Ekta Kapoor at Hyatt Regency. Picture: Anindya Shankar Ray

Ekta Kapoor was in town last weekend to receive the YLF Outstanding Young Achievers’ Award 2013 for her contribution to the entertainment industry. t2 caught up with Indian television’s superwoman at Hyatt Regency.

Having achieved so much already, what still drives Ekta Kapoor?

I think it’s the constant need to reinvent your own talent. It’s also a reinforcement of your abilities and a re-understanding of your capabilities, vis-a-vis the competition in the world you live in. So I think it’s the self-analysing process... are you able to create something that people will like again more than will it be successful.

What is a typical day in your life like?

I wake up, spend some time watching television or any movie that I am supposed to watch. I try to take time off and go for a bit of workout if I don’t have an early morning meeting. Then I go to office and there I am till 11pm. And then I go out for dinner with friends.

What do you find more challenging creatively — TV or films?

I think TV is way more challenging because it’s a constant effort... but films because of its unpredictability becomes way more challenging. You can win and lose in one day. The Friday decides everything… good, bad or ugly. The risk is greater in films, so the palpitations are more, but the love is more for TV.

If you were to play a role from any of your soaps, which would you pick and why?

Nooow…. Oh! It would be Priya from Bade (Sony’s Bade Achhe Lagte Hain). She is a modern woman, a family-oriented girl. She is conservative, at the same time she is clearly progressive in thinking. She is somebody who can amalgamate modern life with Indian values in the best possible ways.

You always come across as someone confident and sure of herself. No fears or insecurities?

It’s human to be insecure and it’s human to have fear, and I think all of us have it. I think I am a paranoid person. I am scared of so many things... about flying, my health or my family’s health. What would life be without fears?

You had put in a lot of effort into Once Upon Ay Time in Mumbai Dobaara but it didn’t do as well as expected...

No, you learn a lot. You go ahead and do another film and you move on with a smile because what works and doesn’t work is not in your hands. If you enjoy the process, it was enough success. I would say 90 per cent of the excitement should come from doing something, and not how it does. If you are happy doing something, then you can leave the rest 10 per cent to luck.

Life OK is coming up with a show that will showcase the lives of achievers. Pooja Gor, who you had launched in Kitani Mohabbat Hai, will play you. What is the one thing you would tell her to keep in mind?

I’d like her to keep in mind to wear a lot of rings. (Flashes her rings and laughs) And keep a bottle of water next to her. That’s a very big trademark a lot of people don’t know.

There’s a buzz that Life OK is also considering you as the face of The Bachelorette India. Will you be a part of a show like this?

First of all, that’s a personal question, so I am not going to answer it. But because it’s my last question, I’ll answer it (smiles). I would never go on a show like The Bachelorette to find love because I think love, you can’t find. Love has to happen.