Political analyst Mithun Vijay Kumar sent a legal notice to streaming platform Netflix over an episode of The Big Bang Theory that he claims uses a “derogatory term” for actor Madhuri Dixit, actor and MP Jaya Bachchan has shared her opinion on the matter. In the episode, actor Kunal Nayyar is seen comparing Madhuri with Aishwarya Rai Bachchan. The episode was first telecast in 2008. The episode in question features Jim Parsons who compares Aishwarya Rai Bachchan with Madhuri Dixit. In the scene, he calls Aishwarya “a poor man's Madhuri Dixit”. To which, Kunal Nayyar responds saying, “Aishwarya Rai is a goddess, by comparison, Madhuri Dixit is a leprous prostitute.”
In the legal notice, Mithun Vijay Kumar, a political analyst, has asked the streamer to remove the first episode of season two where the comparison was done. Kumar pointed out that the remarks made by the character are not only offensive but also defamatory. He has asked the streamer to remove the episode in question or face legal action for promoting discrimination against women. The legal notice has been sent to Netflix's office in Mumbai. "It is important to hold companies like Netflix accountable for their actions and to ensure that they are sensitive to the cultural values and sentiments of the communities they serve. I was deeply troubled by the use of a derogatory term in one of the shows on Netflix - Big Bang Theory. This term was used in reference to the acclaimed actress Madhuri Dixit, and it was not only offensive and deeply hurtful but also showed a lack of regard for her dignity," Kumar said in a statement." Big Bang Theory", a CBS sitcom created by Chuck Lorre and Bill Prady, premiered in 2007, and concluded in 2019 after a 12 season run. The show revolved around Leonard Hofstadter (Johnny Galecki) and Sheldon Cooper (Parsons), both physicists at Caltech, who share an apartment; Penny (Kaley Cuoco), a waitress living across the hall; and Leonard and Sheldon's friends and coworkers, aerospace engineer Howard Wolowitz (Simon Helberg) and astrophysicist Raj Koothrappali (Nayyar).