In a country as culturally diverse as India, films are one of the few things that are followed religiously by most. Celebrities associated with films are revered. Yet, if any individual aspires to foray into the world of cinema, he/she has traditionally been looked down upon, mainly, due to the uncertainty and struggles that pursuing a career in films entails. Well, not anymore.
Corporatization is proliferating around the globe like wildfire. It has already made an ‘INDUSTRY’ out of sports. The Media & Entertainment(M&E) sector, especially, in India has undergone some radical transformations over the past decades. It’s no more about just making films and releasing them. You need to know what kind of film to make at a particular period in time, you need to analyse the taste of your target audience, promote the film, and what not. Simply put, it’s become an industry. And any industry requires management professionals.
Already home to Bollywood, the largest film industry in the world, apart from numerous other film industries, the universe of Media & Entertainment in India is expected to expand at a staggering rate of 14.2%. According to a report by Deloitte Indywood, it is expected to earn astronomical figures as high as $3.7 billion by 2020. The same report states that somewhere between 1,500 and 2,000 films in 20 languages are produced every year in the country. These stats speak volumes about the potential of the business of films. This is where management students who have aspired, at some point of time in their lives, to join the industry, have the opportunity to do so.
Taking the lead in this initiative to bridge the gap between management and the film industry, is IIM Rohtak. We, at IIM Rohtak, are all set to kick-start the new 2017-18 academic year by organizing the second edition of the Film Summit , an unrivalled and unprecedented conclave related to the film industry conducted by any B-School in India, on 22nd July, 2017. The inaugural edition of the Film Summit, conducted last year, was a huge success, with over 500 students from management institutes all over the country participating in the event. Quite a few stalwarts from the film industry, one of them being Ms. Megha Ramaswamy (writer, director and producer) delivered their insights on the theme, ‘Making India a global entertainment superpower’.
This year’s theme is ‘The Magic Hour’. It refers to that time when the first stroke of sunlight appears across the night sky, bringing in a welcoming and memorable change. It is symbolic to the dynamic changes that are currently occuring in the Indian M&E industry. And with these changes, comes the requirement of management expertise for handling them. Sharing their thoughts on management and the film industry this year will be the likes of Mr. Hardik Mehta (National award winning director for the movie ‘Famous in Ahemdabad’), Mr. Amit Masurkar (Director of 'Newton'), Mr.Anjum Rajabali (Screenwriter of ‘Ghulam’ and ‘The Legend of Bhagat Singh’) and Mr. Shiladitya Bora (CEO, Drishyam Films). In addition to the talks, there will also be a film-making competition, MasterShot, which will provide budding film-makers with a national platform to showcase their talent.
Given the pace with which the film industry is growing, it’s high time that B-School students start considering it as an option worth making a career in. In this regard, Film Summit, IIM Rohtak aims to impart knowledge about the intricacies involved in the business aspect of the film industry.