When you see something on TV, you have a different want. - Ekta Kapoor

In conversation with Ekta Kapoor...

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Sanchita Jhunjhunwala

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Ekta Kapoor, better known as the TV Czarina has given a lot to the Indian Television and has been instrumental in giving the viewers the most Iconic TV shows. With her digital venture, ALT Balaji, Ekta has created a new buzz about the web.

We got in touch with her, and spoke to her about various things including the likes of her latest web series, Kehne Ko Humsafar Hain, the kind of content viewers watch on TV, and the second season of Kasauti Zindagii Kay.

You came with a concept like extra-marital affairs with Kehne Ko Humsafar Hain. How did it come across?

Concept came with Neena ji, it was an absolutely dramatically different point of view. To a very very interesting world of extra marital affairs in urban India upper middle class India, so I thought it is an interesting space to discover.

Do you think Television is ready for such kind of content?

Television isn't ready for such kind of content. It is too radical for Television. TV is really schizophrenic as of now, I don't know, we love Television, I clearly love Television. Beyond everything else, it is progressive, they are not radical. They are progressive to a level that women work,  if she takes choices and goes against the very grain of the social right and wrong, we are not ready for that. 

You have been the forerunner of Indian Television, there is not doubt about that, and now you are taking over the digital space.

I am not taking over it, I am just getting to tell stories that I love and that is where the fun is. If I don't tell stories that I love, then who will? This has been the best relief for me, emotionally and creatively, I have lived out a lot of demons through my shows.

Television is not really ready for such content, but youth centric shows don't work either. When do you think will the viewers ever get over daily soaps?

It's this, when you see something with your family, you have a  different want, you don't want to be shocked, you don't want to see a kiss or any thing else for that matter that might shock you. In India, we go into people's homes on TV and people in their homes are very different.

If you could have produced one show, which one would it be?

Yeh Jo Hai Zindagi, I would have loved to make it.

In present day, how wise thing to serve an old wine in a new bottle with a show like Kasautii Zindagii Kay?

There is no old wine, everyone in today's time is going through the same thing. Kasauti is a 20 year old story, but the beauty is once an era ends and a new era begins, the social stigmas change, widow marriage is no longer a stigma today, or divorces for that matter, so once that stigma goes and social acceptability comes, and you take a different point of view, the whole story changes.

You have received a lot of backlash for the couples you've created. However, if you could bring one couple together, who would it be?

I have always got backlash for things I do, so I have taken all those things with a pinch of salt. Any one of the Mihir's and Tulsi's jodi, something that will never happen, but that's about that.

What kind of a risk was it to create a spin off given the fact that the first one (Dil Boley Oberoi) did not work?

So I think it goes likes this - Life mein kisi be cheez k liye jyada sochna nahi chahiye, jo hona hai vo hoga.

Well, the Indian Television is yet to get a lot of her, isn't it?

ALSO READ: Dibakar Banerjee auditioned 6000 actors to play the role in 'Love Sex Aur Dhokha 2'

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Ekta Kapoor Thumbnail

Ekta Kapoor

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Kasautii Zindagii Kay

Comments (1)

No I have the same requirement for both, I want good and finite stories!!!!

In fact I watch web series with my mom!!!!

Yes she does cringe a little at too much use of the 4 letter word but that's about it!!!!I threatened to her to go back to saas-bahu shows and she stopped complaining because at least the web series are realistic!!!

6 years ago

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