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Ektaa R Kapoor: OTT and TV complement each other

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Television czarina Ektaa R Kapoor is known for giving the audience more relatable and variety of content. She has seen how the industry has evolved with time and also how OTT has changed the dynamics.

In a conversation with IANS, she opens up about her journey in the television industry and also shares how the content has changed with time.

Ektaa elaborated on her journey in the television industry and says: “I feel like a fossil at times. I feel like television has got everything to do with escapism and very little to do with just content, it’s a lot of suspension of reality.

“People want to have really clean entertainment and that is one thing that hasn’t changed on television but a lot of new age stories are coming up and this is one thing that I have learnt. My journey has been nothing more than almost 26 years of doing something that I probably love and believe in.”

Ektaa started her career at the age of 17 as an intern with ad and feature filmmaker Kailash Surendranath. After facing a number of failures, her 1995 sitcom, ‘Hum Paanch’ was her first success in the industry.

So, it was not a cakewalk for her and how she look at the ups and downs, she replies: “I feel every year, a new trend comes, a new writing pattern comes and one has to innovate, sometimes you know escapism on TV is a big form of entertainment and then few years later it becomes relatable, all the shows starts taking over. Everytime this happens there’s a change of taste, you are coming home everyday and there’s a difference in the entertainment you are consuming.”

“I feel I have to innovate and when I do that I feel there’s a new era and a whole new type of audience I open up to. I think, for example when I did ‘Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi’ with big sets and clothes, then I did ‘Balika Vadhu’ – a new era has arrived and then i did ‘Pavitra Rishta’ to update myself, to basically reinvent the audience and their choices. I wanted a relatable look with an aspiration, then it was opposite, then I did ‘Bade Acche Lagte Hai’ . It was a different kind of escapism. I realised that every few years ‘I had to reinvent’.”

After making her mark in the television industry, Ektaa launched her digital platform ALTBalaji in April 2017, recently it has completed five years and given some remarkable projects among which the latest one is ‘Lock Upp’. The producer talks about how OTT has changed the entire scenario and influenced the television content.

“OTT itself has so much experimentation because it has so much of specification as far as the audience identification goes and then the content gets into exactly to the target audience. Unlike TV which is more like one size fits all. So, they both come from a different mindset. OTT and TV are not eating into each other’s market, nor are they helping each other change or becoming catalysts in each other’s growth.”

Bollywood

Mumbai: Farhan Akhtar’s Family Driver Misuses Actor’s Cards To Fill His Pockets, Booked For ₹12 Lakh Fraud

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Mumbai: The police have registered a case against the driver of actor Farhan Akhtar’s mother, Honey Irani, and an employee of a petrol pump near Bandra Lake. The accused driver, Naresh Singh, 35, used Akhtar’s cards to fill fuel in Irani’s cars. However, he merely swiped the cards at the petrol pump and an employee there, Arun Singh, 52, gave him cash after keeping his share for the deal.

On October 1, Irani’s manager filed a complaint with the Bandra police against Singh and the petrol pump employee for allegedly cheating them of Rs 12 lakh. According to the FIR, Irani’s manager, Diya Bhatia, 36, while checking the fuel accounts, discovered that a Maruti car with a diesel capacity of 35t was recorded as having received 621t.

When Bhatia questioned Singh, he gave unsatisfactory answers, claiming he only had one card to fill petrol and diesel. The manager examined the cards’ history. She discovered that Singh had used three cards, all registered under Akhtar’s name. She further found that Singh had purchased vehicle oil for a car that had been sold seven years ago. She arranged a meeting with Trani, during which Singh confessed to cheating them.

Singh revealed that in 2022, he obtained three cards from Akhtar’s former driver, Santosh Kumar. After obtaining the cards, he always filled petrol and diesel at the SV Road petrol pump near Bandra Lake, where he conspired with the petrol pump employee. Singh frequently swiped the cards without filling petrol or diesel and was given cash after a deduction of Rs 1,000- 1500.

A case has been registered under Sections 318 (criminal breach of trust), 418 (cheating), and 3(5) (general provisions) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.

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‘Stranger Asked For Nude Pics’: Akshay Kumar Reveals Daughter’s Disturbing Online Game Incident; Warns Parents Of Cyber Threats

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Mumbai: Bollywood star Akshay Kumar, known for keeping his personal life private, revealed a disturbing incident involving his 13-year-old daughter. Speaking at a cyber awareness program, the actor recounted how an unknown individual tried to target his daughter while she was playing an online video game.

Kumar explained, “A few months ago, my daughter was playing an online game. Some games allow interaction with strangers. While she was playing, she received messages like ‘Thank you,’ ‘That was great,’ ‘You’re doing so well,’ ‘Fantastic’ – very courteous messages that seemed harmless.”

However, the tone soon changed. “Suddenly, the person asked where she was from. She replied, ‘Mumbai.’ The conversation continued politely at first, but then the stranger asked, ‘Are you male or female?’ She answered, ‘Female.’ Shockingly, the stranger then requested her to send nude pictures,” Akshay said.

Nitara immediately closed the game and informed her mother, Twinkle Khanna, about the incident. Akshay praised his daughter’s quick thinking and her decision to share the matter with her parents.

“This is exactly how such incidents start. Children are often trapped online, later extorted for money, and in many cases, these crimes have even led to suicides,” Kumar warned.

The actor urged parents to closely monitor their children’s online activities and stressed the importance of awareness about the dangers on gaming and social platforms.

“Parents must educate their children, supervise online interactions, and teach them how to respond to strangers in digital spaces,” he added.

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Rani Mukerji-starrer ‘Mardaani 3’ poster unveiled on first day of Navratri

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Mumbai, Sep 22: On the first day of Navratri, the makers of “Mardaani 3” unveiled a new poster of the upcoming film setting up an epic battle between good and evil.

Yash Raj Films’ on Monday shared the poster on Instagram. The poster focuses on a close-up of Rani’s hand holding a black handgun, pointing downward. The blurry background features a yellow police barricade with the text “DELHI POLICE” prominently visible.

The caption read: “On the auspicious Day 1 of Navratri, here’s to celebrating the victory of good over evil. #RaniMukerji returns as top cop Shivani Shivaji Roy in Mardaani 3 to investigate the most challenging case of her career. #Mardaani3 in cinemas 27th February, 2026.

Directed by Abhiraj Minawala, the film is slated to release on February 27, 2026.

‘Mardaani’, produced by Yash Raj Films, is the biggest solo female-led franchise in Hindi cinema which came into force 11 years ago. The film franchise has since garnered love and acclaim for its taut storytelling. The blockbuster franchise has received unanimous love from people and has attained a cult status amongst cine-lovers.

‘Mardaani 3’ will see Rani Mukerji reprise the role of a daredevil cop, Shivani Shivaji Roy, who selflessly fights for justice.

Rani had earlier revealed that the edge of the seat thriller is ‘dark, deadly and brutal’ and it immediately piqued curiosity amongst netizens, the fans of the star and the franchise.

‘Mardaani’, which was released in 2014, was directed by Pradeep Sarkar. The second instalment was directed by Gopi Puthran, who wrote the first part of the film franchise.

While ‘Mardaani’ followed the story of human-trafficking, ‘Mardaani 2’, which was released in 2019, followed the story of a psychopath, rapist and murderer. The film franchise is known for sketching dreadful characters of its villains who are eventually countered by the titular character symbolising the victory of good over evil.

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