Kovid Gupta

Kovid Gupta (born 1988) is an Indian-American author, screenwriter, filmmaker, and social activist.^[2] He gained recognition for his non-fiction works, including Kingdom of The Soap Queen: The Story of Balaji Telefilms and Redrawing India: The Teach For India Story.^[3]

Kovid Gupta
Gupta in 2019
Born	1988 (age 36–37) Houston, Texas, U.S.
Occupation	Filmmaker Screenwriter Author Social Activist
Alma mater	Cornell University (MBA)[1] University of Texas at Austin (BBA), (BS), (BA)
Genre	Fiction, Non-fiction
Notable works	Kingdom of The Soap Queen: The Story of Balaji Telefilms Redrawing India: The Teach For India Story
Website
kovidguptafilms.com

Early life

Gupta was born and raised in Houston. His early exposure to Bollywood films played a formative role in shaping his creative interests.^[4]

He pursued his higher education at the University of Texas at Austin, earning three bachelor's degrees from the McCombs School of Business, Moody College of Communication, and College of Liberal Arts.^[5] Subsequently, he obtained an MBA from Cornell University.^[6]

Career

Gupta began his career by screenwriting mainstream Hindi television soap operas, receiving his first break with Balika Vadhu. This was followed by a collaboration with Ekta Kapoor and Balaji Telefilms, where authored Kingdom of The Soap Queen: The Story of Balaji Telefilms.^[7] Later, he joined Rajshri Productions, assisting Sooraj Barjatya on the production of Prem Ratan Dhan Payo.^[8] Subsequently, he worked as Head of Business Development at Vinod Chopra Films and Film Companion.^[9]

Forbes recognized Gupta's achievements by including him on the 2017 Forbes 30 Under 30 Media, Marketing, & Advertising list.^[10]

Filmography

Producer

• Tanhaa (in development)
• An Unquiet Mind (2025)^[11]

Screenwriter

• Balika Vadhu (2010)
• Bade Achhe Lagte Hain (2011)
• Hamaar Sautan Hamaar Saheli (2011)^[12]
• Chhan Chhan (2013)
• Bahu Hamari Rajni Kant (2016)
• Krishnadasi (2016 TV series) (2016)
• Devanshi (TV series) (2016)

Assistant director

• Prem Ratan Dhan Payo (2015)

Literary Career

Books

• Kingdom of the Soap Queen: The Story of Balaji Telefilms. HarperCollins Publishers India. 2014. ISBN 9789351363033.
• Redrawing India: The Teach For India Story. Random House India. 2014. ISBN 978-8184005639.

Stories

• Gupta, Kovid (Spring-2021) "Boy of the Betel Leaf" Blackbird. Vol. 20, no. 01
• Gupta, Kovid (December-22-2018) "Reincarnation" The Broadkill Review. Vol. 18, no. 01

Journal Publications

• Gupta, Kovid (March-01-2019). "CSR In India: The Companies Act and its Implications" . Journal of Contemporary Management Research. Vol. 13, no. 01.
• Gupta, Kovid (July-06-2018) "Filmmaking and the India-Pakistan partition: the representation of women in contemporary commercial Hindi cinema" . International Journal of Indian Culture and Business Management. Vol. 17, no. 01.
• Gupta, Kovid (May-22-2013) "The Indian Television Melodrama: A Vehicle for Social Innovation" . International Journal of Intercultural Information Management. Vol. 03, no. 02.
• Gupta, Kovid (Feb-01-2011) "Brand Development in Indian Cinema: A Fusion of Traditionalism and Modernity" . International Journal of Global Management. Vol. 01, no. 02.

Awards and Honors

• Outstanding Young Texas Exes Award (2023)^[13]
• McCombs School of Business Rising Star Award (2019)^[14]
• Forbes 30 Under 30 (2017)^[15]
• Glorious India Award (2017)^[16]