The fall and fall of Ekta Kapoor

There was a time when the name Ekta Kapoor inspired dread and envy in equal measures. As the tempestuous czarina of the small screen notched up one hit after another, there seemed to be nothing the blue eyed princess of small screen cannot get away with. Turbulent tantrums, abrasive anger and an almost legendary temper, no one could cross swords with her and not face peril (read extinction from the small screen). As she ruled the smaller screen she set her sights on the bigger one- movies, which ultimately heralded her free fall. Her Bollywood ventures did not live up to the enormous hype and she eventually gave it more of her time thereby neglecting television, her bread and butter! A producer whose volatile temper was well documented and who could make or break careers with a nod of her head (She famously changed the lead actors of her serials like Kasturi and Kavyaanjali overnight apparently because of the sagging trps) finds herself in a diffident situation today. Her flagship shows have made an exit from Star and with her megalomaniacal mahabarat’s untimely demise, Ekta suddenly seems extremely vulnerable. The chinks in her armor began to appear from the time she shifted her focus to the big screen. Her unrelenting grip and complete domination over her fiefdom was compromised and other shows charged ahead. Ekta Kapoor who made coquettish vamps and unbelievable generation leaps a rage suddenly finds herself out of sync with the audience’s tastes and preferences. With only four shows on air, Balaji Telefilms is at its most vulnerable point from the time it stormed the nation’s living rooms with the rib tickling Hum Paanch. Ekta has made it to the top thanks to her unflagging spirit, gritty demeanor and never say die attitude and while no one can really write her off-time alone will tell us whether the quirky queen will stage a comeback (like many of her memorable characters) and answer her detractors or reveal her clay feet and authenticate the claims of her critics who say that she was only a flash in a pan! Over to her highness!