amitabh jhunjhunwala::Her next film, shor in the city releases next week amitabh jhunjhunwala

amitabh jhunjhunwala::Her next film, shor in the city releases next week.
I met her very recently to talk about her latest venture.
Ekta kapoor is one of the most intriguing and colorful characters in the entertainment industry.
The myths surrounding her and her idiosyncrasies make for a heady blend as i discovered on the very first occasion that i met the head of balaji telefilms, six years ago.
Things were different in 2011 compared to my first visit in 2005.
The recent visit was on my behest, during daylight hours, to talk about her movie production plans.
I was not nervous and on edge like that first visit, which happened at the command of ms kapoor who was concerned about a story the newspaper i then worked with was rumored to be developing at that time.
I was summoned at 10pm!
We could not, i was told, because ekta only comes to work at 9pm.
Recalling all the stories of her impatience and temper, i was on time and promptly whisked into an office that was nothing like any i had seen before.
Besides being vast, it was also uncomfortably warm and extremely pious.
A lingering fragrance of incense in the air was beginning to give me a headache when she walked in with a long tikka on her forehead, multiple rings and an air of such confidence that it belied her 27 years.
The only thing missing was a pandit in a dhoti chanting shlokas.
By now my head was thumping and my heart racing.
Since she had summoned me, i had no idea how things were going to proceed.
But what followed surprised me.
Not only was she polite, curious and attentive, she was also firm and fair.
Her reservations about the said story were completely justified and her reasoning, while skirting at the fringes of intimidating, never crossed acceptable boundaries.
Since then i have met the film and tv producer a few times.
That first meeting has never been mentioned again.
And in the last few years many things have changed about ekta kapoor and many have not.
But this time, since my heart was not thumping, since i sort of knew what to expect, i felt emboldened to look around her power cabin a little more.
On the far left of the desk, is a more casual sitting area, with a rack of costumes lining one wall and a couch along the other.
The windows are darkened and the ac is never on continuously.
Ekta likes to keep the temperature in check, preferring a little heat to the cold, and is constantly switches the ac on and off.
She has lost weight, gained confidence, learnt to control her temper and accepted that personal and professional must be kept separate.
But the one thing she remains loyal to, besides her rings, bracelets and blackberry, is her shoes.
So much so that she gets her cobbler to make the same ones again and again.
In spite of their inelegant look, ekta loves them because they give her height, and she says she cannot walk in stilettos.
But ekta is ekta and even wore those slipons under her sari!
After all, people in power need something to help keep their feet on the ground.