" Dil Dhadakne Do " Business lessons from the Movie
http://missionsharingknowledge.com/business-lessons-on-a-cruise-from-dil-dhadakne-do/
Now what’s a Bollywood romcom flick like Dil Dhadakne Do (Let The Heart Beat.. for those non conversant with Hindi) got to do with business? Plenty if you ask me. I will however keep this short and snappy, unlike the 2:51 minute saga; to give you five lessons that I recommend business folk take from this latest Zoya Akhtar’s production.
Lesson 1: Drive the obsession for quality down the ranks. Kamal Mehra (played by peerless Anil Kapoor) is a self-made billionaire who raises an empire by the weight of his sheer dedication and efforts. However as his business grows, he has lesser and lesser time to keep a check on his operations. He soon finds out that he is loosing out the battle of cost and quality against the Chinese counterparts.
Lesson 2: Short-term measures do not yield long term benefits. In a desperate bid to find a suitable investor for his flagging business, Kamal Mehra decides to create an alliance between his son and the daughter of another shrewd billionaire. How the ploy fails (and spectacularly so) forms much of the plot of the movie. Needless to say, it turns out to be one gamble too many for the silver haired businessmen.
Lesson 3: Shatter the glass ceiling! The heir apparent of Kamal’s business- his son Kabeer played by Ranveer, has other ideas for his life and is more interested in flying. His sister Ayesha, played by Priyanka, however is blessed with superior business acumen. Kamal fails to realise that his business is safer in the hands of his daughter instead of his son. Those savvy with politics in India may relate quite easily with this phenomenon.
Lesson 4: Star performers don’t always make for a winning team: For a movie replete with an enviable cast and striking performances that may win awards in individual categories, you are left with a sense of emptiness while you queue out to exit. Zoya got the act of her actors’ right, but couldn’t quite get the pulse of her audience.
Lesson 5: Focus on the core message: Where DDD lacks on substance, it makes up for it through witty one liners that keep you chuckling from ear to ear. Speaking about his dysfunctional family, Ranveer comes up with one such killer line:
Yahaan pe sab log upar upar ki baat karte hai, main baat to koi karta hi nahin. <Everyone speaks of superficial stuff here, no one talks about the main thing. >
Is that how you sometimes feel about your brand messages?
The sixth sense: Money can’t buy happiness: Sure its fabulous to be able to take a motley group of friends on a cruise to Turkey to celebrate your anniversary at the cost of 8000 euros per person, but it also magnifies the insecurities and frailties encountered by the super rich. It portrays a sense of disenchantment at having all the worldly pleasures at your feet but not being able to connect with your near and dear ones in a true sense.
Advisory: If you haven’t seen the movie yet, take your own sweet time. When you do decide to catch it though, take your kindle along-with you. Much like going on a cruise and drifting off into oblivion, you may just find much needed succour in your unfinished read.