Management Lessons from Bollywood Movies
A) Lagaan: Facing challenges, skill and unskilled team management, over confidence, Team building, Family involvement, Willingness to win, Do or die sprit, Jealousy, Ego handling, and Emotions management. management. B) Baghban: Family leadership, Finance management, Presentation skills and Public speaking skills. Generation gap, Realisation of relationship and bonding, Relationship management and Finance for Non-Finance people as well as husband-wife bonding. C) Fashion: Aiming at High dreams, Digesting success, sustaining success, achieving success, how to raise from one’s failure, Family interventions, Systems prevailing in each industry, Bad habits a factor to rule you out, willingness to comeback and regain the bygone glory, recovering from depression, leader is never the best performer and facing different seasons in life. D) Swades: Giving importance to Nation first, Building a team in a village, Love for motherland, Resistance and change management, Imbalance in world and society. E) Gandhi : Balancing roles, Mission accomplishment, Values and Principles, Power of mission statement, Power of prayer, Happiness is inside, community benefit, love for the nation, giving top priority to Nation, Decision making, Legendary attitude and Leadership through demonstration. F) Munnabhai M.B.B.S: Effect due to Place and position, Power of positive attitude, Interpersonal communication and relationship, Power of belief, Applicable learning, Positive affirmations and People perform their best in what they like even in all odds. G) Chake De India: Goal Achievement, Team building, Team management, Team spirit, Role of seniors, Coaching leadership, Focus, Benefits of homework, Positive affirmation and Power of subconscious mind, Talent management, Organisational goal versus, Individual goals, Sacrifice and win, Male dominance as well as Women as a performer. H) Taare Zameen Par : Role of academic institutions, Role of a teacher, Power of
creativity, Coaching leadership, Role of parents parent s in their children’s lives, Creative visualisation, visualisation, Out-of-box thinking, Effects of comparison and Value addition to the education system. I) Jodhaa Akbar: Power of Wisdom, Decision-making, Consequences of doubts, Behavioural games and negative attitude, Competency management, Management by walking around, Supremacy of leadership, and Prime importance given to Nation and organisation. J) Waqt: Conflict between perception and communication, Gap between intention and communication, Intention and behaviour is different, Effects of miss communication, communication, No alternative to hard work, Demonstration of devotion, Success never comes overnight, Role of parents in moulding children’s lives and Role of children in the family. K) Veera Zaara: Leadership inspires people to lay their lives for you, Philosophy of love, Commitment value in personal life, care and share, sacrifice and winning. L) Black: Role of a trainer, Believe in results, Patience, Change is permanent, Human Capital Management; Satisfaction Satisfaction is above money factor. M) Lakshya: Mission statement, Goal achievement, Willingness to do and achieve, Inner driven leadership, Visible change, Difference between ordinary and extra ordinary and Daily homework. homework. N) Wednesday: Time management, Delegation and empowerment, Facing challenges, Crisis management, Balancing roles, Mission accomplishment, Power of technology and Killing instincts. O) Dipti Naval: Family management, Relationship management of husband and wife, Balancing work and family, Different priorities, Over lapping of commitments, commitments, Love turning to hatred, Red feelings and Situational leadership. P) Earth: Effects of bad habits, Relationship between husband and wife, Power of values, Over ambition, Love is a need of life, Woman as an equaliser and creator, Self-realisation. Q) Ghajini: Corporate management, Egoless relationship, Helping society, Unexpected positive strokes, Spiritual leadership, Power of communication and
silent, Life is spontaneity, Helping people before they ask and give more than they expect, Imbalance in society and unethical leaders in power, Valuing relationship, Sacrificing and winning, Physical fitness, Health management, Role acceptance, Hard work, Change management. R) Corporate: Power of ethics and values, Business rivalry, Pressure at work place, Short-cut to success, Past forcing you to live in the contemporary future, Valueless career, Association and unseen relationship of religious, politics and business houses. S) Om Shanti Om: Power of super divine, Reincarnation, Spiritual help and blessings, Power of burning desire, Unethical business leaders, Talent management. T) (Naseeruddin Shah) Iqbal: Role of a coach, Limited resources, challenges to become successful, Blaming and negative stroking, under expecting human capital, Passion is everything, Create your creative workplace and Career is beyond money. U) Aankhen: Teamwork and team management, Adult learning and performing, Power of external motivation, Benefits of homework, and Planning before any action. V) Guru: Power of ambition and vision, Conflict in relationship, Unethical business houses, Growth without principles, Value addition, Changing your orbit, Courageous corporate leader, Negotiation skills, Growth and speed and Self confidence. W) Sarkar: Loyalty, Handling conflicts, Pressure management, Unethical leadership, Double standards in relationship, Action versus reaction, Family leadership and Self-centric leadership. X) Mohabbatein: Leadership with norms, Institutional leadership, Code of conduct and Standardise norms in Institutes, Power of love, Disagreement of principles, War of ideas, Philosophy and Ideology. Y) Manthan: Rural management, Society building, People management, Semiskilled and unskilled work force, People upliftment and Creating organisation with ownership feelings.
