Why Ekta Kapoor is Firing Blanks

For now, they’re just dreams in cold storage. But maybe it’s just what the doctor ordered to rid Balaji of its creative lethargy.

Over the last year, eight new shows have been launched—family dramas Kkavyanjali and Kesar, homemaker-turns-film-maker saga Kehna Hai Kuch Mujhko, teen tale Kitni Mast Hai Zindagi, thriller K Street Pali Hill, fantasy offerings Karma and King Aasman ka Raja and the most recent, Kaisa Yeh Pyar Hai. Except for the Amrita Singh starrer Kkavyanjali, none of the others have touched the four point TRP mark. Translation: Balaji only wins with the saas-bahu formula.

While oldies like Kyunki and Kahaani continue to float between 14 and 16, the alarming thing for Balaji is that their TRP ratings hovered around 20 just four months back. There also appears to be fresh danger brewing—that the genre of the family drama may be be on its last legs. A recent TAM research study states that viewership of soaps has dropped from 54 to 40 per cent over the last four years.

But at the all-white Krishna bungalow in Juhu, Mumbai, it’s a normal Sunday afternoon, the calm occasionally disturbed by the more energetic of the Kapoor family’s 22 dogs.

Today, without the business suit and off her platform heel pedestal, the 29-year-old queen of Indian television appears relaxed. On weekends, she’s back where she started—a carefree youngster, who began the production house as a garage project.

Kapoor has confirmed what she knew all along. That television doesn’t take kindly to experimentation. Kitni Mast Hai Zindagi, an assorted cast of talent hunt winners grappled to find its identity on a music channel. In order to stay afloat, protagonist Ananya was linked with three men. And as a last resort, Kapoor even introduced a strip club on the show.

The male-oriented K Street Pali Hill was doomed from the start, when lead actor Aly Khan was replaced within a week of telecast. Subsequently, the thriller morphed into a family drama. Her latest Kaisa Yeh, say detractors, is being buoyed by gimmicks, read makeovers and celeb performances. Kapoor says, “It will be my fastest-growing show, with one big bang every month.’’ Plots skidding off-course are not a new phenomenon at Balaji. Three years ago, that very reason forced Mandira Bedi to exit Kyunki. ‘When they projected me as a glam doll at 45, the story began jarring my sensibilities.’’

After years of nodding in agreement, voices of dissent within the fraternity are finally audible over the cacophony of yes-men. An old hand at Balaji and the new Pallavi on Kahaani, Achint Kaur firmly believes that you can’t repeatedly pull rabbits out of the same hat. ‘‘People are not taking to the new serials because the storyline is the same,’’ says Kaur, who’s ironically returning soon as Mandira, the vamp, on Kyunki.

While Kapoor offers multiple-choice responses, the fact is that the new shows have not lived up to their high-ranking predecessors. ‘‘Kitni gave MTV their highest TRPs and K Street was never meant to be a high grosser,’’ Kapoor insists, though it filled the same time-slot as the popular Kahiin Kissi Roz.

Post negative reviews for the Amrita Singh starrer Kkavyanjali, TRPs are a touchy topic with Kapoor. ‘‘Kkavyanjali has an eight point TRP while Jassi stagnates at four. But people still call Jassi a hit and mine a flop,’’ she shrugs.

Rajesh Joshi, a former scriptwriter on Kyunki for 750 episodes, feels Balaji’s flagship serial is already past its prime, since a drama has a shelf life of only 700 episodes. Adds Bedi, ‘‘Now, they’re definitely clutching at straws.”

Going by her recent initiative, a partnership with Pune’s Symbiosis Institute to scout for fresh talent, Kapoor seems to have spotted the flaws herself. ‘‘I’m on a nationwide hunt for new scriptwriters.’’

Applicants beware. One of the first questions at the interview will be: How late can you stay up?