I believe in clutter-breaking: Ekta Kapoor (Interview)

NEW DELHI - She was crowned “queen of soap operas” and ventured into filmmaking in the late 1990s. But it is with “Love Sex Aur Dhokha” (LSD) that producer Ekta Kapoor says she has finally got critical acclaim. She said she always believed in “clutter-breaking” as she had begun her creative ventures “with something nobody else was doing”.

“I’m a bundle of nerves at the moment. I think it will take some time before everything sinks in. This is the first time I have got critical acclaim for any of my films. It feels great,” Ekta told IANS in an interview.

“Also, I’ve heard that everyone is liking it…from old to young, which actually feels nice,” she added.

Ekta, who has recently been named one of the ‘Most Influential South Asian Women Executives in the Media and Entertainment Industry 2010′, will do whatever it takes - even promote a provocative movie like LSD - to rule the film industry.

“I don’t believe in being branded…I believe in clutter-breaking. Even with Balaji Telefilms we started out with something nobody else was doing. It was all about creating a bond with the audiences,” Ekta said.

She ruled the Indian television for more than a decade with saas bahu sagas like “Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi”, “Kahaani Ghar Ghar Kii” and “Kahiin To Hoga”. In the late 1990s, she ventured into film production and co-produced films like “Kyaa Kool Hain Hum” and “Shootout At Lokhandwala” under her banner Balaji.

With LSD, Ekta has lanched a new banner. The film, which received encouraging reviews from critics, was made under the banner ALT Entertainment. She says she will continue experimenting under her new banner.

“With ALT, I’ll experiment. It might be shocking or provocative, but it will be different. My next ventures under ALT are Neeraj Pandey’s ‘Special 26′ and ‘Once Upon A Time In Mumbai’. Both are very interesting projects and may be ahead of their times,” said the 34-year-old.

When asked, what prompted her to produce LSD, Ekta gives credit to the script.

“When I read the script of LSD, I realised that it is the most interesting script I have ever read. I had seen Dibakar Banerjee’s work and I knew he had the sensitivity to do justice to a project like this.

“LSD also went well with the soul of ALT Entertainment; so I decided to take it up,” she said.

Asked about her name appearing in the ‘Most Influential South Asian Women Executives in the Media and Entertainment Industry 2010′ along with prominent personalities like Jhumpa Lahiri, Deepa Mehta, Mira Nair and Indu Jain, she said: “It makes me proud that my name was listed among such great women. It is truly an honour. South Asia is quite huge and to be selected among so many people feels great.”

The list was made by Korn/Ferry International, a global provider of talent management solutions, in consultation with the Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles (IFFLA).

(Ruchika Kher can be contacted at ruchika.k@ians.in)