‘Ekta Kapoor Has Ruined TV Industry’: Varun Badola Slams Profit-Driven Content

TV actor Varun Badola has been a well-known name on Indian television for many years and recently he has also started working on streaming. In a recent interview, Varun talked about the state of Indian television and how Ekta Kapoor has ruled this medium in the last few years. He said that he once talked to Ekta about what kind of shows she was making, but he realized that she was not ready to listen.

Speaking about Ekta Kapoor, Varun said on the 'Zindagi with Richa' YouTube channel, 'More than spoiling the content on TV, Ekta Kapoor changed the face of Indian television, be it for good or bad. She went from strength to strength because the shows were making money. When corporates get involved in our industry, they don't care about art, they only want to make money. Ekta once said in an interview that if you want to make a show your way, invest your money and make it and she wasn't wrong. You have to deal with a lot of pressure.'

Varun Badola vents out his anger on Ekta Kapoor

Varun Badola said, 'When people say that B-tier and C-tier audiences like to watch such content, I don't agree with it. When good shows came on DD, people were watching them even then. Mahabharata and Ramayana were watched a lot during the lockdown. I think people watch regressive shows as comedy. Ekta saw an opportunity and she took advantage of it. Hum Paanch, Koshish... Ek Aasha were her shows and I discussed this with a lady from Star Plus who was against 'Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi'. She was educated and was wondering if it was right to show such content to the audience. But they ignored her and started the show.'

No problem with Ekta's problem

When asked further if these comments bother Ekta, Varun Badola said, 'With Kahaani Ghar Ghar Ki, all the sets looked the same but still they didn't listen to her. And see how the shows became very popular. Balika Vadhu was a better show, it had different elements. People are influenced by TV, so the first thing we were always told was that the show should be interesting.'

Ekta did not listen

He further said, 'Initially I expressed my disagreement with Ekta regarding the content but I knew then that she is not someone who will listen to me. I was just a small actor then. She took advantage of an opportunity and being a business woman, she had every right to do so. I do not agree with any of her shows, I even told her that I will do something else other than her show. After 'Kyas', I did not do anything with Balaji till 'Apharan'. She knows that I am an actor with a very different mindset.'