Ekta Kapoor: We have to respect cultures when we go to peoples' homes

For several years Ekta Kapoor dismissed accusations of adding to the depleting pool of content on television with a Dont like it dont watch it Yet chatter about the offerings on her digital platform being superior to the apparent inanity on TV is testimony to her creative genius Soon after the release of Bose Dead Or Alive which dips into the subject of the freedom fighters life after his speculated death Kapoor talks about the lessons shes learnt that fuel the decision for segregated content What comes to the fore is her unparalleled business prowessExcerpts from the conversationSubhash Chandra Bose is the first public figure on whose life youve decided to make a web series What about his story inspired youI came across news pieces which spoke about these strongly suggested spottings of Bose There were conspiracies about the crash that apparently killed him So I started to Google him And each time I read something I was pushed onto another link Every link introduces you to another conspiracy So I hope this show makes you think and realise that if Bose were alive after his speculated death what could have happened If he chose to stay in hiding why was thatEkta KapoorBoses daughter Anita had alluded that it was time people stopped bringing up the possibility of Bose surviving the crash Did you interact with her as part of the preparations or to seek permissionsWe did not take any permissions from Boses family Hes a national figure and we havent spoken about any personal issues that werent documented As far as Im concerned if you are highlighting a political figures life you have to be fearless You cant worry about who will be offended and who wont I dont care This is the simple belief of my life When I read that Bose met Hitler I was shocked I wondered what was he thinking He was allowing himself to look bad before the people of India That is unlike what politicians do The man didnt care how he looked His aim was clear independence In todays world we need someone like himTheres a very clear distinction in the kind of content you create for each mediumHonestly the first time I made LSD Love Sex Aur Dhokha 2010 people were shocked that I even knew the word sex They thought I was someone who could only make sanskari shows They forgot that I was a single girl living in Bombay The brand Balaji Studio is synonymous with family entertainment After LSD came out of this brand people told me they didnt expect this from me So we created two brands that were at odds with each other We have to respect cultures when we go to peoples homes When you watch a TV show your grandmother nephews and nieces do so togetherRajkummar Rao in Bose Dead Or Alive PicAFPSo you have to watch entertainment that doesnt hurt sentiments When youre alone youre a different person The different content is catered to the distinct personas of people Theres communal viewing TV And then theres personal viewing which happens on the mobile phone When youre home alone you are making a choice for yourself Thus we are catering to different audiences Even the web audience is so distinct An urban girl living in Mumbai may enjoy a Test Case A single man who is interested in political thrillers will like Bose My mom will like Karle Tu Bhi Mohabbat A young girl from Bareilly one who is trying to break away from forced moral rules imposed on her will like Dev DDI remember I had this TV show called Ajeeb Dastaan Hai Yeh where a woman whose husband was horrible to her had a mental connection with another man The audience didnt watch it I was so upset Some women said our husbands dont let us watch it So I was like okay well give you what you want on your phone Now lets see who stops youTheres constantly a discussion on the depleting quality of content on Indian TVTV does a lot to promote acceptable social values It showcases working girls who also support families For me its very important that all of my heroines be involved with some or the other NGO on the show None of my girls are unemployed All of them are working girls Of course if its a drama theyre getting kidnapped and all but theres always a conversation about work in all my shows We have taken on social issues too But I cant show sexIs there any other public figure on whose life youll make a showI had wanted to make one on Gayatri Devi but it didnt materialise Theres a lot of discussion around the filming of your next Kedarnath in the tough terrains Did you interact with the unitI was there for one day and I dont know how they survived When I reached I was in shock Theres no civilization There are four or five stalls of food and for several kilometres theres no civilization There was no food Keto diet was the most impossible thing to do there laughs Gattu Abhishek Kapoor director had five people in his room The heater would be on for five minutes and would turn off for 10 Wed take turns to sit near it It was a noisy one but that didnt matter then You cant hear a sound after 8 pm It was scary If you need medication and if the helicopter cant reach what will you do The pitthoos porters were amazing They were these guys carrying huge people I dont know why people dont pick this up as human labour Their agility made me jealousCatch up on all the latest entertainment news and gossip hereDownload the new midday Android and iOS apps to get updates on all the latest and trending stories on the go