When I ask him for his favourite biz mantra, he goes, 'sab kuch ho sakta hain, karne wala chahiye.' "Afterall, life is all about pressing the `refresh' button all the time, " says an upbeat Mahesh Ramanathan, COO, Percept Picture Company (PPC), a part of Percept Holdings, a Rs 16 billion capitalized billings media & entertainment conglomerate.

Sitting in the driver's seat, Ramanathan, brings with him close to 15 years of sales, marketing and general management experience. And though, this is really his first assignment in the entertainment business, Ramanathan is all set to change the rules of the game, as he gears up to take a pie from the country's most profitable brand that is Bollywood. He says, "this business is really about people and ideas. And ideas can come from anywhere. Also, people need a lot of hand holding to implement those ideas. Once, we implement the idea, then like a sugarcane juice vendor, our aim is to extract maximum profits from the venture."

Here, in an interview to Exec Life, Ramanathan talks about how he loves to take on challenges, grow companies to a critical mass and drive people towards their creative limits. So, here goes lights, camera and action.....

This is really your first assignment in the media and entertainment field? What lessons have you carried on from your earlier jobs here?

I like to join companies at the initial stages and grow them to a critical mass. To cite from my earlier assignments - Baygon grew from two sub-brands to a mother brand with seven line extensions in two years. SHV Energy (Calor Gas in U.K.) grew from scratch to a 100 cr topline in two calendar years-in a commodity market a brand was established. AirTel-Kolkata saw three brand transitions & trebled revenues to 120 cr in two and a half years and gained a leadership position over Hutch.

So, it's all about understanding the market, strategy and planning. The initial period here has been a learning experience. PPC has all the ingredients required for growth. Systems and processes backed by a relatively de-risked business strategy in Motion Pictures aggressive content creation for General Entertainment channels on TV will see the company reach a critical mass this year.

So, what's the fun part of the Media & entertainment business?

The business is really about people and passion. So, along with the right strategy, it's all

about getting the right team together. I might have a 1000 member team but they might not be able to deliver. But, sometimes a small team with the right chemistry can drive the business. Also, hierarchy or a corporate structure doesn't matter as it's all about creativity.
Apart from hugely investing in talent, we are also open to ideas. And ideas could germinate even from outside.

So, what you're saying is that you can drive only if you get the right people?

Yes, it's all about managing people. Ideas are intellectual property and savvy exploitation of rights differentiates one from competition. It's similar to the telecom business, where you are selling an intangible product and marketing is the key business driver. However, content creation in Motion Pictures that straddles all delivery platforms, requires a much more in-depth understanding of audience's tastes & preferences.

So, how do you ensure your team delivers to their full capacity?

You might come up with the best idea but implementation is the key. So, I believe people need a lot of hand holding in this business. Here, we are a family of 75 committed & talented individuals. While systems & processes are important, I believe creative minds cannot be boxed up or compartmentalised. We entrust our employees with agreed deliverables at the beginning of the year. A hands off decentralised management approach ensures employees take ownership of results & deliver.

Tell us a little about your script shop?

PPC invites scripts from talented writers across various age groups & across the country through our website www.perceptpictures.com .We receive 10-12 scripts a day and a team of dedicated creative resources process each one of the scripts received. Eventually, we want to make available select scripts to filmmakers across the world.

How are you doing it differently?
We want ideas to germinate from the masses. Also, we're trying to pre -test the scripts, and not just depend on a good star cast. Hanuman, was more than just a film, it signaled a coming of age in local content creation by Indian animators. We've just announced the making of Hanuman 2 and a Documentary on Mother Teresa.

How do you plan to scale up the operations for the business to achieve critical mass? Do you have any strategic alliances up your sleeves?

PPC has the best talent working on creation, production, marketing & distribution of Motion Pictures. So it's natural for us to scale up. We are committed to produce 30 motion pictures (Hindi & International) in the next two years. Strategic alliances would be formed to secure a platform that would deliver growth. Recently, we have sold a five per cent stake to Bennett & Coleman to bring in marketing synergies.

But, is there a method to the madness, cause entertainment can be a highly risky business? How are you changing the rules of the game?

