Is Ekta Kapoor really India’s ‘Queen of Television’? How Bollywood legend Jeetendra’s daughter is creating her own entertainment legacy with ALT Balaji
- She changed the landscape of Indian soap operas, brushed off criticism that her shows are dumbed down and has gone on to win India’s prestigious Padma Shri
- A single mother and big believer in astrology, Kapoor even changed the title of Balaji’s Once Upon a Time In Mumbaai Dobara to make the film luckier
Ekta Kapoor – the eldest daughter of yesteryear Bollywood acting legend Jeetendra – has rightfully earned the moniker the “Queen of Indian Television”. And she’s only 45.
While some have questioned her melodramas for being antifeminist, Kapoor’s body of work remains hugely popular. And after creating or producing more than 130 soap operas over the past two decades, her company Balaji Telefilms has expanded the venture into a multimillion-dollar empire. Here’s everything you need to know about India’s most powerful female producer.
If someone wants escapism from movies or television, it’s their birthright … And I am no one to question or stop it
She is all business
Starting as a young intern in an ad agency at age 15, Kapoor turned herself into a fully fledged TV producer by the age of 19 with Hum Paanch. “I became obsessed about production. I ate, drank, slept and married television. It was not for the money – I was just pleased with the content that I was making,” she told Outlook Business.
Several of Balaji Telefilms’ productions have become worldwide hits, such as Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi, Pavitra Rishta and Naagin. While some have criticised her for “dumbing down” her shows, Kapoor insists she is giving people what they want.
“If someone wants escapism from movies or television, it’s their birthright to get their enjoyment from there. And I am no one to question or stop it. I just revel and enjoy every kind of entertainment,” she told the audience at an India Today even in 2019.
She loves new challenges
In 2001, the young Kapoor created Balaji Motion Pictures. The production company suffered major losses in its early years, but after the popularity of hits Shootout at Lokhandwala (2007) and Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai (2010), the studio began championing films with meatier scripts such as The Dirty Picture (2011), Udta Punjab (2016) and the more recent Dolly, Kitty Aur Woh Chamakte Sitare (2020).