Women and Entrepreneurship

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BTL productions were lavishly presented and slickly marketed. Most its new serials could easily sail through on the basis of its past successes, but Ekta Kapoor ensured that nothing was left to chance. She advertised constantly to create visibility. In fact, she even made some of the characters in her serials praise other serials. For instance, some of the characters in the serials are shown discussing her other serials or finishing housework quickly to catch up with them. Her unique style of naming the serials (all names started with K and all the titles were structured in a strange manner) also drew the attention of viewers. She was once advised by an astrologer that the letter 'K' would be lucky for her. As a result, she started naming all her serials with K. According to Ekta, ninety percent of her serials beginning with that letter have been successful, so she does not see the need to change the practice. On the human resources front, Ekta Kapoor seemed to be something of an autocrat. She yelled at her subordinates as she believed that if she did not shout, things would not get done. She was also completely indifferent to star status and expected all the actors in her serials to toe her line. Erring or rebellious actors were replaced by others, or the character done away with in the serial to dispense with the actor.

Analysts felt that Ekta Kapoor was able to succeed because of some of the shrewd business decisions she took. Firstly, she did not depend on any one channel, but catered to a wide range of channels. This reduced over dependence on one channel. Secondly, BTL diversified risk by distributing resources between commissioned and sponsored serials.⁶ This ensured a good mix of risk and returns. Thirdly, the cost of production was kept under control by shooting most of the serials in BTL's own studios. In addition, the actors were also employed on a contractual basis which gave the producer more control over them. This contract system also helped BTL reduce costs. In 2001, Kapoor was selected by the Confederation of Indian Industries, (CII) to head the committee on entertainment. She also received a number of awards in the early 21st century. Some of the awards are: One of "Asia's 50 most Powerful Communicators," from Asiaweek magazine in 2001; Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year in 2001; "Corporate Excellence" from Bharat Petroleum in 2002; and "Rajiv Gandhi Award" in 2002. The entrepreneurial style of Ekta Kapoor may smack of authoritarianism, but analysts felt her refusal to compromise on quality and her attention to detail contributed greatly to her success. Her perfectionism seemed to have helped make BTL one of the most powerful television software companies of the 2000s.

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6] Commissioned serials are those whose rights the broadcaster (in this case the channel) buys for a fee. These represent a low risk option for a producer as the returns are assured. Sponsored programs are sold by the producer to advertisers, and the proceeds of the sale belong to the producer. The channel does not buy the rights to the serial; it only offers a slot in which to telecast it, for a fee.

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