Our aim is always to de-risk the business. We spend at least 35 per cent of the time taken from start to finish of a motion picture in pre-production (against 10 per cent by industry) we do our homework to ensure our scripts are in tune with the audience's sensibilities. Researching the script ensures that we better the law of averages of Hindi Films succeeding at the box office. Our marketing campaigns are mounted with specific pre-scales objectives in mind, but we ensure our channel partners too profit due to a strong script, selection of the Director & appropriate casting. We believe, if the industry does it's homework before narrating a story, it is sure to strike a chord with audiences and a higher success ratio is bound to follow.

You've mostly been in Delhi for the most part of your life. This is really your first assignment in Mumbai. How do you like the city and the people here?

Mumbai is not just the commercial capital, but even an intellectual capital of the country. It also has the best brains in the world. Above, all the city has a soul. I quite love being here.

What is your greatest indulgence?

I love playing mind games. I am totally hooked on to Sudoku, a Japanese, fun puzzle game. (for the uninitiated Sudoku requires the player to fill in the 9x9 square grids with the numbers one to nine. The numbers should be arranged in such a way that each row, column and mini-grid contains one of each number.) A single error in a Sudoku can throw the whole game out. I think, even life is really like that.

Apart from this, I love driving. Inspite of the heavy traffic and distances in the city, I make it a point to drive down from Powai to Lower Parel to my office.

Mukesh Khanna is a perfect blend of `creativity and business acumen.' As he narrates us the story of his life, along with his various hits and misses; what strikes out is Khanna definitely knows how to position himself and his company for that matter.

With a wonderful smile on his face, as he continues to munch on some cool cucumbers to beat the summer heat, he says, "people still call me Bheeshma Pitamaha and of course my home production Shaktimaan continues to have a very high recall value."

While flipping through some of his favourite books he continues, "I simply love to juggle my life as a actor and producer, but I also make sure that I don't take on too many projects at a time. Currently, I am planning a daily soap on DD and also an animated film based on Shaktimaan."

I grew up playing marbles & hututu

Born and brought up in Bombay, I studied at Marwadi Vidyalaya, a Hindi medium school near Opera house in South Mumbai. I had a wonderful and carefree childhood. After returning from school, I used to just throw my school bag and rush out to play marbles and hututu. Life was different then, children had to face no stress. Nowadays, it's all about tuitions, studies and computer classes.

I feel very sad for children in today's environment who are unfortunately caught up in the rat race. Even mothers are caught up in the syndrome - Teri saree meri saree se safed kyon hai.' I strongly feel that children should be allowed to do what they are good at. It's important that children are prepared for the exam of life than school exams.

I never wanted to be an actor
After school I went on to do my BSc from St Xaviers college. I had also applied for admission in an engineering college from Kanpur. But, I lost the seat due by a mere 0.5 per cent. Since, I was free for a year, my brother suggested that I try my luck on stage. In those days, Kader Khan and even Amrish Puri used to act on stage. So, I managed to bag a role and got a chance to perform on stage.

On turning a producer
Producing Shaktimaan was very hectic and left me very little time for my acting assigments. Now, I am also planning a daily soap on DD which is almost ready for telecast. Besides this, I am also in the process of planning an animated film based on Shaktimaan. But then, I love acting and in fact I even had an offer to act in Bhojpuri film.

It was in my destiny to say Ayushmanbhav
I had read Mahabharat at a very young age, so I was familiar with all the characters in it. One fine day, I got a call from Gufi asking me to act in Mahabharat. Since, it was one of my favourite subjects, I said would love to take it up. I was shorlisted to act as Duryodhan but somehow, I felt that I was not meant to be a villian.
Later it was Dronacharya, but then it was in my destiny to say Ayushmanbhav. After 15 days of shooting, I was asked by the Chopras to play the role of Bheeshma Pitamah. I knew, it was a strong role but that time I was unaware that it would be a pillar of the whole serial.

Now I live two lives
After playing the role of Bheeshma Pitamah, I also got associated with the BJP. Now, I live two lives. Whenever I go for campaigning for the BJP, they introduce me to the crowd saying Badon ke Pitamah aur choton ke Shaktimaan aa gaye.