Most MBA students have little time to dedicate to whatever thing other than school and job searching and even lesser time to watch time. But there are a few movies that polish your management skills and hit finer points of being an MBA, including college life, finance, investments, supply chain, entrepreneurship and ethics. There have been various movies that have been taken up as a case study through which students could study various aspects of management which could help them be good and effective leaders in the future. Illustration aids always have added i mprint on young minds, particularly in rationally comprehending management concepts. Movies can sometimes teach you the biggest lessons of life. Therefore B-school students are suggested to watch movies to learn about administration, organization and other related issues like ethics, plan, self-indulgence, entrepreneurship, and human emotions. Movies picture the best and worst of human nature giving us an insight on how a human mind works. Swades : How many times have you come out of a movie with pleasant recollections of a colorful rural backdrop, a can-do attitude and a cheery temperament, all rolled into one? It is said, India’s strength lies in its people, which are an benefit not a responsibility. And Swades is all abou t it, ‘We the People’. There is much more that we can take back home beyond the three hours that we spend in the theater.
The movie depicts the true colours of India and also how Indians scattered around the globe come back only for holidays. The film includes all the burning issues concerning us toda y. Swades is a good management lesson which teaches that while sticking to o ne’s roots, an initiative taken up by someone can make a difference to the world and that management graduates should look for prospects, trying the eccentric and exceptional approach through teamwork. Band Baaja Baraat : A simple story revolving around a girl and a boy; young, ambitious and passionate. As entertaining as the movie is, it also comes with its share of lessons on management and entrepreneurship.
The movie talks about passion being more important than a degree or qualification. Being a team player, sharing responsibilities, working together and of course, sharing profits. The movie talks about showcasing confidence and that you cannot stat big, instead- there is alwa ys a first time when you start. Ethics are the groundwork o f business, starting small but dreaming big, not bothering about competition and treat vendors as partners are a few other important lessons learnt from the movie other than having a good time shaking your leg to the upbeat songs in the film. Rocket Singh: A movie about Harpreet Singh, a B.Com graduate bootstrapping his own parallel sales company by using company resources and convinces his colleagues to join him. The business lessons you can learn from the movie are to be ready to take risks- always, as playing with risks is what makes the difference, minimizing expenses while starting a business, picking up the right people, creating positive work environment and building a great team.
Harpreet Singh in the movie mainly portrays Customers as the Kings, keeping yourself informed, a brand depicts a culture and the most important lesson- Values and ethics being d epicted in an organization can be drivers. Corporate : A movie revolving around power games between two industrialists. Madhur Bhandarkar's ‘Corporate’ stands out because of its excellent de scription of the conflict between wealthy corporates and the upcoming rich working class who run these corporates on a day to day basis and portrays people at the helm of affairs in different tastes. The movie also shows the reckless competition between two corporate giants in o rder to maximize their respective profits.
Lagaan: A 2001 sports-themed Indian Bollywood film written and directed by Ashutosh Gowariker set in the Victorian period teaches how by dreaming big, defining goals and successful management takes you to your goal. The movie provides insight into management lessons like vision, motivation, leadership, team spirit and above all of it- passion required to complete your job and towards your goal. Make a beginning, team Building, to make things happen the way we want, we have to vision the future, and paint a picture in front of the others of what we want to achieve. And to think of Problems as Opportunities are important lessons you can take hom e from this Oscar-nominated film. Chak De: Chak De India, the Shah Rukh Khan-starrer about a resolute women's hockey team that wins the world championship defeating odds is one of the must-watch films for MBA students. One can learn a lot about team-building, watching how the Japanese and the British deal with their respective teams in the film. Aspects of management such as planning, co ordination, strategy, motivation, time and stress management and goal setting a re the highlights of the movie.
Accept meritocracy, embracing discipline, hard work and sacrifices are lessons you can learn from teams portrayed in the movie.
3 I DI OTS Management Lessons from ‘3 Idiots’ Movie
Never Try to Be Successful
Success is the bye-product. Excellence always creates success. So, never run after the su ccess, let it happen automatically in the life.
F reedom To Life
Don’t die before actual death. Live every moment to the fullest as you are going to die today night. Life is gifted to humankind to live, live & live @ happiness.
Passion Leads To Excellence
When your hobby becomes your profession and passion becomes your profession. You will be able to lead up to excellence in the life. Satisfaction, pleasure, joy and love will be the outcome of following passion. Following your passion for years, you will surely become something one day.
Life I s E motion Management Not I ntelligence Optimization
Memory and regular study have definite value and it always helps you in leading a life. You are able to survive even if you can make some mark in the path of the life. With artificial intelligence, you can survive and win but you cannot prove yourself genius. Therefore, in this process genius dies in you.
