Television's Queen 'E'
| Ekta Kapoor |
Ekta Kapoor talks about churning out serials, being called a control freak... and men
Subhash K. Jha
Did you never want to be a movie star?
No. The thought never occurred to me. As a child all I wanted to be was a journalist. I used to do guest interviews for magazines with my dad and his colleagues. I always wanted to express myself creatively. I suppose I'm still doing that.
When did you decide to get into the television industry?
Well, getting into television wasn't a conscious decision. At 17 I realised I was doing nothing with my life. Even in the company I worked for, I was doing practically nothing. Then my dad met Ketan Somaiya in London once. He owned a TV channel called TV Asia and suggested that my dad make software for his channel. When dad returned to India and suggested it to me. Initially I was too wary.
Why? Didn't you see a future for television in India?
No! I didn't see a future for myself. I was a chronic couch potato. It was an integral part of my life. Even now, I don't miss my favourite programmes. If I'm working, I get them recorded to watch later. I guess working what I enjoyed the most must have seemed like a good idea. So I made some pilots. But as luck would have it, the deal with Ketan fell through when his channel was sold out to Zee. So there I was, a spoilt fat kid with several pilots made with my father's money and nothing to do with it. I felt terrible about squandering my father's hard-earned money.
So what was the turning point in your career?
I would say Hum Paanch. After all my initial efforts fell through I made the pilot of Hum Paanch with the little money I had. When I went with my mother to this particular channel (which has closed down now) the channel head offered me Rs 10,000 rupees for it, saying it was enough for a girl. But it wasn't enough for this girl (laughs)! Then I just dropped in to give the pilot tape of Hum Paanch to Zee. And they accepted it! At that time, Zee was the only happening channel. Then there was Padosan, Captain House and Itihaas on Doordarshan, which clicked. The TRPs of Itihaas, for instance, in the afternoon slot were better than primetime soaps. We made a load of money on that one.
How do you know the secret formula for successful serials?
There is no formula. I make mistakes in my serials all the time. Luckily they aren't irreparable as they are in films. The advantage of television is you can modify your product constantly. When Itihaas went on air, it didn't do that well. But we changed the storyline, and it worked. I guess God is on our side. And of course the letter 'K'. Moreover, I am a television viewer first. If I'm interested in an idea I'm confident viewers would be interested too. I think to be a successful serial maker you have to enjoy television as a medium. It's very simple, really. Research and analysis are no substitute for an actual appreciation of the medium.
You are accused of being a control freak.
Well I don't have the final word in marketing. But when it comes to the creative aspect the buck stops here. I'd rather pay for my own mistakes than those made by others. Frankly I do like to be in charge. But it doesn't mean if I don't approve of a creative idea, it will automatically be rejected. I'm always open to discussion and debate. But at the same time if I'm not convinced about a certain idea how can I let my company go ahead with it? Both my company and I have to be convinced about an idea. In every organisation, one person's vision is usually carried forward with the help of a capable team. We do have spats. But finally we're all on the same side. I do have about seven to eight trusted colleagues. I'd go along with their decision because they know the medium inside and out.
Do you actually contribute to the day-to-day plot development of your shows?
Every two days we have episode meetings. And once every fortnight we have a creative meeting with the whole team to discuss and dissect the shows. It's easy to get complacent with groovy TRPs. But that isn't my only aim in life.
A sense of sameness creeps into your serials when the same actors, clothes and sets are seen in two or more of your productions...
In fact we've taken a very conscious decision to avoid this. Now we have very few serials with overlapping actors. At the most, it's the sets that recur in my shows. But that is because it would be uneconomical to create new sets for every serial. I have erected eight sets, which are best in the city, where I shoot. I try to keep the sets exclusive for the first 70 episodes of every serial. If it's a serial for Star we can afford to work on a 1.5 crore set.
Why is there so much ill-will against you?
(Laughs) There are people from the television industry who say that we torture our actors. Well sometimes we do work for 30 hours at a stretch. That's when we have a deadline to meet. And when those actors don't mind, why should others? In the past, I have been accused of practising black magic on Star Plus officials to get the serials on air. It's so stupid to attribute ulterior motives to my so-called monopoly when the facts and figures are there for everyone to see. Every new Balaji show that goes on Star does better than the previous one. Today just the announcement of a new Star-Balaji soap gets advertisers interested and booked for a full year.
But how do you cope with all this bad blood?
All of it comes from within the television industry. Luckily for me people outside the industry are so full of kind compliments. I just have to live with the animosity, I guess. I am not a diplomatic smooth operator. I'm very upfront in my opinions. This annoys a lot of people. The other day, Karan Johar told me how his three blockbusters have made him the most hated figure. With the kind of reach television has, ten people have to be unsuccessful when one of my shows clicks. My father says when one of my shows goes on air four offices have to be shut down. I wish there was space in the television industry for ten people to grow simultaneously. Then I would be spared.
Do you have time for the normal passions of a girl your age?
I do have time for normal things…Believe me…I do go out with friends! That apart, I just want to concentrate on my career. At the moment I have neither the time nor the inclination for anything more.
Do men get intimidated by you?
Some of them. But not all. I am sure there are lots of men out there who're just right for me… men who aren't bothered with my bank balance or my status.
• In every organisation, one person's vision is usually carried forward with the help of a capable team
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