My health mantra
Nowadays, I am on a strict diet, trying to reduce my weight. Nomatter what time I get up, I make it a point to finish my exercises. I also prefer to have homemade vegetarian food. i've a small kitchen in my office where we often prepare lunch and dinner.

I hate pubs and parties
I don't like to drink or smoke. I hate pubs and parties. In fact, I prefer to spend my evenings at home and Sundays sleeping.

My Lifestyle
I lead a very simple life. I am not very fond of gadgets. I believe in simple living and high thinking. But the only thing that I would like to buy someday is my dream car i.e Mercedes.

Exec Speak: Interview with Joy Chakraborthy, Executive Vice President, network sales, Zee Telefilms

My day starts with
I am an early riser and am up by 5 am every morning. I am off to 'The Club' (a club in Mumbai's Andheri suburb which has facilities like a gym, squash, etc) for my workout at the gym. I make it a point to reach office by 9 am, so that I begin work early.

My fitness regime
I am an ex NDA and an ex airforce trainee pilot and therefore have always been into sports a lot. During my early years, I used to be a boxer and a football player. Nowadays it's either an hour of swimming or a combination of cardio and weights at the gym.

My diet mantra
I am a complete foodie, but I keep a check on what I eat and when I eat. When I am dining out, I love to try out Chinese, Japanese and Bengali food. Hilsa Paturi (a fish curry) and Golda Chingri (King prawns cooked with mustard paste, green chilies and yoghurt. Medium hot) are some of my most favourite Bengali dishes. I love to dine out at Oh! Calcutta in Tardeo, Mainland China in Andheri and Yokos in Andheri.

On traveling
I love to go hiking. I also take off to the hills over weekends. A long holiday happens once a year, during Christmas or New Year. I have traveled almost all over the world. Dubai remains my all-time favourite, as I can kill two birds with one stone. My brother and parents live there and it serves as a holiday place for me too.

Shopping
I am a shopaholic. Also, I am a credit card shopper and that's even more dangerous as one gets the bill only at the end of the month. Whenever I travel, I have this strong urge to buy something. Since, I am an impulsive buyer, my wife worries, when I travel abroad. I don't believe in window shopping !

Perfumes and watches are my weakness. I am also very brand conscious. Polo Sport and Issey Miyake are two of my favourite brands. As far as clothes go, for formal work wear, I prefer Ralph Lauren & Lacoste Shirts & prefer tailor made pants.

On movies
I love watching movies. Catching Movies on weekends is often a family affair. Recently, I enjoyed watching Rang De Basanti, Maine Gandhi Ko Nahi Mara and Zinda. All three films were extremely entertaining and are worth a watch. I pray every morning after my bath, I am a Kali/ Durga Bhakt.

On music
I freak out on Eagles, Eric Clapton and Elton John. As far as Hindi music goes, I love Kishore Kumar.

On Gizmos and Gadgets
I can't call myself a gizmo freak. I don't even know all the applications of my Nokia Communicator mobile phone. I possess a DVD player, a laptop and an iPod.

My Favourite Car
I drive a Toyota Corolla but definitely aspire for a BMW.

Stress busters
I love to spend quality time with my family, as I do not enjoy partying. I love to head out to 'The Club' on weekends, where i can watch my kids playing. Being a family man, I prefer to spend my free time with my family. Also on Saturdays and Sundays I go out shopping for fish, fruits and vegetables which is an amazing stress buster for me.

There's a great hustle bustle of activity at the Times Now office. It looks like, it's been a day of hectic meetings and amazing news breaks for Editor-in-Chief, Arnab Goswami. As I enter his cabin, his cell phone keeps beeping incessantly and the sms' keep pouring in; yet Arnab looks all charged and raring to go.

For the first time ever, Goswami gets candid on his exciting journey as an editor-in-chief.