Necessity I s The Mother Of I nvention
Necessity creates pressure and forces you to invent something or to make it happen or to use your potentiality. Aamir Khan in this film, 3 idiots, is able to prove in the film by using vacuum pump at the last moment.
Simplicity is Life
Life is need base never want base. Desires have no ends. Simplicity is way of life and Indian culture highly stresses on simple living and high thinking, and this is the way of life: ‘Legs down to earth and eyes looking beyond the sky’
I ndustrial L eadership
Dean of the institute in 3 idiots is showing very typical leadership. He has his own p rinciples, values and ideology, and he leads the whole institute accordingly. This is an example of current institutional leadership. In the present scenario, most of the institutes are fixed in a block or Squarish thinking.
I mportance Of One Word I n C ommunication
If communication dies, everything dies. Each word has impact and value in communication. One word if used wrongly or emphasized wrongly or paused at a wrong place in communication what effect it creates and how is it affected is demonstrated ver y well in this movie.
Lagaan is the story of a leader (B huvan) who develops the cricket team,did not known about western management, do not have any idea about TQM, or but he developed the team spirit, united all the villagers, motivated them and ultimately attained the objective i.e. won the match against the British because to win the match, to create an affective team was his sadhana and he attained his goal.
v A Lesson in Entrepreneurship: The protagonist in the movie i.e. Bhuvan’s character is risk taking, responsible, confident, encouraging; supportive with a ‘never say die’ attitude which is an intrinsic character for any manager. It was the village ingenuity of Bhuvan that gave him the idea to challenge the British in a cricket match and getting exempted from the tax “Lagaan” levied on them. Otherwise the villagers couldn’t have payed the tax in aftermath of a drought. Such risk taking and “thinking out of the box” is required for every new venture or a commercial startup.
v A Lesson I n Teamwork The relentless pursuit of Bhuvan coupled with some team spirit and co-operation made the villagers form a cricket team. A cricket team that went on to beat an established, professional and well equipped British team. Bhuvan upholded this saying throughout “fear not; only believe”. Giving his vision to his team that they can win and get through the tax debt by winning a cricket match was key element that how to handle a team. Convincing people is very tough; the way Bhuvan did it was really very good. The learnings from Bhuvan’s team can be. “spirit and power of team work” “will power and determination” “unity and focus on common goal”
v A lesson of relentless spir it to fight There was terrible start to Bhuvans cricket match idea. Th e problem was villagers didn’t know how to play it …some couldn’t wield the bat. But Bhuvan with the help of Elizabeth led them secretly to a real cricket match of the British team and later on emulated that in their own fields.
The team later on learnt by imitating Bhuvan and managed to get hold of the game. This gives an important lesson “Accept the challenge, be open-minded”. It tells us even if you don’t know something you can learn and achieve it what is needed is perhaps the zeal and willingness to learn. Other lessons that we can learn & teach from the movie.
The importance of learning to survive & win.
The importance of accepting & working with diversity.
The need for a “can do” spirit, a positive attitude and the importance of fighting the typical Indian despondency.
The need to stay focused single-mindedly on Results the importance of being objective & unbiased.
The importance of trust despite betrayal.
The importance of learning to manage and work with limitations and minimum resources.
Ø The importance of taking chances & risks to make dreams come true.
20 must watch Bollywood films for entrepreneurs Sourav Roy
16 May 2015
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Films are often a reflection of our society but the y also hold a mirror to us. It is no wonder then that the good ones go on to show the tragedy and triumph of the human life, thereby influencing all of us in some way. We’ve handpicked these 20 movies that show the tenacity, passion and undying spirit of its characters which all entrepreneurs can relate to.
Pyaasa (Guru Dutt, 1957) The film follows the story of a young protagonist who has an undying passion for poetry. He is frowned upon by his brothers, who sell away his poems as waste paper. His poems are quite radical in which he laments about the poor, the destitute, and the arrogance of the rich after the departure of the British from India. It is only after he grows sick o f the hypocrisy around him and declares that he is dead, that publishers embrace him and his work becomes famous. The film’s message lies in the protagonist’s character and undying passion. His concern for the downtrodden is admirable, especially his love and friendship with a prostitute, who is sympathetic towards him, and assists him in finding a publisher. As the film ends with the protagonist getting all the recognition and publicity he deserved, but him growing disillusioned by the ways of the world, one cannot help but admire how passion and integrity triumphs over success and richness.
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Satyakam (Hrishikesh Mukherjee, 1969) The film is set in the final days of the British Raj in India, as a cohort of engineering students graduate a few months before Independence. The film’s protagonist is stubborn and principled. He refuses to compromise when it comes to doing the right thing, and as a result he struggles to cope with the changing times. The film is considered to be Dharmendra’s finest acting performance of his career. Director Hrishikesh Mukherjee called ‘Satyakam’ his favourite film. Considering that he has made masterpieces like ‘Anand’, ‘Bawarchi’, ‘Abhimaan’, ‘Chupke Chupke’ and ‘Khoobsurat’, this is a rare feat. As the film’s protagonist moves from one job to another, he rejects all dishonest compromises. He is constantly reminded of his failure, and make s up for it by increasing rigidity about applying his principles in real life. While this leads to the huge number of struggles he faces, we soon associate with the protagonist’s flare for rationality and integrity. For an entrepreneur who often faces the same challenges of treading the road less travelled, ‘Satyakam’ is a must watch.
