Ekta Kapoor

Ekta R. Kapoor (born 7 June 1975) is an Indian television and film producer, known for her work in Hindi television and Bollywood cinema. She is the founder of Balaji Telefilms Limited, where she serves as joint managing director and creative head. Kapoor began her career at the age of 17 and became known for producing a large number of television soap operas in Hindi, many of which gained significant popularity during the late 1990s and 2000s. Her biggest success came in 2000 with Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi on StarPlus which had the highest TRP for an Indian serial with 22.4 and was the most successful serial at its time. She followed it with Kahaani Ghar Ghar Kii (2000) and Kasautii Zindagii Kay (2001) to become the Queen of Indian television. In 2001, Balaji Motion Pictures was launched and produced several films including The Dirty Picture, Lootera, Main Tera Hero, Dream Girl, Crew, and The Sabarmati Report. In April 2017, she launched ALTBalaji, a video on demand platform. In 2025, this app was banned by the Government of India on OTT Platforms for over obscene and vulgar content.In 2017, Kapoor also launched her biography, Kingdom of the Soap Queen: The Story of Balaji Telefilms. Kapoor was honored with the Padma Shri in 2020 for her work in the field of arts. She is also honored with the 2023 International Emmy Directorate Award at the 51st International Emmy Awards.