In 2006, Zee was down in the dumps. That is when founder Subhash Chandra’s son and managing director and now CEO Punit Goenka took over. He built Zee into a Rs 8,130-crore cash-spewing growth engine. Last year, the promoters of Zee’s debt-ridden parent Essel Group sold a chunk of their stake. Just when Zee was settling down, came the pandemic and lately rumours of investors losing confidence in Goenka. A day before announcing annual results, Goenka issued a sentimental open letter talking about the way forward for Zee. After an intense earnings call, Vanita Kohli-Khandekar spoke to Goenka. Edited excerpts.