Bollywood's Brightest

Bollywood's Brightest
SRK Inc. (BT cover, Feb. 21) is a vivid tribute to the actor's phenomenal cinematic career and box office success. Your cover story goes beyond SRK's slick star wattage and the crummy millions itgenerates to providing a rare glimpse into how he is emerging as a new breed of rainmaker in the Indian entertainment business.

— Vineet Madhukar, Delhi

The Name is Khan
Over two decades since his debut, Shah Rukh Khan continues to whip up a heaping meal of cinematic comfort food, sweet and spicy to cause both laughs and lumps in the throat. While many stars his age have been winnowed out, SRK's movies are considered shoo-in hits even before they are released. Just look at his latest flick to get an idea of the expectations his films raise. I am sure SRK will continue to count among the most bankable stars and ride his star to fame and mega bucks as long as he cares to step up to the plate.

—Vineet Achyut, Delhi

Flash and Substance
In deciding to put a film star on your cover, is your magazine raising celebrities above their level of competence? Hope I'm not being uncharitable when I say that Shah Rukh has become a professional celebrity fond of hawking his legend as a commodity. In his 40s, he's snagged on the outer edge of youthfulness and his stardom is burning out on intensity. This explains his desire to create a winning business that outlasts his movie-star currency.

— Alok Rai, Chennai

CinemaScope and Business Reality
Do film stars make good businessmen? After all, quite a few show biz champs have been known to end up as business chumps. Even ABCL proved to be a damp squib though it's now turning the corner. An actorpreneur like SRK may bring the same risk-loving, fighter-jock mentality to his business ventures as he does to his reel roles. But can he snuck through the creativebusiness paradigm with the same dexterity?

— Pranjal, Delhi

Not Many Good Employers
Not many private companies in India adopt and invest in HR practices mentioned in The Best Companies to Work For (BT cover, Feb. 7). Lack of growth opportunities, stingy remuneration coupled with the attitude of companies treating their workers as just another disposable commodity make many employees see themselves as being trapped in a career cul-de-sac.

— Neeraj Thakur, Pune

Missing the Mark?
Nano Owners' Tales (BT, Jan. 24) talks of the experience of Nano users. But most people interviewed in your story already own cars and are definitely not first-time users. It seems Nano is missing the market it's intended for—first-time car buyers and existing two-wheeler owners wanting to migrate to four wheels. That sure looks like a lost opportunity for the Tatas looking to change people's lives.

— Ram V.