Blinders is overwhelmingly considered one of the biggest global hits of the past decade. Yet many viewers still haven’t fully explored the dark, gripping world of the Shelby family.
Originally produced for the UK’s BBC and later finding a massive global audience through Netflix, the series quietly grew from a British period drama into a worldwide streaming phenomenon.
Created by Steven Knight, the show follows the rise of the Shelby crime family in post-First World War Birmingham. What begins as a gritty street-gang story gradually expands into a sweeping narrative about ambition, politics, power and survival.
At the centre of the saga is Thomas Shelby, portrayed with extraordinary depth by Cillian Murphy. The casting of Murphy is widely regarded as perfect for the role. With piercing eyes, restrained dialogue and an almost hypnotic screen presence, he transforms Shelby into one of the most unforgettable characters in modern screen storytelling.
Murphy’s brilliance lies in his restraint. He rarely shouts or performs theatrically. Instead, a quiet stare, a calculated pause or a subtle shift in expression conveys the emotional storms within the character. Beneath the ruthless gang leader is a war veteran carrying trauma, guilt and loneliness. Murphy captures this complexity with remarkable precision, making Thomas Shelby both terrifying and deeply human.
Beyond its central performance, Peaky Blinders stands out for its unfiltered portrayal of reality. The show does not romanticise crime. Instead, it exposes the harsh social conditions of early 20th-century Britain, from poverty and class struggle to political extremism and the psychological scars left by war.
The series also presents powerful female characters who hold their own within the Shelby empire. Polly Gray, played by Helen McCrory, is the strategic backbone of the family and one of the most formidable figures in the story. Women in the series shape decisions, influence power structures and challenge the rigid social norms of the time.
Across six seasons, the narrative grows dramatically in scale. What begins in the smoky streets of Birmingham evolves into a story involving political conspiracies, fascism and international criminal networks.
The series has also earned significant critical acclaim. It won the BAFTA Television Award for Best Drama Series in 2018 and multiple National Television Awards for Best Drama, cementing its reputation as one of Britain’s most celebrated modern shows.
Another defining feature of the series is its iconic music. The show’s opening theme, Red Right Hand by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, became instantly recognisable and widely associated with the Shelby universe. Combined with a powerful soundtrack featuring artists such as Arctic Monkeys and Radiohead, the music helped shape the show’s dark, stylish identity and became hugely popular among fans.
And the Shelby story is not over yet.
In fact, its legacy is unfolding right now. The long-awaited feature-length continuation, Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man, was released on March 6, 2026, bringing the Shelby universe from streaming screens to cinemas and giving fans a new chapter in the saga.
For viewers who have not yet stepped into this world, the timing could not be better.
Six gripping seasons are ready to binge on Netflix. A new film has just arrived in theatres. And at the heart of it all stands one of the most magnetic performances in modern drama by Cillian Murphy.
So if Peaky Blinders has been sitting on your watchlist for years, this weekend is your moment.
So, by order of the Peaky fookin’ Blinders, consider this your cue to finally step into the ruthless world of Thomas Shelby. Pour yourself a drink, clear your schedule and press the play button. Because when the Peaky Blinders give an order, you listen.
