Ekta Kapoor

Ekta Kapoor is probably one of the most famous female entrepreneurs of our time. Born to former Bollywood star Jitendra and Shobha Kapoor, Ekta’s claim to fame has not been her genetics but her work. She is one of the most dynamic and enterprising businesswomen of India.

Ekta Kapoor is singularly responsible for changing the face of Indian soap operas. She gave the term family entertainment a whole new meaning. She entered TV-serial production at the age of 19 and very soon completely dominated it. As creative head of her company, Balaji Telefilms, Ekta has produced many serials, the most popular being “Kyunki Saan Bhi Kabhi Bhu thi” which began in 2000 and went on to dominate prime time television for a record number of years. With her very first serial, “Hum Paanch”, she managed to capture the imagination of the audience and has not looked back since. Her company Balaji Telefilms has climbed to unprecedented heights with her at the helm. The satellite boom in India is rightly credited to her and she was rightly awarded with the Ernst & Young Startup Entrepreneur of the Year award in 2001.

Today, Balaji Telefilms is not just a television content provider, it has evolved into a media conglomerate having made forays into motion pictures, the Internet and mobile phones as well.

Apart from her serials that fetched skyrocketing TRPs, Ektaa is known for her fixation with the letter K. Apparently she was told that ‘K’ is a lucky letter for her and hence all her serials begin with the letter ‘K’. Ekta is a completely hands-on manager closely involved with all the nitty gritty aspects of her serials be it the dialogues, the artists, the sets, the costumes, the make-up, or the marketing. Her attention to detail is probably what got her to where she is today. Ekta’s success can be attributed to the fact that she was present at the right place at the right time. It was because she was able to identify the niche market and cater to it successfully that she today finds herself in the list of female entrepreneurs of India.