Living upto the Chopra surname is no mean task. After taking on the mantle from his illustrious & legendary father B R Chopra, Ravi Chopra has defintely emerged onto his own and carved out a niche for himself as a successful filmmaker and a television producer.

When we get Ravi Chopra talking about his father, there's obviously affection and awe in his voice- Very nonchalantly, he says, "though I have come onto my own, dad has always been and will always be a great influence in my life. And this is not just professionally but even in shaping up my values and determining the kind of person. Apart from being a very doting and loving father, he has been a guiding force all my life. As creative professionals we not just share ideas but sometimes even run down ideas."

Chopra who is currently putting his final touches for his next television property called Viraasat, recalls his early life and how dad really helped him shape up all the way.

I have beautiful memories of living in a joint family
I have some very beautiful memories of staying in a joint family. As a three old, I remember, we lived in a close-knit and a traditional household. I can still vividly recall our old house. It was a very small & beautiful two BHK house in Juhu, called Sangeeta apartments. Even Yash Uncle used to stay with us. After coming here from Pakistan, Dad had shifted here during the 1950s.

We used to pay a rent of Rs 230 there. A small and cozy nest which we loved so much that even when our new house was built in 1970s, we didn't want to shift there. Those were the struggling days for my father and the only time we used to find time together was during our holidays. He used to take us for family holidays during our holidays.

Education and family values are very important
During his struggling days, Dad used to be very busy. I used to try and help him at the shoots. I assisted him on Humraaz while I was still in college and later on Aadmi Aur Insaan. In fact, I was all ready to leave college and do films with him. But, somehow, he always wanted me to study further. The value of good education has always stayed with me. Later, when I fianly joined him as an assistant,it was a great high. I learned almost everything about film making from Dad. Films for the family audience, social issues have also been themes close to out heart.

Dad doesn't keep too well nowadays
Dad formed BR films in 1955 to do meaningful cinema. So, no matter what others in the market keep doing, he was committed to social themes and family values.

Till date, I have tried to carry his vision and passion forward. Nowadays, since Dad doesn't keep too well, he doesn't really come on the sets. But I always seek his advice. Whenever I have an idea, I tell him and vice versa.

On the making of the epic Mahabharat

On a creative level we share camaraderie. I worked very closely with Dad on the making of Mahabharata. I think, it became more interesting and popular because it was more contemporary as well as relevant to people's mindset. Mahabharata was addressed to the man of today trapped in the throes of a war-like situation in the society. Now, I desire to make a remake of Mahabharata as a movie and release it internationally.

Baghban was influenced by my parents
My mother and father share a very strong and loving relationship. As a husband and wife they share a special bond. The character of Amitabhji and Hemaji was actually etched from my life. Till date my parents enjoy their ritual of having a cup of tea together. I would say Baghban was really a gift to my parents.

Creative differences with Dad
I wouldn't call them differences but sometime we do have different ideas and as creative people we take a call on what goes best with the story. For Baghban, Dad wanted a different ending. He wanted the story to end in the court but someone that's not what I had visualised. So, finally I went ahead with my idea.

The "he needs no introduction" line is one that in today's world of hype over substance is oftentimes abused. But there are always exceptions. Sam Balsara, Chairman and Managing Director of Madison Communications most definitely falls into that category. Sam as he's known in the industry is not just one of the most influential voices in the advertising fraternity, but in fact his name is synonymous with the growth of the Indian advertising industry itself.

Known for his quiet aggression, many within his organisation also swear by Balsara's strong leadership qualities as well as hands-on approach.

Careful is one word that immediately comes to mind about the man - in thought, in words and in action. Weighing his words carefully, Balsara says, "The story of my life is really all about the growth of Madison. From a mere three clients and very few resources, we've grown to a 1000 crore (Rs 10 billion) company." That this home grown media agency has caught the envy of many a rival affiliated with global advertisers & marketing groups speaks for itself.

"When I started, I never really thought I had any business acumen. I also did not dream too big. But, today it's been a rather satisfying journey," says the understated Mr Madison Media.

So, here goes, Sam Balsara, on building his company, his philosophy and his family.

Tell us a little bit about your early life?

I was born and brought up in a small town called Balsar. I have some beautiful memories of the place and incidently that's where I get my surname from. My father owned a hereditary business. He was a forest contractor and dealt in timber, but that business folded up and we moved on to Bangalore; where he took the bold step of venturing into the hotel business.

