Balaji goes to Dubai
Ekta Kapoor sets up office there; will adapt all her K serials for the Gulf audience
Subhash K Jha
Not the least perturbed by the abrupt departure of her creative head Sandiip Sickand, Ekta is moving right ahead. She has just returned from a four-day trip to Dubai where Balaji has now opened a full-fledged office.
"This latest development is because we've decided to make soaps for the Gulf countries. As it is, they watch pirated versions of our Indian soaps. So why not make serials separately for the audience there?" she says. Making Ekta's latest brainwave easy is the fact that her popular Gujarati culture-specific soaps like Kyunkii Saans Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi are easily adaptable to the Muslim culture.
Reveals Ekta, "Whether it's a Gujarati business family or a Muslim business family, the themes are universal. The characters and their names, clothes and environment are variable. By adapting my serials to their culture, I'll have the entire Indian, Pakistani and Middle Eastern population watching my soaps."
The first of these Balaji soaps, featuring actors from the Gulf, will begin shooting in November. "We hope to have two or three soaps on air in 2007 from our Gulf office," says Ekta. "It's a new and bold step for us. I love challenges. What's life without them?"
She refuses to reveal much about the departure of her creative head Sickand. "It's a routine job change. Everyone is entitled to move on. We had no problem getting another creative head Neetu to take over Kahani Ghar Ghar Ki. In this world there's only one law that works. And that's change. Beyond that I've nothing to say," she says.
• Whether it's a Gujarati business family or a Muslim business family, the themes are universal
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