She reigned supreme for years, with her TV shows occupying all the top slots. The czarina of television, Ekta Kapoor, Kapoor, was responsible for starting the trend of family dramas on the small screen.
But things change. As the television landscape in India got more fragmented, with more channels and shows, Ekta’s undisputed term ended. She went through a lull, but not for long. Ekta’s back! Her Pavitra Rishta has slowly and steadily zoomed up the TRP charts and she also has shows across most general entertainment channels (GECs). Here’s Ekta, in her own words, speaking about the ups and downs of life and how it’s only made her a stronger person...
Ruling the roost and then a lull...
Yes, we were the only monopoly in the television industry. From occupying the top 25 slots for 2-3 years and then occupying top 15 slots for eight years to not having a single slot in the top 50... I’ve seen it all. But I never let anything affect me.
God and I:
Some people use spirituality as their crutch, I use it as my strength. People thought I used God! They felt I prayed because I was insecure and worried about losing what I had and then when the career low happened, they thought things would change. But nothing changed. I remained the same, I continued my temple visits and all the other rituals I followed. I have a strong sense of belief in my Almighty and myself. A career low is not the end of life. There are other things like one’s family, health, your close people that are more important.
Calm and unfazed:
I was not down and depressed when my shows went off air or when no show occupied the top slots. Yes, during that phase I was not as busy as earlier and that was the irritating part! But I had a lot of fun. I got into social networking sites and it was great connecting with so many people.
I learnt a lot in this one year:
On the work front, my meetings with my company CEOs helped me see the problem — that we were totally dependant on our seven telly shows. And the fact is that in any industry, be it television or films, no monopoly lasts forever. That’s when we restructured and went through a complete change in attitude. I learnt a lot in this one year. We’ve launched so many people in the TV industry. But now we are looking to nurture people, show them fabulous growth. It’s about growing together. Our functioning has changed. We have CEOs, there’s group CEO Puneet Kinra, who takes the final calls. It’s no longer my decisions alone. My mom continues to handle the production finances... no one can do it like her! Workwise for me it’s been a great journey so far and I have a long way to go. I’ve met some wonderful people over the years. The one person I have utmost respect for in the TV industry is Uday Shankar of Star network. He’s been the same with me from day one. I really admire him.
Future plans:
We are looking to branch out. I want our production house to become the one-stop place covering the entire gamut of things in the telly industry. And along with TV, there’s films, new media etc... there’s lots to do.
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