MANAGEMENT LESSONS FROM MOVIES (MLM)

Subject Code: BM63069

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REPORT ON THE MOVIE –

14 PEAKS: NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE

Group 7
Name Roll No
Jayadev P 20BM63036
Melvin Mathew Shaji 20BM63044
Nandagopal Gopalakrishnan 20BM63050
Vijay Karotra 20BM63099
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CONTENTS
Summary...................................................2
Key Takeaways: Management Lessons......3
Conclusions...............................................7
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Summary

The Story of Pokhran is based on a true story about how India became a nuclear state after covertly
building nuclear bombs and testing them in Pokhran desert in Rajasthan in record time and while not
letting the world know till finally, the explosions were carried out. The story begins in 1995.

Ashwath Raina is an IAS officer who feels that India should become a nuclear power but since he is
too junior, his seniors poke fun at his idea. However, one of the seniors sees an opportunity to gain
brownie points by hijacking Ashwath’s idea and presents it to the prime minister without going
through the whole plan. After the PM gives his nod, the plan execution begins in Pokhran (Rajasthan)
but since only part of the plan has been taken up for implementation, it hits a roadblock. Worse still,
Ashwath is blamed for the faulty plan and suspended from his job. The fact is that the roadblock was
not because of a faulty plan but because of the careless execution of the plan without reading
Ashwath’s plan in entirety.

Three years later, the new chief secretary to the Prime Minister, Shukla, appoints Ashwath to head the
team which will restart the nuclear work in Pokhran. Taking the code name of Krishna, Ashwath
appoints his five Pandavas – five accomplished persons in various fields to help him in making India’s
first nuclear bombs. Dr. Viraf Wadia is given the code name of Yudhishtir, Major Prem becomes
Bheem, Dr. Naresh Sinha is Arjun, Puru Ranganathan becomes Sehdev, and Ambalika is Nakul. Since
the operation is covert, the team can work only during blind spots – when no satellite is crossing India
in the skies. Sehdev monitors the satellite movements while the others work on the field with workers.

There is a Pakistani spy in Pokhran, who works in tandem with an American scientist (Mark
Bennington). The two soon realise that some serious activity is going on in Pokhran, and the American
scientist even informs the lab in the USA about the nuclear experimentation being carried out in
Pokhran.

How Krishna (Ashwath Raina) succeeds against all odds and ultimately carries out the first nuclear
explosions in India is the crux of the story. It was after these nuclear tests in May 1998 that India came
to be known as a nuclear state in the world

KEYWORDS:

Leadership, Delegation, Planning, Execution, Team Work, Story-telling, Proactiveness, Risk Taker,
Appreciation, Consideration
Key Takeaways: 4

Management Lessons

PRIORITIZE:

It can be difficult to determine which of your company's priorities is the most important. Everything
balances out–which path is the best? The batteries required for the video equipment limited the amount
of food these climbers could take with them on the ascent, and consequently the length of time they
could climb. In your day-to-day operations, perhaps more employee perks necessitate fewer
employees, or downtown office space necessitates higher rent.

BE YOUR OWN LEGEND:

Here, the protagonist has very clearly and easily explained & delegated the tasks of each member and
with the collective efforts of the various teams the once failed mission became a success later on.

The sharing of information and the team's well-coordinated activities lead to the success of any
operation. Delegating responsibility to professionals and holding them accountable to the overall
project results in good action, which leads to success in any type of business or warfare.
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ADJUST TO CORPORATE CULTURE AND MAKE YOUR PRESENCE FELT:

The protagonist makes good use of this skill set by regularly following up with his superiors,
influencers, and doing his best to attain his overall goal. He used diplomacy to his advantage, despite
first failing to manage his peer network and influencers. But, like a genuine leader, he assembled a
team of skilled professionals from many sectors such as ISRO, BARC, Army, telecommunications,
Intelligence, and Research Wing.

As in the Mahabharata, Lord Krishna won the fight for the Pandavas without using any weapon or
ammunition, only by providing strategic guidance to the Pandavas on a regular basis and allowing the
Pandavas to employ their own inherent skills.

PLANNING & EXECUTION:

The team was facing the problem of being spied by various countries like the US satellites, Pakistan &
US agents and other natural threats such as sand storms in the area. In order to ensure a seamless
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execution of the program without creating any suspicion, the team used alias in place of original names
as well as put up a team of diligent workers from various national organisations.

Planning is critical, but how you carry out your plans is much more crucial. You may have the perfect
strategy on paper, but its success or failure is determined by how well it is carried out.

THINK OUT OF THE BOX:

In order to tackle the problems raised by various countries and to ensure smooth execution of the
operation, team decided to create a mirage for distraction as well as made the team to work in army
uniform. The team also worked in blind spots to avoid being tracked down by enemy spy satellites.

To outperform your competitors, you must sometimes (more often than not) think beyond the box. You
must always think ahead of your opponents.
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Conclusions

 In the movie, it clearly depicts that the failures are stepping stones to success. Learn from your
mistakes and keep moving forward. However, keep in mind the lessons learned (and not the
failures). If you fail, you must not give up since doing so destroys any chances of future
success, however small they may be. But if you attempt again and again, you will eventually
succeed

 If you have the will to do something, you will most certainly end up doing it. You will attract
all sorts of things needed to make your dream a reality

 The collaborative effort of the persons involved in the execution of anything large is required
for it to be successful. You can't do it on your own. You must rely on the assistance and support
of your team members