My initial years ?
Since my father was in the army, I changed various schools around the country. Also, I grew up in a family of lawyers and politicians. After doing my BA from the Hindu college in Delhi, I went through a period of uncertainity in my life. I was not too sure what I wanted to do in life. But somewhere along with the way, I figured out that I had a very strong connection with England. I had a strong desire to study law at Oxford. Though, I didn't get a chance to do law but I went on to do Social Anthropology at Oxford.

My Oxford days
I didn't really enjoy studying Social Anthropology or didn't quite like the `Oxonion' circuit so-to-speak. Later, I had an opportunity to do a PH D, but somehow I came back to India and joined the Telegraph in Calcutta. For about an year, I worked on the Edit pages of the newspaper. Later, I had an offer to join Outlook magazine, but somehow as luck would have it I went on to join NDTV.

My days with NDTV
At NDTV, I started off with doing some small stories, but being a quick learner I soon graduated to important stories. I was fortunate enough to cover three general elections, the Jain Hawala case and many other important stories. Working with Prannoy Roy was an excellent opportunity. I also owe a lot to my News Editor Appan Menon (who is unfortunately nomore).

After spending a good nine and a half years at NDTV, I had made up my mind to move on in life. I was scared of getting too comfortable at my job and was itching to take on a risk. I wanted to take on something that would challenge me. There were offers to head existing news channels but the offer to launch a new channel from scratch was a great opportunity.

Launching Times Now
My initial meetings with Mr Arun Arora and later with Mr Vineet Jain convinced me that this was the biggest risk and challenge that I was waiting for. On a personal level, launching the channel has been a great learning curve in terms hiring people, handling production, programming and deciding the overall look and feel of the channel.

Restless and raring to go
I always want to try out new things in life. After the launch of the channel, we are now in the process of experimenting with newer formats and forms. Now, our aim is to take the channel to the top.

I try to remain level headed
This profession can sometimes give you an exaggerated sense of self importance. My aim is to try and remain level headed all the time. I've seen people change a lot after getting into this profession. I try to keep a low profile and be one amongst the team.

My mind is always at work
Sometimes there are abnormal levels of stress in our profession. Also, the news business can really get a bit obsessive as one can't afford to miss out on a single news break. Somehow, my mind is always at work and it's part of my nature. I find it difficult to cut off. Also, it's hugely competitive. Initially, I didn't want to be in the rat race but now somehow being in the race, now I want to be the fastest rat.

Relaxing Mantra
I keep shuffling between Delhi and Mumbai. Whenever, possible we take off on a holiday, or go for long drives. I don't really like to party much or network. I try to spend a lot of quality time with my five year old son, who loves to watch me on television and imitate me all the time.

I start my day with
Mornings begin with some good music. Music sort of adds spice to my morning routine. Then I wish my four year old son good morning with a peck on his cheeks which is like a ritual. I am not very particular about my breakfast; so I just grab something and I am off to work.

My fitness mantra
I don't exercise at all. It's not that I don't believe in it. By God's grace I'm quite fit at the moment and I don't need to exercise. But, this year my new year resolution is to start with a brisk walking regime.

My diet
Basically, I eat anything I can digest. I am pure vegetarian. I also try to avoid high calorie food but I just can't resist chaats and samosas. I freak on South Indian food. Some of my favourite eating joints are Woodland (Juhu), Papa Pancho (owned by Prahlad Kakkar) and Poptates (Versova).

Travel destinations.
My work has taken me around the world in the last few years to places like Europe, South East Asia and US. I have fond memories of Greece, Switzerland, Egypt amongst other countries. At least once a year, we plan out a family holiday. I love traveling in India, especially up North. While in college I used to go trekking to places like Sikkim, Manali and Dharamshalla. Goa is another destination I love to frequent. I have yet to visit places down South.

Shopping destination
I am a value for money shopper. I generally shop at malls like Phoenix mills or the Inorbit (which is quite close to where I stay). In India, cities like Delhi and Bangalore also offer quality wear.

My favourite brands
I am not all that brand conscious. But for my for formal wear I prefer brands like Allen Solly, Reid & Taylor and Louis Phillipe.

