ALTBalaji, the streaming service started by Ektaa R. Kapoor, the undisputed queen of Indian television, turned five a few days ago. The streamer is part of Balaji Telefilms, which was started by her and her parents Jeetendra Kapoor and Shobha Kapoor in 1994 and is the single largest television content producer in South Asia. Recently, the hitherto SVOD-only ALTBalaji added an AVOD offering, which caters to 10 million monthly active users. Overall, the platform has 35 million subscribers with 2.9...
Balaji Telefilms
Ekta
Kapoor
Joint Managing Director / Creative Director
When Kapoor accepted her International Emmy Directorate Award in November, becoming the first Indian woman to be so honored, she recalled how she and her mother, Shobha Kapoor, started Balaji Telefilms from their garage in 1994 and were frequently referred to as “lady producers.” Given that her father is Jeetendra, star of approximately 200 Indian films, it was likely a nice garage, but that doesn’t negate the unseemliness of the comment or the magnitude of their accomplishments, which include the 2023 Netflix comedy-mystery feature “Kathal.” Kapoor created many of Balaji’s series, such as recent releases “Leaked!” and “Badtameez Dil” and the long-running soap operas “Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi” and “Kumkum Bhagya.” Film-wise, her current slate includes Nanda Kishore’s epic “Vrushabha” and Hansal Mehta’s “The Buckingham Murders.” The company also owns streaming service ALTBalaji, founded in 2017.
