Ektaa recalls discovering hate groups targeting her and Aishwarya, says there's Hinduphobia among people

Ektaa Kapoor has opened up about facing online hate in the early days of social media, recalling how she discovered that she and Aishwarya Rai had some of the most popular hate groups on Orkut. The producer also spoke about being ridiculed for wearing a tika and questioned what she described as “Hinduphobia” surrounding Indian folklore and mythology.Ekta recalled her first encounter with social media, when an associate offered to create an Orkut profile for her. At the time, she admitted, she had little idea about the platform.However, when she eventually logged in and explored it herself, she was surprised to find dedicated hate communities targeting her and Aishwarya Rai.“The first time I went on Orkut, an associate of mine asked if he could make a profile for me. I said yes, but I didn’t even know what Orkut was. When I went on it myself, I saw these groups, and the two with the maximum followers were ‘I Hate Aishwarya Rai’ and ‘I Hate Ekta Kapoor’," she recalled in an interview with Ranveer Allahbadia.Among the content she encountered was a caricature depicting her with a moustache and a large pimple, seated on a donkey.Ekta, however, chose to take the experience in her stride. Rather than dwelling on the negativity, she found it amusing that she was being mentioned alongside Aishwarya.“I was like, ‘I’m in august company. Aishwarya Rai is great company to be with.’ I wrote there, ‘Hate me or love me, you can’t ignore me.’

People were like, ‘Oh my God, this can’t be her.’ I went back and saw it later. I wasn’t really into social media then, so I left it. But yeah, I loved it," she said.### Ekta Kapoor recalls being mocked for wearing a tikaThe conversation also touched upon Ekta’s religious beliefs and the criticism she faced for openly expressing her faith. Recalling an incident from her younger days, the producer said someone had questioned her appearance because she wore religious symbols.“When I used to wear a tika, I remember someone asking me, ‘Why are you dressed like a freak?’ I was like, wearing a tika and a dhaaga is dressing like a freak, my darling?" she said.When Ranveer pointed out that she had also been labelled a “tantrik", Ekta spoke about how visibly practising one’s religion could invite unnecessary judgement.“I can’t even tell you. Wearing a tika and wearing your religion on your sleeve is such a problem.

I think times are changing. Things are being accepted more," she said.She also recalled heading to a club after visiting a temple and being questioned about the combination.“Somebody asked me, ‘Did you go to a temple?’ I said, ‘Yeah. What’s so shocking?’ It’s a place to manifest," Ekta said.Ekta made these remarks while discussing ‘The Vvaan: Force of the Forrest’, a film inspired by folklore that she is backing. Addressing comparisons between the film’s visual treatment and television shows, she said she took the comments as a compliment.“So many people told me it’s looking like a TV serial. I was so happy. I said, that’s such a huge compliment. Television is the staple food of India. Numbers are great for the film. What is really important is it deals with folklore," she said.The producer went on to question why Indian mythology and folklore sometimes face resistance when other forms of fantasy storytelling are readily accepted.

“We have so much of… I’m going to say it on camera, Hinduphobia. We’re okay with animation, but we’re not okay with discussing folklore and mythology. I’m so okay with bringing it all out and having people accept it. There’s so much more acceptance now," she said.Ekta Kapoor, who has produced popular television shows such as ‘Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi’ and ‘Kahaani Ghar Ghar Kii’ under Balaji Telefilms, has also backed several films and digital projects during her career.