Movies for me are
I am crazy about movies. As far as Hollywood films go, I like action and thriller movies. As far as Bollywood goes, I love all Amitabh Bachchan films. From Don to Agnipath to Sarkar. Some of my favourite films are Munna Bhai MBBS, Dil Chahta Hai and Sarfarosh. I even like all Govinda films and some of Shahrukh Khan movies.

Music is my life
Music has been my life. I hear everything; from retro to rock to emotional to hip hop. Be it Pink Flyod,Dire Straits,Britney Spears, Madonna, Kishore Kumar to Sonu Nigam.

Gizmos and gadgets
I am a complete gizmo and gadget freak. I always want to know more about new technological innovations.

My favourite car
I drive the Corrola. I think it's one of the best cars around. I also love the Honda Accord. On roads abroad, Hummer looks the best.

Stress busters
My kids and music are great stress busters. These revitalize me, and help me get ready to face further challenges of life.

Ashok Pandit, Producer, Sarrika Images was born in Kashmir and brought up in an highly spiritual environment. He tells us why he believes a lot in destiny. 

My parents migrated to Mumbai at the time of the exodus. Later I studied at the N.M.College in Mumbai. But Kashmir surely has remained a part of my sensibilities. I had no clue that one day I will become a producer, director, a social activist and earn fame. That is why I believe in destiny a lot.

I begin my day with
Whatever time I might sleep, I always get up between 6 and 7. I begin my day with Kashmiri tea called Kehwa. It's a ready mix that I get from Kashmir. There's no milk or sugar in this kind of tea. Instead we grate some almonds in it. After that I go for a walk on the Juhu beach as it's very close to where I stay. I have never liked going to a gym. I feel as if I am confined to boundaries there.

My diet
For breakfast its mostly porridge or fruits. I do not have lunch. My evening meal is roti, sabzi, dal and salad. Sometimes, it's also also just boiled vegetables and salads as I am trying to reduce weight.

Eating out
I don't fancy eating out much. One thing I hate is to wait for your meal. That's why I prefer going to Urban Tadka and Pappilon as they belong to friends. I call them up before reaching so that I get the table. I am a khichdi freak and love to order it even at a five star hotel. Often me and Mahesh Bhandarkar, who happens to be a good friend get together for our Khichdi sessions. I love going to Pritam da Dhaba at Oshiwara as they make excellent Khichdi.

On Page 3 parties
I love socializing and meeting new people. Talking about page 3 culture, I would say that it's changing. Now- a -days one does not have to be dressed- to- the- hilt or be a socialite to appear on page 3. In fact, all the happening parties around town have business tycoons as well as simple achievers. But what gives me a lot of happiness is socializing of a different kind. I like to meet aggrieved people, maybe at a police station or just on the road. I believe that just talking or interacting with people in distress helps them ease their pain.

My balancing act
Sometimes the media portrays a larger than life image of celebs; so success can go to ones' head easily. My family keeps me rooted all the time. I do not let my ego rule me. Good times do not always last. Many a times, just to keep in touch with reality I travel by train or even have a vada pau when hungry. I also make it a point to react to unjust and unfair situations.

Spirituality
My grandmother was a great spiritual writer. Even my mother is a spiritual leader. I have always got a lot of my positive energy from them. They give me a sense of security, along with a strong sense of belief in life. Theirs is the only unconditional love in this world.

Gizmos & gadgets
I use a functional mobile. Besides this, I have not enslaved myself to other electronic trappings.

Cars
I drive a Tavera. It's a functional as well a spacious car. Otherwise, I am not fond of cars.

Clothes
I don't believe in brands. Ones' personality should be ones brand. I love to shop kurtas from Fab India.

Travel destination
I do not like to travel much. I avoid holidays which really irks my family. Once I was to accompany my wife Nirja to the US for her show [she is a singer] but at the last minute the thought of a day long journey in the aircraft made me cancel the trip. We went for a holiday to Kashmir last year.

Reading
I read only newspapers. I get them from all over the world. I also browse on the net for more news. I feel it's very important to read the newspapers to keep abreast of the changing times and happenings. I would love to read more but time does not permit it. I have read a lot of Hindi literature and have enjoyed Premchand's work immensely.