Ekta Kapoor has revealed that her mother, Shobha Kapoor, taught her important business lessons long before she studied them at Harvard.
During her appearance on Ranveer Allahbadia's podcast, The Ranveer Show, Ekta spoke about her mother's role in running Balaji Telefilms, managing finances and keeping production costs under control.
The producer also shared her views on money, business risks and the importance of protecting a company's profits.
Business Brain Behind Balaji Telefilms
During the conversation, Ranveer asked Ekta about Warren Buffett and Charlie Munger's approach to protecting capital before focusing on growth.
Ekta said that while she handled the creative work at Balaji Telefilms, her mother was responsible for managing the business. “Protecting capital was my mom's job! I was the creator, and my mom is the real businesswoman behind Balaji,” she said.
Ekta praised Shobha's knowledge of finance, production and people management. She recalled that during Balaji Telefilms' equity partnership with Reliance, the company's clean financial records impressed its partners.
According to Ekta, her mother has always made sure that the accounts are properly maintained and that business decisions do not affect profitability.
She also said Shobha can quickly identify mistakes in production budgets. Her understanding of production costs is so strong that people from the media industry often seek her advice.
Why Shobha Kapoor Opposed ALTBalaji?
Ekta revealed that her mother was initially against launching ALTBalaji because she did not consider technology the company's main business.
“She said, ‘I know you want to go B2C, but tech is not our business,'” Ekta recalled. She described Shobha as a careful businesswoman who prefers to understand the risks before making an investment.
Ekta also credited her mother with teaching her about economies of scale and the cash conversion cycle. She later studied these concepts during a business course at Harvard, but said Shobha already understood them through practical experience.
Her mother always focused on how much money was being invested, how quickly it could be recovered and whether the returns justified the cost.
Ekta added that Shobha learned many of these business skills while managing a household.
Ekta Kapoor On Money And Success
When asked what money meant to her, Ekta admitted that growing up with financial security had given her a privileged background.
“Money matters to me, but my self-worth comes from what I can achieve,” she said. Ekta explained that her abilities, work and achievements matter more to her than how much money she has earned.
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