Ekta Kapoor: No Rupert Murdoch

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Posted: 18 years ago

Ekta Kapoor: No Rupert Murdoch
By: The HiTLIST Team
September 7, 2007

In an explosive interview with a TV magazine, actor Nikkhil Arya takes on the mighty Balaji soap queen (and how!)

The September issue of Showtime, which hits the stands today, has telly actor Nikkhil Arya (Kasturi) proclaiming: "My mama never raised a chicken, so if somebody wants me to be a puppet, it's never going to happen."

The 'somebody' he's referring to is Balaji czarina Ekta Kapoor. In a no-holds-barred interview to the magazine, Nikkhil admits that after his explosive quotes on Kapoor, her lieutenant Nivedita Basu and actress Nandini Singh, he really does not know what his future in TV will be like. Here are some extracts from the interview.

On Ekta Kapoor

MUJHE KUCH KEHNA HAI: Nikkhil Arya

"When you share a good rapport with Ekta, professionally and even on a personal level, and when you are about 30 private dinners old, then you have no reason to suspect someone's intentions."

"We are not talking about some Rupert Murdoch here. We're not even talking about the creator of a huge production house like a Reverend Aditya Chopra or Mr Yash Chopra. So getting banned by a certain faction with due respect to Ekta Kapoor should not stop me from continuing to spread my acting fragrance."

On Balaji

"Everyone has noticed what happened to a certain Karam Apna Apna Apna without Iqbal Khan. Or what happened to a certain Kahiin To Hoga without Rajeev Khandelwal. Or what could happen to Kasamh Se without Ram Kapoor. You must realise that a great producer must be great but credit must be given where it is due."

I find it very funny that there's a certain someone (referring to Eijaz Khan) who's been so nasty regarding her in print and he's got away with it. I guess he is really connected that's why she never says anything about him. I don't know why she has chosen me. I think the industry knows more about Nandini than even I do. They know the truth, that a certain someone is bullshitting."

What Ekta has to say

It is clearly a case of sour grapes. I am shocked that he could say all this, after all, he was launched by us in Kesar! I've known Nikkhil socially, but that doesn't mean I mix my personal and professional life.

We gave him the best we could. I agree our production house is too small compared to the stalwarts he has mentioned, but it's not as if we held a gun to his head and prevented him from working elsewhere.

If I had to display all the back-stabbing wounds my actors have made, my back would resemble a coral reef!