Shweta Tiwari Recalls Ekta Kapoor Juggling 22 TV Shows, Shooting For 72 Hours: 'Soti Hi Nahi Thi'
Back when Indian daily soaps ruled prime time and every living room echoed with dramatic background scores, there was one woman quietly running the entire showbiz circus behind the scenes — and never sleeping through it. Literally.
Actor Shweta Tiwari, known for her lead role as Prerna in the iconic Kasautii Zindagii Kay, recently pulled back the curtain on just how intense the behind-the-scenes grind was in the early 2000s. And surprisingly, her biggest praise wasn't for her co-stars or her own performance — but for the powerhouse producer who juggled 22 shows at once: Ekta Kapoor.
Speaking on a podcast with Bharti Singh, Shweta didn't hold back on sharing how insane those schedules were, both for the actors and the creators. She revealed that during one stretch, she and Ekta worked non-stop for 72 hours — no sleep, no breaks.
'Ekta soti hi nahi thi, she had 22 shows running at one time," Shweta said. 'People used to ask me, 'Aren't you tired?' and I would say, 'But Ekta is working too'."
And it wasn't just about being on top of a hectic production slate. According to Shweta, Ekta Kapoor was deeply involved in the creative grind. She wasn't just making calls — she was crafting scenes in real time. 'Whenever I used to call Ekta, she would pick up the call in one ring," Shweta said. 'She used to explain the whole scene in detail."
Shweta said she often looked to Ekta for performance inspiration. 'The way she used to explain the story, one would get goosebumps," she said. 'Whenever she used to say the lines, I felt she was performing better than I. So many times, I used to try to copy Ekta Kapoor's way of delivering lines. Her passion was something."
Kasautii Zindagii Kay, one of Ekta's biggest hits, aired from 2001 to 2008 and starred Shweta as Prerna opposite Cezanne Khan's Anurag Basu. It turned into a cultural landmark thanks to its emotional rollercoaster of love, betrayal and unforgettable villains like Komolika.
The show was so loved that it got a reboot in 2018.
First Published:
July 27, 2025, 08:32 IST
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