Manthan (Shyam Benegal, 1976)
The film revolves around the story of a vet doctor, who comes to a village with the aim of starting a milk cooperative society for the welfare of the villagers. He receives resistance from a wealthy businessman and the sarpanch of the village. The caste and communal dynamics of the village are also shown. Based on the real life story of Dr Verghese Kurien, the father of the White Revolution in India, the film goes on to show how Amul cooperative was founded. An obvious entry to the list, there is probabl y no film that explains rural entrepreneurship in a better way. The struggles involved in establishing a rural cooperative, in the backdrop of caste, gender and economic inequality is subtly shown. The helplessness of the film’s protagonist is very real, and we rejoice as he goes beyond the accepted norms of business, and works for a setup that benefits the deserving many.
Manzil (Basu Chatterjee, 1979) The film follows the ambition of an unemployed young man who has dreams of starting his own company. He starts a galvanometer business but t he company fails due to competition in the market, eventually burdening him with huge debts. He had proposed marriage to his girlfriend by lying to her, whose father, a lawyer, now sues him for business fraud. The protagonist mends his ways and eventually emerges a winner. The film teaches us to be ambitious, and follow our dreams, no matter wha t our economic background and circumstances are. More importantly it teaches us to accept mistakes and failure and learn to move on.
Related read: 11 Indian startups backed by Bollywood celebrities
Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro (Kundan Shah, 1983)
A dark satire on the rampant corruption in Indian politics, bureaucracy, news media and business, the film revolves around two friends, who are attempting to start their own photo studio. In their first assignment, they are sudd enly exposed to shady activists, the corrupt world of Bombay real-estate, political hypocrisy and b ureaucratic inaction. They soon get a whiff of a murder, and fight to bring the guilty to light, well, in a humorous way. The film shows everything that can go wrong when one tries to be an entrepreneur, and things don’t work in his favour. Through humour, the film brings out the dark side of India’s democratic mercenary. By the end of the film, everyone except the two entrepreneur protagonists is found corrupt. Perhaps the best comedy of errors centred on the idea of starting a business, the film is a must watch for those who haven’t. And for those who have, well, weekend is around.
Ek Ruka Hua Faisla (Basu Chatterjee, 1986)
The Hindi remake of Sidney Lumet’s ‘12 Angry Men’, the film follows 12 members of a jury who gather in an enclosed room to deliberate their decision on a charge of murder against a young man who has been accused of killing his father . Except the film’s protagonist, everyone is convinced of the young man’s guilt. The protagonist goes on to convince everyone of the possible innocence of the young man. The film’s greatest triumph is to depict how personal prejudices and biases often affect our decision making. The protagonist’s stand against all odd s is inspiring and reminds us of the great heroic stories we have always heard – only this time, he seems to be on the wrong side. As the film progresses, we understand subjectivity and learn the importance of conversation and debate in the astonishing human ability of factual decision making.
Ek Doctor Ki Maut (Tapan Sinha, 1990) The film follows the tragic story of a junior doctor, who discovers a vaccine for leprosy, and the war for recognition that follows. Eventually, two American doctors receive credit for discovering the vaccine. As a final ray of hope, our shattered protagonist receives an in vitation from a foreign foundation inviting him to be a part of an eminent group of scientists working on other diseases. He realizes that his research was fruitful, and decides to acc ept the invitation as he continues to work for the betterment of mankind, and not immediate success or recognition. The film’s primary message is to work for the larger goal and not for immediate perks. The film goes on to make us realize that the world is not always a fair playing ground but it is these few good men, on whose shoulders it stands. Belonging to this small group is greater glory than any recognition can ever bring us.
Lagaan (Ashutosh Gowariker, 2001) Set in the Victorian era, the film is about the people of a small village who stake their future on a game of cricket against their ruthless British rulers. On one side we s ee veteran British cricket players, and on the other side are villagers, including the protagonist himself, who have never played the game before. Cricket takes a back seat in the film, as the plot progresses to teach us to challenge injustice through collective struggle, even in our smallest c apacity. The film shows how even the inexperienced, when working for a cause larger than themselves, have the capacity to work in synergy and turn things over.
Swades (Ashutosh Gowariker, 2004)
The film revolves around the issues that development throws up at the grassroot level. The film’s protagonist, a bright young scientist working as a project manager in NASA comes to his village, which is heterogeneous, colou rful and complex, to find his childhood nanny. The contrast between the highly developed world of NASA, and his world back home in India is seen, and leads to the protagonist’s simple yet meaningful quest to generate electricity for his village. The film with its tag-line ‘we the people’ gives out a strong message that a country’s strength lies in its people. Addressing numerous burning issues concerning us today, Swades asks that vital question – ‘as responsible and intelligent members of society, what is it that we can do?’ The film teaches us to stick to our roots, and work for a better future, a lesson that entrepreneurs must never forget.
