I can identify with what goes on in people's lives: Ekta Kapoor

Being the daughter of a popular Bollywood actor, Ekta Kapoor was born with a silver spoon in her mouth. But she’s made a career of depicting the problems of the middle-class on the small screen. The producer best known for her saas-bahu sagas has never been married herself or had to deal with a large family or a mother-in-law!

At the launch of her upcoming series, Home, Ekta tells us about her upbringing, how she comes up with ideas for her shows, and what home means to her.

“I did not have to face the problems of the middle class in my life. Once, my dad told me how a close friend of his had lost his house, and it was then that I decided to start making shows about the problems that the middle-class faces in today’s pseudo-aristocratic society,” Ekta says, adding that she gets her ideas just by talking to people.

“I remember, in my initial days of producing television shows, one of the writers at Balaji told me that she had to get up at 5 am to reach office by 8 am. She even carried vegetables to work so that she could cut them while travelling back home and make dinner as soon as she reached. It was upon hearing this that the show Kkusum was born,” she adds.

The producer admits that she hasn’t faced much of the hardship that most others face every day. “I have never faced these problems, and yet I get to be known as a successful businesswoman. It is these people who really work hard that are truly successful. That’s why I’ve decided to tell the story of how difficult it is for middle-class to build a home.”

“My dad had to struggle to build a home for all of us. I have no home of my own. I live with my parents, and I still get pocket money from them. I don’t even sign any cheques, I am totally dependent on my parents,” Ekta adds.

Talking about her relative inexperience with familial relationships, she says, “I am not married, and I do not have a mother-in-law. But I have made shows about them simply because I can identify with all that goes on in people’s lives. I am known for producing shows that have a certain edginess, shows with a difference. That’s why, for me, Nagin can also be made into a successful show.”