MUMBAI: Ekta Kapoor is finally shedding the 'Soap Queen' image as Balaji Telefilms is now seriously exploring the non-fiction segment for future growth. The production house presently has two shows in its kitty and will be unveiling more in the coming year.

"Ekta Kapoor has identified non-fiction as the next big thrust area for growth. Within the next two to five years, Balaji Telefilms will be making its presence felt in non-fiction programming," says Mohan Kapoor who heads the newly created non-fiction division at Balaji.

The division is presently doing four shows, among which one is already on air. Kosmiic Chat, the show based on astrology and tarot reading is on Zoom. The film-based show Kandiefloss is coming on Sony.

The other two shows in the pipeline are, Karmic Connection (reality supernatural show) - and Karbon Kopy (thriller). "Karmic Connection is a supernatural show based on real-life incidents. That's why we call it a non-fiction show. Karbon Kopy is a factious thriller. The non-fiction wing has been asked to do the 13-part serial because Balaji wanted to use its resources properly. You will see more pure non - fiction programming in 2006," says Kapoor.

According to Kapoor, Star One will launch Karmic Connection in January-February 2006 while Karbon Kopy will go on air in March. According to Kapoor, the channel wants the series to be produced completely before launching the promotional campaigns.