Adgully Exclusive | Ekta Kapoor is giving Balaji a makeover

The unchallenged sovereign of television soaps, Ekta Kapoor, was born into Bollywood royalty. Her father Jitendra (Ravi Kapoor) was a hit-making machine when he was paired with Sridevi, the peerless southern sizzler. And that creative coupling was frequently established by the grateful filmdom. Ekta's brother, Tusshar Kapoor, is a Bollywood actor who has found a secure niche for himself. At any rate, when Ekta decided to venture into television, few had any intimation about her grand reign over the universe of soaps.

During a conversation with Adgully, Ekta retraces the chequered story of Balaji Telefilms, her production house. "The journey of my life has been full of ups and downs," Ekta said. "It has been a joyride for me. But the media has always been very kind to me."

Ups and downs are a fact of life. But since her life is a model that any success-chaser would want to emulate, would Ekta consider a soap based on her experiences? Her answer is preceded by an open, self-deprecating laugh. "My life is too boring and I have always played middle-class girls," Ekta said. "My friends are surprised that that I can play such parts well on the screen. And, referring to a series I made, "Ek aam ladki ki khaas kahani', my friends say a series based on me will have to be called, "Ek khaas ladki ki aam kahani'!"

As for Balaji, it seemed to have a fetish for the letter "K'” the names of all its products began with that letter. But of late, that naming tic has vanished. "It was a branding factor," Ekta said. "Life has to move on, so we gave it up to create a new image."

If one examines soaps from the 80s' and 90s', one would discover pathbreaking works like "Rajni' which depicted women as strong and independent figures. These days, women are portrayed principally as homely figurines. Indeed, even those women protagonists who are invested with a degree of independence, find that trait circumscribed by family values. Adgully wanted Ekta to explain this curious interplay of tradition and modernity. She said different women had to fight different kinds of wars in real life. For some it was a war to be independent, Ekta said, while for others ' particularly those who live in villages” it was a war of survival. "So a character depends on a story," Ekta said. "And we have to speak the language that the audience understands and relates to." She said that it was essential to respect the ground realities of India.

Ekta has made soaps that entertain families, but has showed a bold streak by making a film like "Love, sex and dhoka'. Would such boldness fit into television? "I just had a discussion about this with Ashvini Yardi, from Colors," Ekta said. "We concluded that TV was all about family entertainment. I can't sit with my father or grandmother and watch such a film [like "Love, sex and dhoka']. Those who want to watch it can go to theatres."

However, the "family entertainment' rubric has not prevented Ekta from exploring the full range of possibilities on TV. She has had success in comedy and family drama, and, though she is not speaking about it, she has horror in her mind now.

As for current projects, "Shrimati Swara Rajay Deshmukh: Sarvagunn Sampanna' has been given the 7.00 pm slot on Imagine TV. But Ekta is indifferent to the fact that the slot is not in the prime-time band. "Time slots can't promise anything," she said. "When I made "Kyunki saas bhi kabhi kabhu thi', I had taken 10.30 pm slot, which people rarely took. And you know the results."

As the interview was about to wind down, Ekta conceded that her lowest period in her career happened in 2008. But she has moved on with her customary grit and single-minded focus on succeeding.