Iqbal (Nagesh Kukunoor, 2005) The film’s protagonist – a deaf and mute son of a farmer from a remote village – has a passion for the game of cricket and seeks the tutelage of a washed-up, alcoholic ex-player. The story follows his obsession as he aims to fulfil his dream of playing for the Indian cricket team. Choosing a career that is already overshadowed by the rich and powerful, the film’s protagonist leaves us bewildered as he treads his path with unmatched determination. The film goes on to tell us that heroes are found in the rarest of situations, as our protagonist — with a strict father, little guidance, poverty ridden background, and physical disability — goes on to make his dreams come true.
Related Read: 15 Movies That Inspire Entrepreneurship
Corporate (Madhur Bhandarkar, 2006) The film revolves around two corporate giants who compete in order to recklessly maximize their respective profits, and is based on the 20 03 pesticides issue in India, when a Delhi-based non-profit organization published a report finding pesticide levels in cold d rinks at levels 30
times that considered safe. The film shows the dirty juncture of business and politics and unveils the games which the men in power play to remain on top, and how it affects the common man. The only film in this list with a negative message, ‘Corporate’ should be watched to know the dark side of doing business. The film should remind entrepreneurs that all is not well with the corporate sector and why it is important to be ethical, just and honest.
Chak De India (Shimit Amin, 2007) This sports drama film is about a determined women’s field hocke y team which wins the world championship against all odds. Through various co nflicts, the film explores religious bigotry, the legacy of the Partition of India, ethnic and regional prejudice, and sexism in contemporary India through field hockey. The film teaches one to go beyond petty differences and work for the larger goal. Team building, planning, coordination, discipline, hard work, strategy, motivation, goal setting, time and stress management are some of the many skills the film subtly teaches us.
Guru (Mani Ratnam, 2007)
Loosely based on the life and times of Dhirubhai Ambani, Guru is probably the most obvious entry in this list. Gurukant Desai is an ambitious middle class boy, who gets married to a rich businessman’s daughter, and uses the mone y he gets as dowry to set up his own cloth business in Mumbai. He pursues success ruthlessly; and smuggles machine parts for his polyester mills, illegally creates goods, and manipulates stocks to make higher profits. The controversial film follows how he uses his skills and ambition to drive this business to creates one of the richest companies in the country. The film is reflective of a man’s desire for ambition and success, and how times have changed from the period immediately after the country’s independence to the present we live in. As an entrepreneur, Guru is ruthless, manipulative and cunning, but at the same time, he encourages us to believe in our dreams. While the film’s protagonist may not teach us about business ethics, it does teach us to be persevering, ambitious and commitment.
3 Idiots (Rajkumar Hirani, 2009) The coming of age comedy-drama film follows the journey of three friends who qu estion the ways of learning and education in a prestigious engineering college. The film qu estions the regulated study environment and revolves around the challenges these students face when they try to follow their passion, and learn in an innovative and fun way. The film is distinctive for featuring real inventions by little known people in India’s backyards. The brains behind the innovations were Remya Jose, a student from Kerala, who created the exercise-bicycle/washing-machine; Mohammad Idris, a barber from Meerut district in Uttar Pradesh, who invented a bicycle-powered horse clipper; and Jahangir Painter, a painter from Maharashtra, who made the scooter-powered flour mill. The film questions the idea of students being forced to study in the field their parents want to, in a meaningless routine-bound and regulated way. It also looks beyond classrooms and parents’ expectations and the burdened life students are forced upon. Makes us wonder why so many entrepreneurs were either college dropouts or bad in academics.
Also read: 10 Bollywood celebrities with social causes
Harishchandrachi Factory (Paresh Mokashi, 2009) Set in the early 20th century, the film follows the real life story of Dadasaheb Phalke who abandons a well-established printing business and becomes unemplo yed, struggling for survival. He soon gets introduced to films, and with his hard-working wife and kids by his side, he ventures into a field unknown to his time, and goes on to make India’s first feature film, ‘Raja Harishchandra’, thus becoming the first entrepreneur of the largest film industry of the world today. Although not exactly a Bollywood film, this Marathi film just couldn’t be kept away from the list. In a rare delight where the content and form of a film match to perfection, the humour and light heartedness of the film fits into the character of Mr Phalke like a glove. Following the life of a real entrepreneur, the film shows how the act of film making grips him to the levels of obsession, and how he follows this passion till the ver y end. It also shows how having a natural foresight and a knack for understanding the future makes a good entrepreneur.
