Despite stiff opposition from all quarters including the parent channel, Ekta Kapoor is going ahead with her serial Betaab Dil Ki Tamanna Hai based on the Shiney Ahuja incident.
Getting cold feet at the thought of recent headlines in a soap format Sony’s Vice President of Marketing Danish Khan says, “We do have problems with some aspects of Betaab Dil Ki Tamanna Hai. But nothing, that can’t be sorted out. It’s a serial that goes into the realistic space and we just need to cover our bases. Ekta is doing another serials for us, which are far larger-than-life in format.”
However channel sources insist the differences are far more serious than they are made out to be.
Ekta says angrily, “I will pull out the serial. But I won’t make any changes. Betaab Dil Ki Tamanna Hai was born from my genuine concern about the lives of the maidservants in Mumbai. What makes them vulnerable to sexual attack in a city that’s supposed to provide safety to women from all sections of society?”
Ekta says she has done extensive research on the subject. “And what I came to know shocked me. The Shiney Ahuja incident is not an isolated one. Men from the highest sections of society get sexually and emotionally attracted to their house help. I wanted to explore this fatal attraction.”
Ekta says she won’t let the channel come in the way of her creative freedom. “Ten years ago, when I did Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu thi, and Kahani Ghar Ghar Ki that was my reality. People may say those things that I showed in these soaps were fantasies. But the sexual and emotional politics and dynamics of a large business family were real. After Kyunki and Kahani… there were twenty rip-offs. Now I’ve moved on. Now the reality of the Indian middleclass interests me. Whether it’s the suicide of farmers in Bairi Piya, or the exploitation of domestic help in Betaab Dil Ki Tamanna Hai, I am not getting into headlines for quick bucks. This is what I really want to do in my soaps.”
Ekta describes Betaab Dil Ki Tamanna Hai as her own Slumdog Millionaire. “The maidservants, the street walkers, child beggars, hawkers and gawkers that we see from our cars…I want to enter those lives. Slumdog was the gora-log’s view. I think I can see the lives of the Mumbai streets much better.”
Ekta says she’s still trying to get Salim Ghouse for the main part. “We’re trying convincing him. We need that dark ominous look that he can bring.”
— By Subhash K Jha
