Enkayaar, Bollywood Trade News Network

While ancient Indian texts have become a buzzing word for management related learning, Indian films which are elixir of life for an average Indian, eternal dreamer as he is, are yet to form a subject of management study. This is in quite contrast to what is happening in Hollywood where every cult film is bisected on the management table to squeeze out the learning processes, and is adopted for betterment of processes and life as well, though Hollywood and Bollywood have near about the same paths of growth. Is it owing to the fact that Bollywood is looked at, with disdain by the so-called management gurus, as it does not function on any principles associated with management, it is all together a different matter that the management gurus of the yore also aspire to bath in the spot light of the cameramen.

Film made by makers like Raj Kapoor, V Shantaram, Guru Dutt are an epitome of knowledge as far as learning associated with management practices is concerned, and is a fit case study for development of management related theories particularly suited to Indian ethos. Were one to pick up one movie that in it bundles most of the basic nuances of management practices SHOLAY would stand hands down.

SHOLAY, a cult movie starts with the basic objective of outsourcing exemplified in Thakur Baldev Singh's effort and perseverance to get the best practitioners to execute his job, and also in his ability to get the boys at all cost and at their price. Is it not manifest in the dialogue itself, when Thakur says: Keemat Jo Tum Chaho, Kaam Jo Main Chahoon; throwing a gauntlet to the whiz kids to deliver, and deliver they do even at the cost of their life, that is what management is all about. The modern practioners of management are delivering even at the cost of their life and once having quoted the price are also paying it with their life as well in the form of modern life style related diseases.

Grapevine has been playing a very important role in the practice of statecraft and even failures arising out of eavesdropping do not deter the agents of grapevine to pass on the information even though the success rate may be hardly twenty percent. Keshto Mukerjee is a perfect example of grapevine at its cathartic best, as Asrani not once but thrice is swayed by the information gathered from the grapevine, and such is the practitioner's (Keshto) faith in grapevine that he even keeps his job at stake for feeding to it, as Keshto does when he runs of shaving half moustache of a prisoner.

One of the principle maxims of management is to keep the subordinated in good humor and in good stead and then they would deliver in the time of crisis. This is what Basanti did with Dhanno, as she used to pamper her a lot, and in the time of crisis, when goons of Gabbar chased her, Basanti was able to delay her ultimate capture as Dhanno ran for her life.

Art of war is also expounded in great detail repeatedly both in the machinations of Gabbar as well as Jai and Biru. Gabbar strikes the village when they are into merriment during the time of Holi, while he also is attacked when festivities are going to at his end. The punch line of Gabbar, 'Jo Dar Gaya Samjho Mar Gaya, is a warning for sissies that in the war fear does not have a place, if deliverance has to be done, it has to be done, one cannot shriek his responsibilities.

Work place is not a place to fiddle and romance, and it does not succeed, as happened in case of Jai and Malti, and the dialogue that Jai utters when Jaya Bhaduri comes running home: 'Is Kahani Ka To Yahi Ant Hona Tha,' sums up the whole predicament.

Last but not the least, one should always keep one ace up the sleeve and it should be put on the table when all else fails, as happened with Jai, when he tossed his coin and send Biru to the village, and when Biru came back he found that the coin Jai used to toss had head on both the sides, and he always used it to act with commitment.