Rocket Singh: Salesman Of The Year (Shimit Amin, 2009)
After obtaining just 39% marks in graduation, Harpreet Singh, who lives with his grandfather, gets em ployed with AYS Computers as a salesman. He is shunned and mocked by his superiors and colleagues, and soon finds that honesty is not the best policy. He bootstraps his own parallel sales company using his compan y resources and partners with four other employees from the firm, leading to the creation of a fictitious organization – ‘Rocket Sales Corporation’. An entrepreneur is born. Rocket Singh is another obvious entry into this list. One of the most important lessons the film teaches is that success is not dictated by academic excellence. The protagonist’s hunger for risks, ability to pick the right people for his team, and his value for his customers is inspiring. The film also teaches us to take failure and unfair remarks, and let our actions do the talking. The film shows that the most inspiring leaders are the most humble ones, and are born in the most unusual circumstances.
Band Baaja Baraat (Maneesh Sharma, 2010) The film revolves around a girl and a boy, two fresh college graduates who don’t know each other, and team up to start a wedding planning business. Although the film’s foreground is a love story, the struggles and delusions a startup faces are shown beautifully in the narrative. The most important message of the film is that entrepreneurs should know how to separate their personal and professional life. The film talks about passion being more important than qualification, and more importantly teaches us to be a team player. Knowing ones customer, business ethics, dreaming big, not bothering about competition, and treating vendors as partners are some other important lessons entrepreneurs can learn from this film.
Badmaash Company (Parmeet Sethi, 2010) Set in the middle class dynamics of the 90s, the film revolves around four young friends who graduate from college and start a business togethe r. Using unorthodox methods, they proceed to make large fortunes by smuggling expensive foreign goods and avoiding the import duty on them.
The entrepreneurs in the film are cunning, over-ambitious and often funny. It shows how entrepreneurs find their niche market and go on to exploit it. Although the film gives important moral lessons on business principles, the film also raises vital questions of ethical versus unethical in a light hearted manner. The film reminds us of the days when a typical Bollywood villain was a smuggler, which became extinct after ‘smuggling’ became legal post India’s economic liberalization.
The Dirty Picture (Milan Luthria, 2011) The film follows the journey of an average middle-class girl who wants to become an actor. She runs away to Madras, and like hundreds of other young women, lines up outside studios to try and get noticed. With her plain, next-door-girl looks, she gets ignored but as fate could have it she is given a chance to play a minor role after she manages to sneak into the studios. The amount of effort she puts in her meager side role makes her an overnight sensation. The biographical drama film is inspired by the life of Silk Smitha, a South Indian actress noted for her erotic roles. One cannot help but notice her passion, even in the smallest things she does. Playing the role of a dancer behind the stars, she overshadows them all and rises to fame. The lesson entrepreneurs must learn for the film is simple even if you a re doing the smallest thing do it with passion and give it your best shot.
Special 26 (Neeraj Pandey, 2013)
The film follows the story of a real life group of con artists who pull off many clever robberies du ring 1980s, and rob famous businessmen and politicians. The group’s modus operandi is to pretend to be CBI or Income tax officers on a raid. By intimidating their victims, they make off with black mone y hoarded away. Of course, the fear of a bad reputation ensures that these victims never file FIRs against the group. Although the comparison between Robin Hood and entrepreneurs is not new, the film stands out simply because of the domain knowledge these con artists possess. Their team work and foresight is also commendable – something entrepreneurs can learn from.
Management Lessons from Movies: 2.0 October 4, 2013 by ashokbhatia Smart managers are always keen to ‘sharpen their saw’. They always remain alert to new ideas from all sides. Movies are no exception. These provide valuable inputs to managers at all levels – from green-behind-the-ear beginners to CEOs and owners. Here is an update on the key take away lessons from some of the movies I am aware of: some from Kollywood, some from Hollywood and many others from Bollywood. ENTERING THE CORPORATE JUNGLE
Setting Realistic Goals (Manal Kayiru: A Rope/Thread of Sand )
Be Realistic, whether looking for a life partner or a job! The hero sets impossible conditions to be met while seeking a life partner. As a result, he gets conned into marrying a girl who is exactly the opposite. In the arena of management, we work with customers, suppliers, employees, service providers and other stakeholders. It helps us to be realistic about what we want from them. Be SMART: Goals should be Simple, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Time-bound!
Realigning Goals to our Passion (3 Idiots, Maya Kannadi: The Illusory Mirror )
Better alignment between inner self and outer self helps us to find joy at the work place. Money, status and power are a logical corollary. We should excel at whatever we do – even if it is hair dressing! There is no merit in frittering away our energy in trying disparate things which we are not good at. Our life is in our own hands and we can shape it well.
A Personal SWOT Analysis: Overcoming Weaknesses (Black)
Getting a committed and competent guide helps us to learn to overcome our weaknesses. High involvement invariably leads to high commitment. This, in turn, leads to higher accomplishments in life. We face negative energy in the shape of self-doubts which often plague us. By winning over these, we can achieve great things in life.