So, entrepreneurship and risk taking runs in your genes?

Well, frankly I never thought I had any business acumen. I was all set to become a CA but since management education was supposed to be a big thing then, I got into the Jamnalal Bajaj Institute. I started off my career with Sarabhai's under Pran Chaudhary, and later spent a good four years at Cadbury's. After eight years in marketing I branched out into advertising. After heading the successful Mumbai office of Mudra, an affiliate of DDB Needham in India, in 1988 I decided to start on my own.

It took me more than 18 years to branch out on my own by taking over an ailing agency called Madison. Today, I am amazed when youngsters with just two or three years start off on their own. It still gives me the feeling of how slow I must have been then.

How has the advertising world changed now? And how has the journey been?

Those days, the advertising world was not such a competitive place. Today, it's a dog eat dog situation. I must confess, during the initial period, my sights were not that high, so the transition from working to starting off on my own was pretty smooth.

It's been a long journey of almost 18 years. It's been fun, exciting and a very satisfying journey.

What was the turning point in the life of Madison?

In the early 90s, when Manmohan Singh liberalised the economy we started looking outward. I realised that life is going to change in India, and so we slightly changed course and decided to partner in equity with an international firm called D'Arcy Masius Benton & Bowles (DMB & B). But for some reason we parted ways after five years.

But did the tie-up help Madison in any way?

Yes, we did grow as a company. They also helped us acquire a few strategic clients at that point in time. But more than that, it exposed us to the world of how multinationals work and function. It also exposed us to the fallacy of their thinking.

I think Indian by nature, learn to achieve a lot more with a lot less. Even with very little resources, one can start something and grow it, without getting into the other trappings like a huge AC office and a huge workforce. This could actually be driving the business in the wrong direction. Even before you've started, one is sort of putting pressure on oneself.

What philosophy drives your company's growth and strategy? Get the right people?

Madison's growth is really the growth of our clients. I tell my people to concentrate on the task in hand. Madison's growth is a byproduct of the client's growth. So, we focus more on our clients than on our own growth strategy. If I look back to the first five years of the company, we had only three clients, so that doesn't mean we didn't grow. We evolved because our clients grew.

Coming back to your personal life, what sort of upbringing did you have and what things have stayed with you that helped along your journey?

I was the youngest in the family and was pampered, but at the same time my parents also instilled discipline in us. One had to always do the right thing at the right time. Also, because of my upbringing, I always respect the value of money and to use it prudently.

I'm pretty religious and visit the fire temple in our colony every morning. Also, I try to live by the basic philosophy of the Parsee religion which is good thoughts, good words and good deeds.

How do you get your people to be aggressive?

At Madison we don't believe in achieving success by hook or crook. We are very strict about our value system and it's definitely not about wanting success at the price of honesty and integrity. I believe that one should never ever venture on a wrong path. If you lie once then you'll keep on lying. Or in business when you've got used to evading taxes, then you get used to doing it.

I've noticed all of us are normally good as individuals but we tend to get naughty in a group. There has to be transparency as well as fair play with out clients. We also try to conserve our resources since we know that we're not a thousand million dollar multinational company.

So, every Madisonite believes in our value system which is all over the walls of our office. We don't just say we want to be the best but we also say how we want to be the best. Also, at Madison we believe in nurturing the best talent and constantly challenging the intellectual ability of people.

How do you get the best out of your people?
I make sure that all my managers think like entrepreneurs. So, when they come to me with a statement like 'we don't understand money' I tell them it's all about understanding the concept of money. It's really as simple as managing your household expenses. Managing your office money or your client's money is no different from that. I think we Indians make very good managers.

What are your personal strengths and weaknesses which have stood you in good stead?

I am hot tempered but only with people who are close to me. I think my wife has to pay a price for this while I am very sugar and sweet to many others in the business. I also try to emphathise with the other person's problem, but sometimes in work situations, this stands in my way.

How do you handle stress?

As an advertising man who goes through so many highs and lows in a day one doesn't really feel stressed. In fact, our system gets used to that level of frenzy. So, if I am relaxed, I feel uncomfortable. It's also the way your body gets conditioned.

Where do you derive your strength from?

