The Hindu Business Line : Lagaan and Bawarchi

Many top management institutes have even adopted its storyline as a case study. But Bollywood's role in shaping India Inc's skills, it seems, is not restricted to this Oscar nominee.

Recently, Mr Arun Jain, Chairman & CEO of Polaris Software, reminded a Chennai gathering about the 1972 film Bawarchi and explained how it highlights the power of influence.

Aspiring managers, even if they were at the entry level, would do well to support the existing establishment and get into the good books, before attempting to change it. This concept, he said, is what has been depicted in Bawarchi, in which Rajesh Khanna, playing the role of a cook, transforms a hostile family into a happy one, by initially supporting their acts and then suggesting changes.

Addressing the passing-out graduates of the Institute for Financial Management and Research here, Mr Jain, who claimed to have played the film to his top management team, pointed out the ability to positively influence an organisation need not necessarily rest with the top brass; rather, even an entry-level employee can effect a change. In essence, the power of influence is greater than the power of authority, he said.

The Chairman of ICICI Bank, Mr N. Vaghul, who also heads IFMR, said the institute is planning to launch a Masters course in financial management. IFMR offers a full-time programme in management, as also an executive MBA course, in association with the British Open University.