The Czarina of Content

The nine days of Navratri celebrate goddesses who embody strength in different forms; valour, compassion, creativity, austerity, devotion, justice, protection, forgiveness and wisdom. In our annual Navratri series, we celebrate the lives of nine women who strive to build happy and safe spaces for themselves and those around them.

PART - 12

Name: Ekta Kapoor | Where: Mumbai, Maharashtra

Version 2025 of the hugely popular serial, Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi is back on television and topping the ratings charts, exactly 25 years after its original avatar transformed Indian television. When Ekta Kapoor stepped into the world of television content production, with Balaji Telefilms, in 1994, she was a young woman, barely 20 years old. This year, the ‘Czarina of Indian Television’—as she is often known as—completes three successful decades in the world of content production, through television and then OTT.

Among her early creations was the lovable sitcom Hum Paanch, the father ably played by veteran actor Ashok Saraf and five young actresses playing his daughters, While the show was widely watched and appreciated for its refreshing take on family relationships, Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi catapulted Ekta into the big league of enormous recognition and success, only five years later. Those were the days when family dramas on television were fading and channels struggled for mass content. Balaji Telefilms kept Indian glued to their screens with Kahaani Ghar Ghar Kii Kasautii Zindagii Kay and many more. All of a sudden, the alphabet K was seen as the lucky charm.

Ekta gave Indian audiences drama-filled family sagas layered with a virtuous leading lady, scheming in-laws, an evil woman, men who were nothing more than fillers in the story. Avant-garde costumes, jewellery and make-up were normalised as routine domestic looks. There was drama and of course, moral conflict. These were stories that women could relate to and yet, were way larger than life. It was a popular joke that the streets would go empty when these daily soaps would be aired.

Ekta brought characters to life and gave thousands of young men and women a chance at fulfilling their dreams in tinsel town. Suburban Mumbai became home to thousands who flocked with new hopes to rise to celebrityhood. All that they needed was the attention of the ‘queen of content’.

The shows came with rightful criticism; Ekta was accused to creating ‘regressive characters’ of women who kept suffering domestic battles. But Ekta put women at the centre of her storytelling—stories of sacrifice, empowerment, survival and resilience resonated with millions of viewers, cutting across the urban-rural divide.

In a recent interview, Ekta said that awareness and innovation are key. Spotting the move from television to digital platforms, the media maven moved her content to the digital world with ALTBalaji, creating content for viewers who didn’t watch the more urbanised shows on Netlfix.

Using new ideas and concepts and new creators, she experimented with new genres—thrillers, romances, crime dramas—that broke away from the traditional saas-bahu mould.

With Balaji Telefilms, she gave viewers movies from the critically acclaimed The Dirty Picture and Udta Punjab to youth stories. Ekta gave several a launchpad to showcase their talent—as writers, moviemakers, actors, musicians and costume designers. Thirty years as a leader in an industry where people’s attention is hard to hold, isn’t a mean feat.