MUMBAI: Balaji Telefilms founder Ekta Kapoor said the rise of connected TVs will finally bring women-centric, urban-mass storytelling back into the digital ecosystem after years of streaming platforms skewing heavily toward male audiences. She was speaking at a fireside chat with YouTube India director Gunjan Soni at the CII Big Picture Summit 2025.

Soni opened the session by introducing Kapoor as one of India’s most influential media figures, recalling her “unconventional and inspiring” career trajectory. Kapoor traced that journey back to age 16, when she first joined her father Jeetendra’s early production venture. 

Her break in drama came only after years of struggle. Broadcasters repeatedly dismissed her as “too young” to handle primetime narratives, pushing her instead toward comedy. Her opportunity in drama arrived unexpectedly in the South, where veteran actor Rajinikanth endorsed her work. 

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Kapoor explained the emotional engine behind Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi came from observing the universal, often unspoken tensions between mothers-in-law and daughters-in-law. Society expects men to pass their legacy to sons naturally, she explained, while daughters-in-law are expected to uproot themselves, adopt a new family as their own, and navigate the baggage their mothers-in-law carry from their own experiences. 

“What is natural is expected of men. What is unnatural is subjected to women as a societal norm,” she said. “It’s not that anyone is bad. It’s the unnatural expectations society places on women.”

Once she identified that “primary emotion,” the show found an enduring grip on Indian households. “Once you catch a primary emotion, you catch a home,” she said.

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Kapoor offered a glimpse of the new Kyunki season, describing it as “a contemporary twist on a classic character.” She said Tulsi, now older and more evolved, will reflect the insecurities and humour that modern women navigate, from fitness anxieties to shifting family dynamics. In one scene, Tulsi steps on a scale, is shocked by the weight, and insists the scale isn’t working. “I do that very often,” Kapoor laughed.

Tulsi’s daughter, thinking she’s being helpful, points out that her blouse doesn’t fit. “We do it so often with our mothers,” Kapoor said. “Without realizing you’re somewhere feeding the insecurity of the other person.”

When asked how the shift from broadcast to digital is influencing storytelling, Kapoor said OTT platforms initially catered disproportionately to men because subscription-led models prioritised male viewing patterns. Advertising-led TV, by contrast, historically favoured female audiences.

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“With connected TVs touching nearly 100 million homes, digital will finally have advertiser-led programming for the urban-mass woman again,” she said. That shift, she believes, will open doors for new genres, from midlife stories and workplace narratives to soft romances. “We call them Korean dramas now. I call them the Korean dramas that were Indian 10 years ago.”

She noted that digital has been “unfair to women” by neglecting female-centric content, while television has done the opposite for men. Connected TV, she said, offers a chance to correct that imbalance.

Kapoor spoke candidly about navigating a male-dominated entertainment industry, where “conversations happen on golf courses and dining tables you are not at.” Her response: build strong networks of women while remaining inclusive of men. “We need more women in leadership roles,” she said.

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Her advice to women entering the industry was unequivocal: “There’s no seat at the table? Bring your own chair—or set up your own table.”

On risk-taking, Kapoor said her fearlessness came from failure. Early in her career, she followed conventional wisdom and created “one of the biggest flops ever.” The experience taught her to trust her instincts. “You need to make a decision and go ahead and do what you need to do. And then face the consequences,” she said. “There is no other way to be.” 

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