Ekta Kapoor's Sweet Birthday Tribute to Mushtaq Sheikh: 'You're the Reason This Babli is Badmaash'

Ekta posted a video montage featuring her along with Mushtaq and their friends. She added the song Babli Badmaash from the 2013 film "Shootout at Wadala".

"Happy birthday, Mushtaq ! Ur the reason This Babli is badmaaash !!!! Happie bday mybloveee ! Thanks fp protecting me from gargoyles !!!! love uuuuuu," she wrote as the caption on Instagram.

Mushtaq worked as an associate producer in Anubhav Sinha's Mulk and has also written a few web series' for Ekta Kapoor. In 2024, he presented and wrote a short horror film titled Happy Ending. In 2025 Mushtaq Shiekh wrote Harshvardhan Rane and Sonam Bajwa starrer Ek Deewane Ki Deewaniyat.

Meanwhile, talking about Shootout at Wadala, the action-crime film stars Anil Kapoor, Ronit Roy, John Abraham, Tusshar Kapoor, Manoj Bajpayee, Kangana Ranaut, Sonu Sood and Mahesh Manjrekar. It is a prequel to the 2007 film Shootout at Lokhandwala.

In the film, Manya, a diligent student, lands in prison for killing a gangster who attacked his brother, Bhargav, who eventually dies. Soon, Manya escapes jail and forms his own gang to seek revenge.

The film is based on the book Dongri to Dubai: Six Decades of the Mumbai Mafia by Hussain Zaidi. It dramatises the encounter by Bombay police in which gangster Manya Surve was shot dead.

Talking about the renowned TV show maker, Ekta is the founder of Balaji Telefilms Limited, where she serves as joint managing director and creative head. She kick-started her career at 17 and became known for producing numerous Hindi television soap operas, many of which gained significant popularity during the late 1990s and 2000s.

Her biggest success came in 2000 with Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi. She followed it with Kahaani Ghar Ghar Kii and Kasautii Zindagii Kay, becoming the Queen of Indian television.

She has produced several Hindi films through Balaji Motion Pictures, including The Dirty Picture, Lootera, Main Tera Hero, Dream Girl, Crew, and The Sabarmati Report. In 2017, She also launched her biography, Kingdom of the Soap Queen: The Story of Balaji Telefilms.

Ekta was honoured with the Padma Shri in 2020. She is also honoured with the 2023 International Emmy Directorate Award at the 51st International Emmy Awards.

Among her film productions are Vrusshabha, starring Mohanlal and Bhoot Bangla featuring Akshay Kumar. She is also producing Vvan, with Sidharth Malhotra and Tamannaah Bhatia.

Currently, she is working on the seventh season of her long-running supernatural series Naagin.

- IANS