Kovid Gupta

Kovid Gupta (born 1988) is an Indian-American author, screenwriter, filmmaker, and social activist. He is best known for his non-fiction books Kingdom of The Soap Queen: The Story of Balaji Telefilms and Redrawing India: The Teach For India Story

Early life

Kovid Gupta belongs to Houston, Texas." Born in an immigrant family, he grew up with a strong fascination for Bollywood films, and has credited them for his passion for Indian art and culture.

He attended the University of Texas at Austin where he received his Bachelor of Business Administration, Bachelor of Science, and Bachelor of Arts. Followed by this, he pursued his Masters of Business Administration from Cornell University.

Career

Kovid began his career by working at Teach For India, followed by which he took up screenwriting for Indian television soap operas.". He went on to work for Balaji Telefilms, where he authored the hugely successful Kingdom of The Soap Queen: The Story of Balaji Telefilms. He later joined Rajshri Productions to assist Sooraj Barjatya on blockbuster hit Prem Ratan Dhan Payo. He currently serves as the Head of Business Development at Vinod Chopra Films.

As an author, Kovid has received widespread acclaim on his books. Joginder Tuteja of Bollywood Hungama wrote that "young first time author Kovid Gupta attempts something new by telling the tale of Ekta Kapoor" in his book Kingdom of The Soap Queen: The Story of Balaji Telefilms and that " this book turns out to be good affair indeed that aims at inspiring a reader to dream big and work hard towards accomplishing all of that despite the odds"

Vanita Kohli-Khandekar of Business Standard wrote that "Unlike most book writers who tackle Indian television", Kovid "doesn't come with the air of someone who thinks it is beneath him to comment on this (television). His strengths are "his honest, non-judgemental look at the world of television soaps."

Kovid Gupta is also the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of India Kids, a nonprofit organization that empowers orphan children across India to reach their full potential.

Filmography

Assistant Director

• Prem Ratan Dhan Payo (2015)

Television

Screenwriter

• • Balika Vadhu (2010)
  • Bade Acche Lagte Hain (2011)
  • Hamaar Sautan Hamaar Saheli (2011)
  • Chhan Chhan (2013)
  • Bahu Hamari Rajni Kant (2016)
  • Krishnadasi (2016 TV series) (2016)
  • Devanshi (TV series) (2016)

Quotes

"You have to believe in your ability to conquer whatsoever dream you have. You must dream asleep, you must dream awake. If you are entirely focused on that one big dream you have for yourself, there is no way any person or any force can stop you from achieving it." "

“I disagree that we’re just here to entertain — if we’re not driving social change, we’re not (as screenwriters) doing our job!” "

"We are on the cusp of an industry-wide renaissance!" "

"Social messaging on TV has to be done under the umbrella of mass television; you have to have the fancy costumes, the melodrama and the tears in order to get people to watch the show. Once they're watching,you subliminally slip in your social messages If we can match mass appeal with the correct amount of social messaging we can actually create magic." "