Ekta Kapoor, the daughter of Ravinder Kapoor (also known as Jeetendra), a renowned Hindi film star from the 1960s to 1980s, had a financially comfortable but emotionally difficult childhood. Her mother, Shobha Kapoor, is the CEO of BTL, and her younger brother Tushar Kapoor is pursuing an acting career in Hindi movies. Ekta faced challenges with obesity and low self-esteem during her early years. Although she was privileged, she lacked motivation to pursue any objectives.
Ekta, a student of Bombay Scottish School and Mithibai College, had a mediocre academic performance and was content with meeting the minimum passing requirements. Although her family wanted her to pursue an MBA, she lacked interest in theoretical education and had no direction for her future. She identified herself as overweight, lacking motivation, and having no defined objectives. The only activity that held her interest was watching television, something she did whenever possible.
Ekta felt remorseful for letting her parents down, but she had limited ability to rectify the predicament. Upon completing her secondary education, Ekta became part of FAR Productions, an advertising agency, where she briefly served as an assistant model coordinator to make a significant impact. However, the crucial turning point in Ekta’s life emerged during the early 1990s when Ketan Sommaya, a non-resident Indian, approached her father to create television programming for a channel he was launching. This event proved transformative for Ekta since she was approximately 19 years old at that time.
Ekta revolutionized Indian television by introducing daily serials, instead of the usual weekly episodes that were popular at the time. At the start of her career in television software development, most serials were only shown once a week.
A Modest Start For A Superstar’s Daughter
After obtaining her bachelor’s degree in Commerce, Ekta started her production house, Balaji Telefilms, in 1994 with advice and financial support from her father. Unfortunately, her first six pilots and three filmed ventures were unsuccessful. However, in 1995, the comedy series Hum Paanch, featuring five sisters, a nagging mother, and their hapless father, achieved some relative success. Throughout the 90s, the company continued with moderately successful television shows like Mano Ya Na Mano (1995), Dhun Dhamaka (1996), Captain House (1998), Padosan (1998), and Itihaas (1997-99), but none had a significant impact. Kanyadaan (1999) gained moderate popularity. It was only around the year 2000 that Ekta was able to seize the opportunity presented by the satellite television revolution in India and achieve astonishing results.
In the early 2000s, there were shows that had a profound impact on the Indian people. Two of the most popular ones were Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi and Kahaani Ghar Ghar Kii, both launched in 2000. These shows introduced viewers to intense and dramatic soap operas with high-quality pictures, unlike the grainy broadcasts of the 90s. Balaji Telefilms experienced great success with these shows and quickly expanded with other “K-serials” like Kalash (2001), Kaahin Kissii Roz (2001), Kkusum (2001), and Kabhii Sautan Kabhii Sahelii (2002). By 2005, Balaji Telefilms dominated Indian television across all major networks and channels, even branching out into the Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam, and Telugu markets.
By this time, she had taken on multiple roles at Balaji Telefilms, including Joint Managing Director, Director, and Member of the Shareholders Committee. However, there were some issues arising from the monopoly as it resulted in oversaturation for viewers. In 2008, several of her soap operas saw a decline in popularity. The landmark show, Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi, suffered a significant decrease in TRPs due to its excessive plot devices such as multiple deaths, kidnappings, and even reincarnations, which the public found difficult to digest. Despite the lead character being portrayed by a different actress than when the show began, it ultimately got canceled. Additionally, other shows like Kahaani Ghar Ghar Kii and Kasautii Zindagii Kay also faced cancellations in the same year. However, even before 2008, things were looking bleak. Nevertheless, being the entrepreneur she is, Ekta started expanding Balaji Telefilms’ influence in other domains.
Ekta’s Big Screen Releases
Starting with Kyo Kii… Main Jhuth Nahin Bolta in 2001, Ekta branched out into Bollywood movie production. She continued with Kucch To Hai and Krishna Cottage in 2003 and 2004, both centered around supernatural themes. However, despite already producing four films between 2001 and 2004, they did not perform well at the box office and were also criticized by the critics. Amidst Ekta’s uncertain period in television in 2005, she produced a surprise box office hit comedy film called Kya Kool Hai Hum. The movie starred her brother, Tusshar Kapoor and became one of the highest-grossing films of the year. In 2007, Shootout at Lokhandwala was another successful film that topped the box office charts. This movie drew inspiration from Martin Scorsese’s Goodfellas and featured Amitabh Bachchan and Sanjay Dutt in leading roles.
Despite the failure of her film EMI in 2008, Ekta took a daring leap in 2010 by producing Dibakar Banerjee’s highly-acclaimed Love Sex aur Dhoka. The movie achieved a gross of approximately 7 carreers and received much critical acclaim. Additionally, in 2010, her production Once Upon a Time in Mumbai earned over 58 crore, although it had a mixed reception from critics. The years 2010 and 2011 proved to be significant for Ekta, as she experienced both critical and commercial success with films like Love Sex aur Dhokha, Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai, Shor in the City, Ragini MMS, and The Dirty Picture. Her future projects consist of Kyaa Super Kool Hai Hum, Lootera, Shootout at Wadala, Rock The Shaadi, and Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai 2.
Ekta has an estimated net worth of around 1.32 crore rupees and earns an annual salary of Rs. 66,30,000. She has won several awards in the television and film industry and has been recognized as one of Asia’s Most Powerful Communicators by Asia-week magazine. Despite her personal life remaining a mystery, Ekta is known for her impressive and inspiring professional persona. With nearly 20 years of experience, she has the flexibility to adapt to the changing needs of her audience. Her entrepreneurial style is highly regarded.
Ekta was a fully immersed manager. She had a deep involvement in all aspects of her serials, including the script, cast, sets, character wardrobe and makeup, as well as the marketing. As the creative lead at BTL, she generated all the story concepts.
Although she did not personally write the scripts for the series, she oversaw a group of associate creative directors and executive producers who were responsible for writing them.
Ekta personally auditioned actors for the various parts in the series, as she believed she had a talent for selecting suitable faces for each role. However, she faced a lot of criticism for her serials and her demeanor. In terms of human resources, Ekta’s behavior was unpredictable; she gained a reputation as a tough boss and many of her subordinates hesitated to approach her office. What is it that makes Ekta successful?
Analysts believe that Ekta’s success is attributed to being at the right place and time, as well as effectively identifying and serving a specific market.
Despite concerns about its sustainability, BTL has achieved significant success in a short time. Ekta Kapoor, known as the Queen of the Indian Television Industry for many years, has been criticized for her excessive and sometimes hard-to-digest soap operas over the past two decades. However, Balaji Telefilms has aired more than 15,000 hours of television content and produced over 80 different television programs in six languages since its inception. Furthermore, as of 2011, Kapoor has produced 11 films with three more scheduled for release in the same year.
In 2009, her net worth was Rs.148 Crores but suffered a substantial 70% loss in wealth due to the stock market crash that year. This decline was primarily caused by the severe impact on Balaji telefilms’ stock price, affecting not only her finances but also her personal life and lifestyle.
Living in Mumbai, Ekta Kapoor, known as the Big Momma of the television industry, is actually quite close to her own mother. Despite proudly moving into her own luxurious apartment two years ago, Ekta has returned to her parents’ home. She leads a well-balanced lifestyle, following her father’s advice by conducting all evening meetings at her home. Additionally, she dutifully and consistently fulfills her responsibilities.
