kapoorekta.com

  • Increase font size
  • Default font size
  • Decrease font size
Home K-movies Profile A career low is not the end of life: Ekta

A career low is not the end of life: Ekta

Wednesday, 10 February 2010 18:16 administrator
E-mail Print PDF
Your Ad Here

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.

 

 


Your Ad Here
Comments (0)Add Comment
feedSubscribe to this comment's feed

Write comment

busy
 

Login

Main Menu

Key Concepts

Celebrities Photo

Anita Hassanandani_1
Anita Hassanandani_1
Description: Anita Hassanandani Aks
Sanaya Irani_1
Sanaya Irani_1
Description: She played a small role in the movie \'Fanaa\". She appeared in a number of TV commercials is also in the TV Serial \"Left Right Left\" and now in Star One\'s new show Miley Jab Hum Tum
Anita Hassanandani_4
Anita Hassanandani_4
Description: Anita Hassanandani Aks
Sanaya Irani_4
Sanaya Irani_4
Description: She played a small role in the movie \'Fanaa\". She appeared in a number of TV commercials is also in the TV Serial \"Left Right Left\" and now in Star One\'s new show Miley Jab Hum Tum

Newsflash

Your Ad Here

Bollywood director Dibakar Banerjee says the camera plays a dynamic role in his forthcoming Love, Sex Aur Dhoka (LSD), which is about stories behind sensational headlines. And he is certain the content of the movie and the filmmaking technique will surprise audiences.

"The medium and the technique in the film are as important as the content. That is what will take the audience totally by surprise because they are not used to seeing a film being made this way," said Banerjee said.

"LSD is made with a digital camera and the way camera behaves makes it very different from the other Indian or international cinema. The concept is very new and it will hit the audience right in the beginning. And if the audience can get over that shock in the first 5 or 10 minutes, after that the content will keep them occupied. You will feel the presence of the camera as a dynamic character within the film and not as a recorder of the scenes. It's very dynamic," he said.

There are no known names in the film. Banerjee says he roped in non-actors to give it a real feel.

"To make it 'real' I have used all non-actors because the premise of the film is that it's not a film - it's stolen, found or accidentally acquired footages collected from various parts of the country. And the film is made on stories behind sensational headlines that we keep seeing in newspapers or televisions. We see the headline and then we forget, but there is a story behind every headline."

Asked if he has borrowed the idea from some real incidents, he said: "I don't think fiction is ever free of reality. Whatever is happening around impacts me. And things that happened around us has generated the fiction for the film. You can say that it is in the twilight zone between reality and fiction."

Banerjee's last two films were Khosla Ka Ghosla and Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye!, but he has used lip-synched songs and an item number for the first time in Love, Sex Aur Dhoka.

"The film has five songs and for the first time I have incorporated lip-sync songs and an item number. The item number was shot in a weird way because in the film a young inexperienced filmmaker shoots the song. So I had to shoot it like an inexperienced person making lots of stupid mistakes," he said.

Throwing light on the storyline, he said: "In the film, three stories about very strong couples are intricately connected to each other. There are three different cameras that are recording these three couples' lives. And the film shows that by accident we have found those recordings."

Banerjee says that the idea was in his mind even before he made Khosla ka Ghosla.

"I was trying to do LSD before Khosla Ka Ghosla and then again I tried doing it, but then came Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye!. I wanted to do a totally different film."

"I was seeing certain things happening in front of my eyes and I am still seeing them. Those incidents had a great impact on me. The issues are extremely important especially in the case of modern urban India," he said.

Does the film carry any message? "I don't think there is any film which doesn't have a message. Even the absolutely scorching, entertaining hit would have a message. It also has a message."