Lessons from some inspiring Bollywood movies

Movies can be a wonderful way to unwind and discover new truths of life. Movies reflect ourselves and our surroundings in the most uncanny ways. Very often we draw inspiration from and learn important life lessons from movies.

Let’s have a look at some movies that move us towards becoming better individuals in our professional and personal lives:

1. Chak De India: resolving conflict, team management, preparing for competition from opposition

This Shah Rukh Khan starrer about hockey teaches us the importance of resolving conflicts and moving past personal issues to focus on a team goal. Similarly, in any business environment, it is important to prioritise the team’s goal instead of getting stuck on personal ego. Also, we learn the importance of anticipating the competition’s moves and preparing to deal tactfully with the competition. This applies to any professional set up where one must be aware of the market competition and keep themselves geared up to meet the opposition with full preparation. Chak De India is a great movie to learn team management and delegate duties smartly to proficient people in the team to make the team most fruitful.

2. Guru: leadership, ambition, hard work, the power of dreams, networking

Guru is about the story of a confident leader who believes in his dreams and makes them a reality by working hard and doing everything in his power to turn things in his favour. We also realise the downsides of malpractices. But the focus is on ambition and confidence to achieve something big in life. Networking and making connections are other important lessons to learn from Guru. Such contacts help us in the future and facilitate the growth of the business. You never know who could be turned into a trusted ally at any time. Therefore, build good relations with people in high places. Another important leadership lesson that Guru teaches us is that we must empathize and connect with the people we work with. This draws their trust and continued association with you.

3. Band Baaja Baraat: formulating strategy, understanding customer/client, reading your competition well, entrepreneurship concepts

This movie is a great inspiration for those who are wishing to commence their own venture. It teaches us the importance of experience in the market, understanding the business potential and pitching to your clients in the most strategic way possible. It also reflects on hard work, dreams, and ambition. There is a lot of strategizing to learn from this movie where we see how the duo turns tables in their favour by adjusting to the client’s requirements and providing services that appeal to the client. They also follow ethical ways to promote their business and read their competition very well to provide strong and innovative alternatives to match and in fact supersede the competition.

4. Sui Dhaaga: believing in one’s dreams, hard work, innovation, taking risks, confidence in your work

This contemporary movie sets new standards in the business industry. It teaches the importance of learning from one’s mistakes, recognising one’s true potential and working to turn it into a successful venture. It also reflects on the fact that there is no harm in starting something from a small idea. You never know which small idea turns into a big success. There is a lot of risk that the protagonists take to turn their dream into a reality. Therefore, we learn that in the business world, it is important to take risks if you wish to achieve something big. Playing safe cannot take you ahead in life. Put in all your effort into your work and it should be a mark of your potential. Your work should substantiate for your image in the market. Put the highest priority into giving the best output each time. Innovation in thinking and doing something spectacular outside the box is also a lesson we take from this movie as the protagonists make use of traditional techniques to make something unique and modern.

5. Tumhari Sulu: passion makes work good, Recruiting the right people, brand building, caring for co-workers

This new-age movie about a housewife’s desires to make money for petty wishes like buying a television calls for some important lessons for any business to learn from. Sulu, the protagonist is driven and confident about her ambitions and dreams. She is always motivated by her ‘can-do’ attitude. She instils a vibe of joy and happiness wherever she goes. She never gives up on her dreams and ambitions. The boss, played by Neha Dhupia, is another striking role to take lessons from. She is personally involved in each employee’s life and knows the ins and outs of each employee’s personality. She identifies talent and makes the right recruitment decisions. Therefore, it is important for top management to be involved in making decisions about recruitment. Brand building through unconventional methods is something that the movie touches upon. Even though Vidya Balan has no experience as an RJ, she capitalises on her style of speaking to build an image of the show and thus the brand of the radio station altogether. Thus, we learn a great deal from this movie.