The protagonist is a deaf and blind girl. Her tutor gets afflicted by Alzheimer’s disease towards the climax. The movie was inspired by the life and struggle of Helen Keller.
DOING WELL IN THE CORPORATE JUNGLE
Putting First Things First (Iqbal)
The hero has a passion to excel. He motivates a reluctant coach to take him under his wings. The training methods are very primitive. At no stage do es he dream of better facilities. To play cricket for India is his dream. He works on it with the end in mind.
Being Proactive (Bhaag Milkha Bhaag: Run Milkha Run )
Milkha has a short-term affair with his coach’s granddaughter and ends up losing at the 1956 Melbourne Olympics. He learns from this failure and goes on to win several medals for India in the 400m sprint slot. Perseverance, hard work and a passion to succeed lead him to eventual success.
Networking and Bonding (Dil Chhahta Hai: Do Your Thing, Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara: You Don’t Get to Live Twice)
Most work gets done in organizations based on informal networking and bonding. The effectiveness of a better networked team is much higher, as it taps the potential of underground cable connections.
Bonding encourages lateral thinking within the group, thereby improving its productivity.
Spotting the Potential of Individuals (Lagaan: Land Tax )
Team building involves a clear definition of diverse roles and the assigning of roles based on individual strengths. Overcoming regional and social biases, the hero motivates a group of villagers to form a team and beat the English rulers in a game of cricket, thereby leading to a waiver of taxes for a period of three years.
Taking Good Care of People (Anbe Sivam: Love is God )
The conflict between a communist way of thinking and a capitalist one is brought out in this Kamal Hassan and R Madhavan flick very poignantly. Better management of people, the value of compassion and the need to minimize financial disparity is highlighted in the movie.
Delegation by Micro-managing (Udaan: Flight )
An overpowering father bullies a son into accepting a career and lifestyle of his choice. The seeds of revolt sprout. How the hero, a 17-year-old teenager, overcomes his low self-esteem and picks up the courage to walk out of the home to lead a life free of humiliation and abuse forms the crux of the theme. Aggressive bosses who tend to micromanage affairs in the name of delegation end up creating a team with very low self-esteem. This could affect the long-term plans of the organization.
Delegation by Macro-managing (Sholay: The Embers)
In this case, the focus is on results, not on methods or means. The target – of capturing a dreaded dacoit – is clearly defined. The assignment is clearly accepted by two small time criminals who succeed in their mission, though one of them loses his life in the process.
Sticking to Values (Jerry Maguire)
When Jerry gets disgusted with the unfair practices in a sports event management company, he chooses to come out with a Mission Statement: ‘The Things We Think and Do Not Say: The Future of Our Business’. He goes on to build his own business as a sports agent and develops a very close relationship with his one of his clients, leading to eventual success.
Leaving the Comfort Zone (Do Aankhen Barah Haath: Two Eyes, Twelve Hands)
Do Aankhen Barah Haath was based on a real life incident. A jailer proposes to handle six hardened criminals in an open jail, so as to reform them and return them to society as responsible citizens. The movie captured the spirit of innovation in solving a social problem. Lessons like empathic counseling, strict discipline and a fair and transparent system of reward and punishment are relevant for professionals who face white-collar crimes in today’s business world. How the hero overcomes the initial disapproval and cynicism of his superiors in implementing a novel scheme of this nature teaches us to try to walk out of our comfort zones once in a while to scale new heights in our career .
Crisis Management (The Burning Train, The Towering Inferno, The Poseidon Adventure, Independence Day)
The causes for a crisis could be many – professional rivalry, an ego clash, or sheer chance. But what wins the day is Rather than trying to pass on the blame; a professional would adopt a rational attitude and take immediate steps to contain the damage. Cooperation, team work, level headedness and fleet footedness are the pre-requisites for success to be achieved. In all the movies cited here, a deep commitment to save lives comes first. When faced by a door-die situation, new groups often get formed and assume a leadership role to tackle the crisis effectively.
Strategy First, Execution Later (The Bridge on the River Kwai)
Implementing ruthlessly without understanding strategic implications could be injurious to the organization’s health! The leader is ruthless in getting a group of prisoners of war to construct a railroad bridge during World War II. He believes in demonstrating British engineering skills to posterity even though, when completed, the bridge would help the Japanese troops. In a nutshell, the bridge is built, only to be destroyed when the first train passes through! LORD OF THE JUNGLE
Leadership (Norma Rae)
Based on the real life story of a wage earner in North Carolina, the movie captured the essence of labor unionization and the leadership qualities required to achieve the same. We learn that people follow us not necessarily because we are smarter or more knowledgeable; only because we are passionate and clear about what we set out to achieve.