I derive my strength from my two daughters. My younger daughter, Lara, works with me and is in charge of business diversification. Someone just told me that there's not much luxury that one can have than having your daughter to work with you. Unfortunately, my elder daughter Tanya is visually handicapped. So, if I ever have any sort of problem, business or otherwise, I just have to look at her and I get my strength. If Tanya, doesn't really let her disability colour her perspective towards life, then I ask myself what am I complaining about?

She's computer literate, loves to party. We've set up an institute for the visually handicapped. It's a constant reminder that life has its problems and how you deal with it. Life is all about appreciating what you have but somehow we get caught up in what we don't have.

When it comes to discussing leisure time activities, there are many things that head honcho Amar Deb is into - be it books, meditation or writing but it's his weekend travelling which keeps him on an even keel. During the course of the conversation, I find out that Deb is a real cool `travelling man'. And travelling for him is not about taking off to some exotic foreign locations and checking into a luxurious suite; but it's about braving torrential rains, driving down to some dense forests and camping in his tent.

So, it seems like travel is real hard work for Deb. He says, "My real adrenalin chaser is to explore wild places, camp out at some unknown virgin beaches or explore the rugged Sahayadri terrain in Maharashtra. I've been doing this for years now. At least once a month, I along with my wife Nita and five year old son take off on a ultimate dream drive in search of some unknown location."

So, what are the dream destinations for this seasoned traveller? There are places that Deb rattles off as he relives the experience, "My wanderlust has taken me across the state of Maharashtra. I can still vividly remember our trip to Khadavli which is about 14 kms off the Nasik highway when I could show my son millions of stars while sleeping under the open sky. "

He goes on, "another place is Ambivali, a deserted place with thick dense and thick forest mangoes. Then, there are some nameless destinations which we discover along the way. It's like if we decide to go to Matheran then we don't camp at proper Matheran but we trail off to a place like say Jumapatti."

I see a dreamer in Deb as listening to him also reminds me of the much forgotten word - serendipity - the faculty of making unexpected and happy discoveries accidentally which many of us have probably left behind us in the hubbub of daily life. As I am transformed to the sylvan serenity of the countryside, Deb adds, "it's a beautiful feeling to meet simple and beautiful people, to have a cup of tea from a roadside dhaba and drink water from the fresh water streams."

My Childhood experience
I ask him about his growing years and it looks like the travel bug is really in the
Deb genes. Recalling his childhood experience, he says, "My father was in the Navy where life was pretty regimented. So, to break the monotony, he would often drive down to discover waterfalls, hills and camp sites.
In fact, as a five year old I remember touring the whole of South along with my parents and of course my pets - a dog and a cat. We drove around in a car and camped ourselves at various destinations from Kerala to Kanyakumari. But, those days it was less polluted and crowded, and everything was very clean and beautiful."

But can't things get a bit out of hand with this rather risky penchant for travel? There are memories and incidents that Deb still carries with him. "Yes, sometimes it can be, but somehow overall there has never been a major problem."

He continues, "As a child, I remember being caught up in a major religious riot when we were travelling down South. Then, I remember seeing a python and a leopard right in my tent. At Jumapatti, we were woken up by villagers to caution us about a lion in the vicinity. Once, I was with some friends of mine and since I had forgotten to build the trench around my tent there was more than six inches of water and our sleeping bags were almost submerged. Now since I travel with my family, I am obviously a bit more careful."

Maharashtrians' are a beautiful people
Though born and brought up in Bangalore, Deb has adapted to Maharashtra and its culture like a fish to water. "I love the state and the people. Maharashtrians are beautiful and vivacious people. One is treated like a guest wherever one goes. And for those wanting to explore the state, no matter what kind of holiday you are looking for, you will find it here. Whether it's peaceful self-exile in the awe-inspiring mountains, quiet worship at shrines, or revelation in cave architecture, art and culture or challenging treks or abundant wildlife thrills."

Deb's such a nature lover that he's even reluctant to reveal deserted beaches and places which he has discovered along the way. He tells me what normally happens is that once these places get written about they start developing as tourist destinations and the within no time people start buying property at such places. "I always feel people should learn to enjoy nature without possessing it."

I ask him how this sort of adds on to his life. He says, "The combination of a fantastic car drive and a great outdoors gives me a sense of grounding literally. And it's definitely a break from our hectic schedules.
" I typically wake up in a tent somewhere in the middle of a mountain and think of a wild idea and then come to office and ask my gang to work on it." Aha?..