Three simple things, I guess. One: Charisma which rubs onto the brand he is trying to build. (Unless he is trying to build a brand that is in direct conflict with his popular imagery. You can't have Salman setting up a vegetarian restaurant. Govinda starting a clothing line is a clear no-no. Shiney Ahuja, a lingerie brand? A terrible idea.)
Two: Access, which every star has. Doors open up for most stars. Open doors bring many opportunities. SRK can walk into any sponsor's office and there will be a multi-crore deal waiting for him to be picked up. He can walk into any bank and they will lend to him, if only to have him on their client list. Three: Grit. SRK brings to his business his very impressive zero to hero track record. That shows grit, determination and, above all things, the ability to cope with adversity, challenge, problems and win. What more can any investor ask for?
So, if you ask me, Shah Rukh can enter any business of his choice. His charisma, his access and networking, his track record will all work overtime to ensure he gets the funding he requires, the opportunities he needs, the talent he wants, and the scale he hopes to achieve within the quickest possible time. But then, he must also make it work. Expectations from superstars are as tough to meet as expectations from Superman. Everyone thinks they can work miracles. And, that too, overnight. So while they are all ready to back SRK, they will expect him to perform way beyond what they would expect others to perform. And since that's not easy to do, they could get easily disappointed if he does not live up to their unreal expectations.
Now add to that the media. The media will closely scrutinise every step SRK takes. His every move will be discussed, analysed, examined threadbare, argued over in open fora. He will have his supporters and his critics but his supporters, to begin with, will far outnumber his critics. Till he makes his first mistake. Then his critics will grow and his supporters will begin to change their mind. ABCL was a great example.
Everyone who thought Amitabh Bachchan could do no wrong jumped onto his bandwagon of critics the moment ABCL made a few small mistakes. He never really got a chance. One error of judgement, his investment into the Miss World pageant, shook the very foundations of his business overnight. For no reason, apart from the fact that he was such a big star and no one allows a big star to make mistakes or to fail. Whereas business is actually a series of successes and failures. The skill lies in quickly setting your failures right and building on your successes.
But will the media allow a star to commit mistakes? Will investor expectations accommodate the occasional failure? Will fans allow their favourite heroes to slog like common mortals to achieve the goals entrepreneurs set for themselves, at the pace they set? You can't expect miracles. You can't expect SRK to become #1 in every business he enters even though he may cheerfully sing "I am the best, I am the best, I am the best". You can't expect his every business project, like his every movie, to succeed. And, above all, you can't expect him never to falter, never to miss a step, never to take a wrong decision. For that is what business is all about. All the many wrongs make that one right which takes you to the top. But will the media understand that? The fans? Will they have the patience, the forbearance, the understanding to allow him what it takes to succeed?
— The writer is the Chairman, Pritish Nandy Communications