A Win/Win Strategy (Jodhaa Akbar)
Akbar, a Muslim Mughal Emperor, marries a proud Hindu Rajput princess, so as to forge strategic ties with smaller states which are otherwise resisting his expansion plans. The princess resents being used as a pawn in a political game and Akbar is fed by vested interests with negative inputs as to her real intentions. Eventually, they learn to respect and love each other. When businesses merge, the birth pangs of the new business entity are experienced by all stakeholders. It is through cooperation, mutual trust, shared values and enlightened HR communication that the bonds become stronger, thereby giving the business a synergistic advantage.
Failure is Not an Option (Apollo 13)
When the third manned mission to the Moon gets aborted due to a technical snag, the challenge before the NASA flight controllers is to get the three astronauts aboard back to Earth. With team work and an out of box approach, the crew manages to make a difficult but crucial course correction. The team lands safely. When a boss decides not to take a ‘no’ as an answer, amazing results often come up. Human imagination and ingenuity, when pushed to its limits, truly knows no boundaries.
Innovation in Business and Processes (Vicky Donor, Munna Bhai MBBS)
An unemployed youth – relentlessly chased by the owner of an infertility clinic – ends up becoming a sperm donor. The movie captures his trials and tribulations in a hilarious manner. Goes on to show that lot of new businesses can be conceived by being alert to the demand supply gaps in the society. By offering products/services designed to capture such gaps, new business verticals can be designed to tap the market potential. For a hospital, an empathic touch is necessary to heal better is one of the clear messages of the Munna Bhai movie. Core service delivery – taking care of the sick and the infirm – cannot become secondary to procedures, systems and paperwork is another important message.
Discovering Synergy (Chak De! India: Go, India!)
A hockey coach pulls off the impossible – by coaching and leading the Indian women’s field hockey national team to win the World Cup. There are regional, racial and ethnic biases to be overcome. There are ego clashes between players to be tackled. Players who keep their personal success above that of the team need to be counseled. Then there are issues of eve teasing and perceived sexual harassment which need to be addressed. The apathy and cynicism of the government regulatory officials needs to be overcome. He does all this and leads the team to an astounding win. He does so by seeking areas of agreement first, by building on strengths of individual players and by compensating for their weaknesses.
The Leader Walks Alone (Elizabeth, Mughal-e-Azam)
The Queen gives up her romantic interests for the sake of a public life, rules England for 40 years; eventually learns to trust her own instincts Likewise, a CEO has to set the bar very high and forsake quite a few mundane pleasures of life to lead the organization to rapid growth It is always lonely at the top; concern for organization reigns supreme Factors which can help: strong relationships, pragmatism, flexibility, meditation SOME KEY ENABLERS
Giving Back to Society (Thirumalai)
The hero is a motorbike mechanic. He ends up falling in love with a girl whose father is a rich businessman. The father, not liking the match, hires local goons to kill the hero. Predictably, the hero survives. In a key scene, he tells the father to behave himself and be straight and positive. The key messages: Life is a circle: you reap what you sow; Discovering our Inner Voice.
Helping the Community First (It’s a Wonderful Life)
The hero has given up on his dreams to help others and ends up committing suicide on a Christmas evening. His guardian angel shows him how he has made a difference to other’s lives and the community in general.
Think Green (Wall-E, Erin Brockovich, Avatar)
All these movies have themes which are centered around the concept of sustainable living.
Caring for the environment and Mother Earth is the central message. In Wall-E, it is a small plant which makes humans come back to inhabit earth. Erin Brockovich is all about a legal clerk motivating a group of sufferers to stand up against a large company and get suitable compensation awarded by a court of law. It is based on a real life incident. Avatar also champions the cause of protecting our environment. THE REEL/REAL LIFE
In reel life, we empathize with a hero we admire. We readily fall for the grace and charms of a heroine and get infatuated by her. We love at least one doting parent. We come to hate rogue villains. In real life, we look up to some seniors who become our role models. We fall for the charms of an organization whose image and brand equity we admire. We meet an experienced senior who guide us, much like a doting parent. All those who shoot down our plans appear to be rogue villains. In the process, they teach us to balance between divergent opinions and also help us to grow professionally.
While entering the reel life, we willingly suspend our sense of belief and logic, leaving our mind behind at the hall entrance. We simply get mesmerized for a period of two to three hours. In some single owner driven companies, we learn to leave behind our ego and autonomy of thought at the office entrance itself. It is a reality check which sometimes lasts sixteen hours in a day. Thanks to technical gizmos and improved connectivity, it is well-nigh impossible to ‘switch off’ for the day!
AN OVERVIEW
Making movies is a high-risk business. Thanks to the multiplex business model, innovation in themes appears to have picked up of late. In the realm of Hindi movies, think ‘A Wednesday’, ‘Bumm Bumm Bole’, ‘Barfi’, ‘Cheeni Kum’, ‘Dor’, ‘I am Kalaam’, ‘Lunchbox’, ‘Pa’, ‘Stanley Ka Dabba’, ‘The Blue Umbrella’, ‘Udaan’, ‘Welcome to Sajjanpur’, etc. Movies are not only about entertainment. They are also about education, empowerment and enlightenment.
