New Delhi: No success is accidental. In entrepreneurship and the business of entertainment, persistence, self-belief, patience, and passion always bear fruit eventually. As in any other industry, success in cinema is not promised to anyone. Not even to those who are in a way, to the manor born. My father came to Mumbai from Kolkata with nothing and yet he built a successful production company. I, his son, have found myself starting from scratch as an actor, and producer, and now as an entrepreneur. However, I have learned from my father’s example that success is never the work of just one individual but is always a collaborative exercise. As a young entrepreneur, I have also imbibed from him a deep respect for human potential.
In any industry, it is essential to mentor fresh talent. For instance, my father has launched many musicians, actors, DOPs, directors, etc. I have shared many times that having a larger table means a lot to him and I feel the same emotion of deep gratification when I open a door for young talent. It makes me very happy when I can help someone because it is so tough for young people to get a platform. Creating supportive networks that can identify and nurture talent should be the goal of every entrepreneur and it is one of mine.
As an industry insider, I also know for a fact that the glamour people see is just a veneer for unimaginable hard work, anxiety, and a million details that must be ironed out before a project goes on the floors. Whether you are running a film production house or any other business, what remains invisible is the toil of countless unsung people behind the scenes and the work that spans the distance between ideation and creation. In the entertainment industry, before a film reaches the theatres, it is just a seed in the ground that must be watered and nurtured. You need funding, and the right team of creative collaborators, and this process can inflict unimaginable stress on your mental and physical health.
Then comes the pressure to stay relevant and to keep up with evolving trends and this is what tests your true mettle through success and failure. As an entrepreneur, you must make the most of your support system, have a set of stress-relieving coping mechanisms by your side and have the gumption to take risks and keep breaking new ground despite failure.
Diversification is very important as well and this is why my company Jjust Music is working with emerging artists and striving to give a new direction to contemporary music. I also transitioned from acting to production because my Sindhi entrepreneurial genes had to emerge at some point. I love, eat, sleep, breathe cinema and as a producer, I feel more empowered to tell the stories I feel passionate about. This, as I said before, is not a very glamorous job and is largely undervalued and underrated. However, I am learning to make creative as well as financial decisions like any entrepreneur and every day brings a new life lesson.
Anyone who is running a business also must walk a tightrope between creativity and practicality. It is very important to be smart with money and invest it in worthy projects. Another piece of advice from my father which anyone can benefit from is that you should know every single aspect of your business and become totally self-sufficient in its management. Yes, you should take advice, and guidance and learn from those who have more knowledge but at the end of the day, you should know which direction your company needs to adopt.
You must understand everyday logistics and also the larger, overarching vision. My big dream is to tell stories which can penetrate new demographics and reach a global audience. As a company, we would like to make films in all Indian languages and if I can contribute even 0.0001% towards that expansion, I would be the happiest. I know that success in this industry is unpredictable but I believe that when vision combines with tenacity, a lot can be achieved.
