Exclusive: I didn't sign Shraddha because she's a star kid, says Ekta Kapoor

In 2014, Shraddha Kapoor created quite a stir with her act in Mohit Suri’s directorial Ek Villain. The film was produced by Ekta Kapoor which went onto become a musical hit and a Rs 100 crore grosser. In 2013, Mohit’s Aashiqui 2 revamped Shraddha’s career altogether and she entered the list of top notch actresses of Bollywood. The duo is back with Chetan Bhagat’s novel adaptation Half Girlfriend. Shraddha will be seen romancing Arjun Kapoor for the first time.

So what is it that keeps Ekta going back to Shraddha Kapoor? It’s certainly not the fact that she is a star kid in the industry, she clarifies. “This industry has no formula other than economics. Nobody is nobody’s friend; nobody wants to help anyone out here. People out here are selfish. If someone signs a star kid, it’s not because they want to help them or any kind of nepotism. It’s just because they sell. That’s why I signed Shradha Kapoor too. The day they will stop selling, no one will  be ready to sign them. It is a very tough industry to survive in. Too much finance goes in and there are very high risks here. They may hang out with their friends but if the actor doesn’t sell, they won’t sign them. At the end of the day, you think about your own money. That’s just how it works.”