Prolific model-cum-actress Jyoti Gauba who plays “Anekta Kapoor – the big boss of Lalaji Telefilms”, a remixed version of telly baroness Ekta Kapoor in an upcoming comic maverick movie ‘Idiot Box’ directed by Sunanda Mitra, is hardly apprehensive about a backlash from the Balaji camp.
“Why should I be nervous? There are so many movies which are direct or indirect tributes to legendary personalities. At such a young age, Ekta-ji is already an iconic figure worthy enough to be emulated and idolised. In fact I consider it my good fortune that I was the first and final choice to play the Anekta screen-character with the trade-mark red tikka on her forehead,” saus Jyoti.
She is shown as a hyper-impulsive, ambitious, calculating, yet perfectionist character worshipping Lord Ganesha daily in ‘Idiot Box’, which has a feel-good comedy undercurrent with its satirical punches. You may call it telly world-reality cinema-meets-hilarious treatment.
“Although there are established senior actors in the cast like Sushant Singh, Hrishitaa Bhatt, Milind Gunaji, Upasnaa Singh and Surendra Pal, I have an author-backed central role,” shrugs Jyoti, who has never met Madame Ekta personally but “only seen her photographs in newspapers”.
For the glib Jyoti, this riveting role was a blessing in disguise, because for a change in ‘Idiot Box’ I am playing an unmarried smart lady. Otherwise I have mostly played mother’s screen characters or even a widow’s role like in this ongoing Colors TV serial ‘Maath Pitah Ke Charnon Mein Swarg’.
Meanwhile director Mitra too has no qualms about taking pungent digs at the idiosyncrasies of the TV world and projecting his version of Ekta. “No, it’s a satirical tribute to the crazy comical functioning of the TV soap-manufacturing factory, I mean, industry. But I have not at all touched on Ekta’s personal life, neither have I ridiculed her. Basically ‘Idiot Box’ funnily exposes how some home-viewers get so addicted to telly-soap characters while on the flip side there are those who hate watching TV serials. In fact I am keen on inviting Madam Ekta for one of the sneak-previews, to know her reactions,” he insists.