MANAGEMENT LESSONS FROM MOVIES (MLM)

Subject Code: BM63069

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REPORT ON THE MOVIE –

AIRLIFT

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

When Iraq invades Kuwait in August 1990, a callous Indian businessman becomes the spokesperson
for more than 170,000 stranded countrymen.

It is in this scenario that Ranjit Katyala, wealthy and powerful Indian businessman, who has always
seen himself as a Kuwaiti, rather than an Indian, realizes that he no longer wields any influence on the
Iraqis, and that he and his family are in as much danger as anyone else. Ranjit unknowingly becomes
the man who all 170,000 Indians look up to for getting them out safely from Kuwait.

From there, Ranjit goes to the Indian embassy where he learns that the Kuwaiti government has fled
into exile. Some 170,000 Indians in Kuwait are now stranded as refugees. Iraqi forces continue to push
through Kuwait and Ranjit's mansion is raided by Iraqi soldiers, but his wife and child manage to
escape to his office. Ranjit convinces his friends to work together, and they set up a makeshift camp
for some 500 Indians with Major Khalaf's permission. Amrita urges Ranjit to use his leverage to
extricate his own family, but Ranjit, who ordinarily would have just looked out for himself, appears to
have a change of heart. He decides to stay and help the other Indians leave Kuwait.

Ranjit travels to Baghdad to try to negotiate safe passage out of Kuwait, but to no avail. The only
remaining option, Iraqi Foreign Minister Tariq Aziz, turns out to be helpful. He discloses that an
Indian merchant ship is due to arrive in Iraq with various supplies, and permits the Indian refugees to
leave on the ship. However, Ranjit later receives news of the UN embargo and that ships are barred
from entering or leaving Iraq, effectively crushing their hopes of getting out.

Airlift is the story of Indians stranded in Kuwait during this traumatic time. A story of how they, with
the help of Ranjit Katyal, managed to survive the Iraqi invasion, and against all odds traveled a
thousand kilometers across the border into Amman, Jordan. From Amman, 170,000 Indians were
brought home by the largest and the most successful evacuation ever attempted by any country, in the
history of the world. Over 59 days, the Indian government systematically flew over 488 Air India
commercial flights into a war zone to evacuate all 170,000 Indians and safely bring them back home.
Airlift is the story of the biggest ever human evacuation in the history of mankind.

KEYWORDS:

Leadership, Negotiation, Commitment, Team Work, Persuasion, Adaptability, Empathy, Risk Taker,
Appreciation, Consideration
Key Takeaways: 4

Management Lessons

BE HONEST TO YOUR STAKEHOLDERS:

Bittoo tries stealing electricity to save money but Shruti strictly tells him “no cheating in Shaadi
Mubarak’. She tells him that this is not the foundation on which they will lay down their business.

A startup will have financial difficulties, but being dishonest and immoral is not the answer. Small-
budget events can be difficult to make appealing. If one look around, you will undoubtedly find a
solution to your difficulties. Hire new and efficient people to help you organize the event on a budget.
However, do not deceive your customers. The more they believe in us, the more respect and fame we
will gain.

KNOW YOUR CLIENTS:

Shaadi Mubarak obtains its first significant client by utilising the latter's information. Bittoo speaks so
firmly about the customer that it is impossible to say no.

Anything that makes the customer ponder, inspire, or even laugh will stick with him when it comes
time to make a decision. Only if one knows their consumer and his expectations will he believe that
one can meet his needs. So doing some research on one’s customer before approaching him is a
fantastic way to impress the client.
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EARN REPUTATION BY TAKING CARE OF CUSTOMERS:

Shaadi Mubarak receives its largest deal as a result of an old customer. Preeti, whose wedding it was,
had seen their work at a friend's wedding and wanted only them to arrange hers. They got this
reputation by taking care of their consumers and giving their undivided attention to one customer at a
time.

The consumers are all partners in the objective. One satisfied customer is worth more than millions of
dollars in advertising. It is not wise to jeopardise the customer's trust. A satisfied customer may tell
only a few individuals, but an unhappy customer will undoubtedly tell everyone about the poor service.
A person establishes his or her own reputation.

ALWAYS PREPARE FOR THE WORST:

It is a human propensity to forget the rest and focus solely on the positive things when everything is
going well, but you should be prepared for the worse because "Time can change at any time." In the
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film, Akshay Kumar played a successful businessman who was enjoying his life but was unprepared
for adversity.

Even if the company or organisation is performing well, the management must be prepared for
adversity because competitors can do anything and the situation can change fast. Managers should
always keep an eye out for competitors' various activities or plans.

LEAD THE TEAM FROM THE FRONT:

When soldiers attacked their country, everyone was worried about preserving their lives. At that point,
like a true leader/manager, Akshay rose up and offered everyone hope that they would be able to leave
the country sooner or later. Akshay and his three pals take on the role of leaders, leading thousands of
people and attempting to save everyone (had met ship owner, visited Iran and also met higher officials
etc.)

When an organisation is in a bad phase, managers must take the initiative so that employees do not
lose faith in the company. The leader must guide the way for the team, come up with fresh ideas, and
seek out various sources to discover a solution to the problem.
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INFECTIOUS PERSISTENCE:

From his friends to the South Block bureaucrat, Katyal encourages the slowest movers to take
ownership and leads with empathy.

He is considered as going with the flow and not being afraid to take a calculated risk or two. His
warning to the local Iraqi army commander achieves the desired objective, but not without a
cost. Katyal, like a ship's captain, does not leave with those who are fortunate enough to be able to buy
their way out of the nation on a cargo ship. He stays behind to plan a way out for the others.
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Conclusions

 In the movie, what the other characters inspired by Katyal did once or twice, he is shown as
doing over and over again to script the success story

 People will always speak up, whether or not what one does is beneficial to the environment.
Rather than merely talking, be the one to take the initiative and effect change

 A negotiator must be very aware of his or her environment; a thought-leader makes an

excellent negotiator. You never know which data/fact will help you make a judgement in a
certain situation.