Ekta moves out

Ekta moves out

"It's just a normal process of growing up," she says, as she shifts into her own apartment

Subhash K Jha

Papa Jeetendra's little girl is a big girl now. Ekta Kapoor has moved into her own swanky apartment. "Yes, I've moved into my own apartment," she says. "But do we have to make it public? It's just a  normal process of growing up. I'm staying right next to my  parent's home. So my parents are just a stone's throw away. I almost can't believe I've moved  into my own place, though."

Ekta's new home has its own office where she now conducts her business without needing to rush in and out of Balaji Telefilms' headquarters at unearthly hours.

Not only that. Further proof  of Ekta's coming of age is the adult peep into the show world, Kandy Floss. "The other evening I was at a movie hall. And people came up to me to ask me  only about what they are going to see next in Kandy Floss," says Ekta. "The show has found   wide acceptability  among  the youth. Actually, I'm shocked at the response to Kandy Floss.  I hope the people who make all those irreverent comments take responsibility for what they say. The show is pushing the envelope, and there's bound to be some irreverence."

In this week's episode two TV actors Shabbir Ahluwalia and  Akashdeep Sehgal are asked to compare Aishwarya Rai with any fruit of their choice. Ekta laughs, "I certainly don't agree with some of the things said and done on Kandy Floss," she says. "Seriously speaking, I like the fact that the show gives these people    a platform  to have their say. It's time we learnt to express our views openly. It's far better than getting bitchy behind people's back."

A forthcoming episode features Aryan Vaid and Zulfi Syed talking about the casting couch. Another episode gets Smriti Malhotra and Meghna Naidu together for a  debate on morality. Says Ekta, "I'm not even looking at big-screen celebrities. But the way things are going, soon everyone would want to be on the show. So far no one we've invited has refused."

Now Ekta  is encouraged to try her hand  at  more non-fiction. "I'm planning to make a  reality show by next year," she says. "Reality has opened up new frontiers   on television. My  reality  show will involve the common  man in it." As for the impending generation leap on Kyunkii Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi, Ekta has pushed it back to take place on her birthday, on June 7.