IIM-B eyes biz of films

BANGALORE: Students of one of the country’s premier Bschools will soon be rubbing shoulders with the likes of Bollywood superstars Ranbir Kapoor and Priyanka Chopra, Sandalwood star Upendra, directors Madhur Bhandarkar and Yogaraj Bhat.

The elective for understanding the business of moviemaking in the Indian Institute of Management-Bangalore (IIM-B ) is attracting more than the usual crowd this year.

Encouraged by last year’s response, IIM-B is organizing a general management programme in March for a motley group of cinema professionals who have opted to scale new frontiers in entertainment .

“We are overwhelmed by the response we got for our programme last year, following the shooting of Three Idiots starring Aamir Khan on our campus. We now plan to take it to greater heights by roping in some prominent film and television personalities from Sandalwood and Bollywood, and give our programme a new dimension,’’ said S Raghunath, professor of corporate strategy and policy at IIM-B. He said the entertainment industry’s focus has now shifted on understanding the business dynamics of making movies.

“We see these as examples where new firms are recognizing the opportunity to hire IIM-B graduates for strategic roles in the growth of their businesses and for establishing new ones,’’ he added.
The course will consist of two parts: one, analysis of the entertainment industry’s external environment, with the breakdown of various sectors that together make up the industry , and two, to explore a number of strategic levers an organization can employ in the entertainment industry.

CASE STUDIES

Aamir Khan — an icon in the world of entertainment
Vidhu Vinod Chopra Productions — for creating and selecting exceptional opportunities
Raj Kumar Hirani — different approach to film direction AVM — providing decades of entertainment Suresh Menon independent film and TV company promoter and manager
Yograj Bhat — evolution of a regional film director-producer