ia has over the centuries used various forms of Art including literature, music and dance to spread messages

for everyday living. The Ramayana, the Mahabharata, the Panchatantra, the Hitupadesa are a few standing examples. For a country so used to Art, it is no surprise that films and more recently Television soaps have become an integral part of our lives and have shaped public opinion and views on many subjects. Their power to influence and impact is beyond doubt. We are however unfamiliar with the idea of an Indian movie seeming to teach us lessons in Management! Even if many of them did, people have seldom looked at it that way. Trainers and Management Consultants around the world have however been using movies extensively for Management & Leadership lessons. Few films like - Hoosiers, The Wizard of Oz, The Bridge on the River Kwai and Moby Dick to teach a dozen management lessons.

The idea is simple:

1.Movies are easily accessible, unlike training films 2.They combine entertainment with learning 3.Their linkage with everyday living makes the bridging easy 4.Their quality of production makes them significantly absorbing

There is another important point. The world of business which is ravaged by unprecedented turbulence and uncertainty seems bereft of fresh ideas and perspectives. There is too much theorizing about the same old things. No wonder football coaches, musicians, actresses, Swamijis turned motivational speakers turned management gurus and other celebrities are in great demand in the Lecture circuit. I am told that a Professor at IIM - Kozhikode has already written a case study using the film for use in the academic program.

The lessons I derive from the movie are as follows:

A lesson in entrepreneurship:

The protagonist in the movie i.e. Bhuvan's character is risk taking, responsible, confident, encouraging, supportive with a 'never say die' attitude which I feel is an intrinsic character for any manager. It was the village ingenuity of Bhuvan that gave him the idea to challenge the British in a cricket match and getting exempted from the tax lagaan levied on them. Otherwise the villagers couldnt have payed the tax in aftermath of a drought. Such risk taking and thinking out of the box is required for every new venture or a commercial startup.

A lesson in teamwork

The relentless pursuit of Bhuvan coupled with some team spirit and cooperation made the villagers form a cricket team. A cricket team that went on to beat an established, professional and well equipped British team. I feel Bhuvan upholded this saying throughout fear not; only believe. Giving his vision to his team that they can win and get through the tax debt by winning a cricket match was key element that how to handle a team. Convincing people is very tough, the way Bhuvan did it was really very good. The learnings from Bhuvans team can be:

spirit and power of team work will power and determination unity and focus on common goal

A lesson of relentless spirit to fight

There was terrible start to Bhuvans cricket match idea. The problem was villagers didnt know how to play it some couldnt wield the bat. But Bhuvan with the help of Elizabeth led them secretly to a real cricket match of the British team and later on emulated that in their own fields. The team later on learnt by imitating Bhuvan and managed to get hold of the game. This gives an important lesson Accept the challenge, be open-minded. It tells us even

if you don't know something you can learn and achieve it what is needed is perhaps the zeal and willingness to learn.

Other lessons that we can learn & teach from the movie

It is evident that Lagaan has the potential to help us learn and teach some very important lessons in Management & Leadership. While even this limited research effort has thrown up so many significant lessons, we see many more that can be learnt. Here are some:

1. The importance of Learning to survive & win

2. The importance of accepting & working with diversity

3. The need for a can do spirit, a positive attitude and the importance of fighting the typical Indian despondency.

4. The need to stay focused single-mindedly on Results

5. The importance of being objective & unbiased

6. The importance of trust despite betrayal

7. The importance of learning to manage and work with limitations and minimum resources 8. The importance of taking chances & risks to make dreams come true

9. The leader's role in :

a. Being able to spot talent: How Bhuvan found a spinner in kachra and a fast fast bowling sardarji b. Physically & emotionally mobilising a team: Bhuvans inspiration when the team was losing the match. c. Coaching the team: which I feel Bhuvan did a good job d. Leading by example: Staying at the crease till the end and hitting the winning runs. e. Using the right balance of humor, encouragement and force

What is significant is that many of these lessons are not general or universal but are reflective of competencies that Indians need the most. At a time when Indian Organisations are discovering the limitations of using western models to look at Leadership competencies and are searching for Indian ideas, Lagaan has certainly helped make a good beginning in this exploration. It is evident that Indian movies of this kind can certainly be a useful and effective medium to communicate relevant lessons in management and everyday living. While Lagaan is just one example, I am sure there are many produced in the past which hold similar learning potential.

eepti said...

hello mayank ,u r right i fully agree with n i think not only lagaan while most of the movies teach something but it depends on individual whether to learn from the movie or want to pass the time only. Monday, 08 May, 2006 Anonymous said...

mayank jus checkin if u get the comment Sunday, 30 July, 2006 deepali said...

hi mayank, i really appreciate u 4 watchin the movie n learning dis much out of it ...... good luck