A lesson or two from Bollywood could not only be entertaining for our future managers but could also be a shaping tool for the bright minds. And, Indian B-schools are all set to cash in on the idea.
While Shah Rukh Khan has been roped in to host a business and marketing quiz at a B-school for three years, Ranbir Kapoor did his homework well before heading to the Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore (IIM-B) to discuss politics with the students.
B-schools believe that students could benefit by getting a glimpse of the entertainment industry through the eyes of an actor, while the stars get an opportunity to take on a nostalgic ride of the campus or promote their upcoming movies.
“If we look at the film industry, actors are important and the front runners of an integrated project. When students interact with them, they get first-hand information of the industry,” said Ishita Solanki, manager, Global Partnership & Corporate Affairs at IIM Ahmedabad. The institute offers an elective course in ‘Contemporary Film Industry (CFI) — A Business Perspective’ for the postgraduate programme.
“Of course there are others at the back end, like the financiers and marketers, and each person has something to contribute and share their perspectives with the students,” she said.
IIM-A invites celebrities to give students an opportunity to understand the Hindi film industry in a systematic manner and get a hands-on experience on the films and entertainment business — cinema, ad films, documentaries, and animation films, among others. These interactive sessions also provide a glimpse of the global film industry.
Aamir Khan had recently shared his 20 years of experience in the film industry with the students of the premier institute. Tamil actor Shriya Saran was also invited to give an insight into the flavour of the film industry down south, as part of the course.
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Ranbir Kapoor and Katrina Kaif had a gala time at IIM-B in May this year while on the campus to promote their film Rajneeti. An inter-active session with students on youth & politics – Should graduation be a compulsory qualification for entering politics? – was also organised.
“While celebrities are not paid, they benefit in many ways: They get to spend time with the students, getting a perspective on various subjects. They also get the opportunity to relive their college days and share their thoughts with the bright young minds on prevailing issues of the society,” said Zinnia Sheoran, of the Media Relations Committee, IIM Lucknow (IIM-L).
IIM Kozhikode (IIM-K) is all set to catch up with the rest of the IIMs. It plans to invite some well-known faces but people who have contributed to national and international issues.
“We have not invited film personalities so far. But, we strongly believe that celebrities do influence our society and so do our students. We are planning to invite Shabana Azmi this year. She is an outstanding achiever in her own field of activity and has contributed to the society. We believe people like her can set examples and share their experiences to enlighten our students. This will help them become fair-minded managers with a social commitment,” said Debashis Chatterjee, director, IIM-K.
Ad film makers Prahlad Kakkar and R Balki have also found their way into business schools. Balki had the students of IIM-L floored with his anecdotes and insights into the ads of Tanishq, Idea, Surf and Havell.
“The session gave the students an idea of how the Indian advertising industry works in general and how Lowe Lintas, with Balki at the helm, succeeded in producing top-notch, eye-catching ads,” said Sheoran.
“In response to a question on failures and successes, Balki had said ‘Learn from experiences that have worked best for you, success trains you and makes you strive for more’. This could not have come from someone who had not experienced it. He also said how the economic downturn had affected the marketing ideas and budgets,” she added.
Tarun Tripathi, former marketing head of Yash Raj Films, visited IIM-L to conduct a workshop on ‘Business of Entertainment’ where he explained the role of management graduates in Bollywood.
“We cannot keep our students oblivious of the trends. They should be aware of their role as management students. At IIM-A, we have a host of courses like on carbon credit and grass roots innovation that talk about the current trends. That is why experts in a particular field visits the campus and enlighten students,” Solanki added.
Apart from sharing their words of wisdom, celebrities help promote events at business schools. For instance, the Indian Institute of Planning and Management (IIPM) signed in actor Shah Rukh Khan to host their annual business and marketing quiz to attract international business schools to participate in the event.
“Today’s MBA students are more enterprising. They believe in over all development of personality and are bolder than ever before. Students have their set of goals and aspirations. They chose to follow their dreams in unconventional fields. These interactive sessions are a good source of inspiration for them to pursue what they truly believe in,” Sheoran signed off.