A show can manage without any actor’-Arti

A show can manage without any actor'

Ekta takes on Smriti Iraani and Iqbal Khan yet again!

At a recent television awards function Smriti Irani thanked Ekta Kapoor for giving her the first break, Ekta decided to give it back to Smriti on stage. Recalling the evening Ekta chuckles, "I decided to pay back her compliment. See how good I am? I was smiling throughout. Seriously, it was just friendly banter. We did get a little edgy with each other. But since we know each other so well, we can take that liberty of being humorous about each other and maintain a cordial relationship."

Future tense

So if that was just cordial banter when is 'Smriti coming back to Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi? Shrugs Ekta. "What can I say to that? Que sera sera. I'd be very happy to have Smriti back. As I said on stage that evening at the television awards, and my words were perceived to be sarcastic, Smriti has become a very busy producer now."
That brings us to Smriti's new shows as producer and actress. What is Ekta's take on them? "I won't give you a diplomatic answer to that. I think Smriti's shows reflect her personality. She's someone with very rigid opinions and has a lot to say through her serials and her characters. But I believe TV entertainment is not about projecting the producer's voice only. Smriti manages to cater to a certain section of the audience."

Just a character

Ekta admits she doesn't watch Smriti's shows regularly. "I'm too busy with my own shows. And of course we miss Smriti on Kyunki after having her on the show after six years but Tulsi is not just a face. She's a character way beyond her physicality. TRPs dip when the drama declines. A show can manage without any actor."
Ekta turns uncharacteristically undiplomatic, "More than Smriti, who is a very balanced person, someone who has really disappointed me is an actor who left us after arrogantly declaring, 'Watch my re-entry and see what happens.' Does she mean Iqbal Khan? "Yes," says Ekta. "The entry TRPs of his show (Choona Hai Aasman)were dismal. The moral of the story — do not blow your own trumpet. Because what you bring to the table as an actor is what the technical crew puts together for you. Actors in this country don't respect technicians — they make or break shows."
Ekta's blue-eyed girl Prachi Desai has been signed to play the lead opposite Farhan Akhtar. "I'm very happy she's doing a film. Though let me add I didn't get her the film." Ekta makes it clear she's fine with her actors doing films. "On the contrary, I'm happy they're trying a new medium. And a medium that allows you to play different characters. On TV, you're identified with only one character. Cinema gives an actor a much larger platform. But the kind of viewership you get on TV can never be matched by cinema. To me, cinema is silver screen, television is the golden screen."
And then Ekta's parting shot. "I'll never give up TV until it throws me out. TV is my life."