Spoof on Ekta Kapoor, upsets Tusshar- Article

MUMBAI: Actress Rakhi Vijayan, who played the air-headed Sweety in Ekta Kapoor's long-running sitcom "Hum Paanch", had a bitter parting with Balaji Telefilms and it shows up in a spoof on the TV tycoon in the latest comedy "Money Hai To Honey Hai".

When Ekta heard about the spoof, she asked Rakhi about it. When the actress admitted she was indeed playing a character like Ekta, she apparently slammed the phone down on Rakhi.

"What can I say?" laughed Ekta. "I'm flattered to have moved from being a human being to mythology. When we heard about this my brother was more upset than I was," Ekta said.

Ekta's protective brother Tusshar was taken aback to see the spoof surface on the big screen.

"When I first heard about my sister being satirized in "Money Hai To Honey Hai", I asked the producers how they'd feel if we did something similar to one of them in of our films. They assured us they'd remove the scenes featuring the spoof on my sister," said Tusshar.

"Now I'm told those scenes are still there. The film is going to come and go without creating any impact. Why give it any importance? People love to pull you down when you're an icon, like Ekta. What they've done is not right. But then this industry has all kinds of people.

"I don't want to degrade my sister by over-reacting to this. But I wonder if this film's director would dare do this with a Shah Rukh, Aamir Khan or Akshay Kumar? Obviously not because as a director he wants to work with the big star, not antagonise them," he added.

This isn't the first time that Ekta is being put on screen. In a recent film, Gulshan Grover had played a superstitious, arrogant, imperious, TV tycoon inspired by Ekta.

"Is that how I'm being perceived by these people?" asked Ekta. "Well, let me tell these filmmakers I've already spoken to my lawyers. Let them put me on screen in a positive way I don't mind. But if I'm attacked for my religious beliefs or my work ethics, I'll sue the hell out of these clever filmmakers."

Tusshar says there's a difference between flattery and a spoof.

"In our production 'C Kompany', I'm named Akshay Kumar. I'm an ordinary Mumbai middleclass guy who is a crime reporter and acquires a macho heroic image through his name. My name is so much in contrast to my character. We're actually paying a homage to Akshay."

Producer Kumar Mangat, however, completely brushes aside the resemblance to Ekta in his film.

"We didn't even have Ekta in mind when we did the character. No, Tusshar didn't speak to me directly, but he did send me a message through someone. I told him to see the film and decide. I don't think the character is offensive."