Though less than a week is left for the release of Ahvan, the wait seems like eternity. Director Shashank Jha has made all its cast and crew sign a non-disclosure agreement, which explains the fact that there has been no leakage whatsoever to the media, regarding the storyline, characters or songs. This has further increased the hype and hoopla surrounding the film and the audience is getting impatient by the day. What further intensified the scene was a declaration by Shashank Jha yesterday night whereby he guaranteed that Ahvan will be an experience. Hence, we decided to act a little slimy and prod the actors to get some clues as to what the film is all about (we tried our level best to cut across ‘globe’ answers like ‘Big’, ‘Fabulous’, ‘Never-seen-before’ etc).

Interviewer: Cutting a long story short, tell us something about each of your roles in Ahvan.

Ashwamedha (to be referred to as Ashwa): Well, we are under a strict non-disclosure contract so we can’t reveal much, but all I can say is this year, we are… different!

Kalpavriksha and Gordian’s Knot (to be referred to as Kalpa and GK): Yeah! Ashwa put it succinctly.

Interviewer: I guess my job’s gonna be tough today. Ashwa, you are probably the biggest star of the enterprise, so all eyes would be on you. You can let something out for your fans.

Ashwa: It’s quite flattering to hear that I am the ‘biggest’ in the enterprise. I am only one of the characters in the film, playing according to the script. Every actor has a justified presence in Ahvan. The star is the director.

Coming to letting something out, so I don’t know whether I should or not. So, at the risk of incurring the director’s wrath, my role is Ahvan has been tweaked a bit from the roles I normally play. Normally, I search for the best manager. Though, in Ahvan, my quest is to find the best leader.

Interviewer: What is the difference?

Ashwa: Read OB, you would understand. (All three break into a guffaw) No seriously, it’s not the same as my previous roles. Rest assured, you are in for a surprise, or a shock! (Smiles)

Interviewer: Ashwa, looking at the way you have performed in the past, I believe it would be the former. What I hear is that here too you are working with a bunch of youngsters?

Ashwa: I don’t know how media comes to know of the news every single time! Yes, I am working with some extremely bright youngsters. Trust me, if you find my performance watchable, it’s just because of them. The kind of preparation and efforts they put in at each step stunned me. They were brimming with lots of fresh ideas and concepts. Every time we used to discuss how to perform a particular scene, they were like “Sir, let’s do it this way”, “This is too clichéd a way”, “We haven’t concentrated on these aspects of the scene”. They were fully prepared for the scene every single day, with all analysis and reasonings in place.

Interviewer: It would have been a huge learning experience for them, considering it was you.

Ashwa: On the contrary, I was the student in the group! They looked like they’ve been in the business for a longer period than I’ve been!

Interviewer: (smiles) That shows that you’re still unsatiated Ashwa. Ohh… our readers will have a hard time to wait another 100 odd hours to see you!

(turning towards Kalpavriksha) You have always played patriotic roles a la Manoj Kumar – the hero who works for the society. Can we expect something of that sort once again in Ahvan?

Kalpa: Society has always fascinated me, and probably that explains why my roles have evolved in the way they have been. It’s important to strengthen your roots, as no building can stand if its foundation isn’t strong enough. I love playing the farmer, the potter, the weaver… roles which reflect the root part of India.

Talking about Ahvan, yes, my role again will be a similar role. As you know our tagline is ‘Imagining India’, so one can’t imagine India without the perspective of society that I represent in most of my films.

Interviewer: How was your support cast? We hear they, again, are a bunch of youngsters?

Kalpa: Yes, they are. I echo Ashwa’s feelings when it comes to working with youngsters. They have a fresh approach and the ability to create something out of nothing.

Interviewer: Your films have been more of an intellectual drama than a physical one – you normally cater to the connoisseurs than to the masses. Is it the same here as well?

Kalpa: If you want to show the real India, it has to be devoid of any frills. In that sense, yes, my roles have been a ‘arty’ if you would say. But in Ahvan, my role might show some dramatic portions, if the support cast agree. Normally, these sequences are cut, but let’s see.

Interviewer: ‘Might’? Isn’t the film ready?

Kalpa: Some post-production work is still left. Don’t worry, Ahvan will release on the 19^th!

Interviewer: And now to Gordian’s Knot! People are intrigued by your character, and it’s an understatement. Many people are dying to know about your role. You are probably the only new entrant who has been aggressively promoted as the heir to the throne of Ashwa.

GK: (laughs) It’s quite flattering and embarrassing at the same time to be compared to Ashwa. Ashwa is a legend, I am just a newbie.

As for my role, all I can say, it’s a role every debutant would die for. I consider myself blessed because getting such a role in a huge project like Ahvan is stuff dreams are made of.

Interviewer: People say you’ve done almost everything a Hindi film hero is supposed to do, and done it with aplomb.

GK: Well, if you put it like that, then yes. My role, if I really have to say something about it, is that of a person who plays with the lives a few individuals; so the character has shades of grey. The role demanded intensity, so I had to go through a series of rigorous sessions with my mentors, understanding the nuances of the character and fine tuning my performance. I thank Arijit sir in particular, for helping me out with that. Plus, I also had to do some action sequences. Mind you, this is the kind of action, never-seen-before on the silver screen. I had to build immense stamina to carry them off. I hope that comes well on screen.

Interviewer: Apparently, you have a character called Indore as well in your story? What is that all about?

GK: (Smiles) For that you have to see the movie! The interactions of Indore and the hapless souls I ‘play’ with are the highlight of the enterprise, in my honest opinion.

Interviewer: How does it feel sharing the same platform as Ashwa and Kalpa? You have been promoted at par with them.

GK: As I said, God has been kind. Ashwa and Kalpa are legends in their own right. To be promoted at par with them is a huge responsibility I have to shoulder.

Ashwa: Don’t worry son, you’ve been exceptional. Mark my words, you are only going to get bigger and bigger.

Kalpa: Yes, going by the kind of response on view from the few people who have seen the rushes, GK is here to, not only stay, but rule!

Interviewer: It’s great to see the fantastic camaraderie among you guys. Thanks a lot for your valuable inputs. I sincerely hope Ahvan more than lives up to the hype it has generated and becomes the blockbuster that people expect it to be.

Ashwa, Kalpa and GK: Amen!

Nov 12th, 2009

Indian Institute of Management Indore, one of India’s topmost Business schools, will be organizing its annual management summit ahvan ’09, on the 19^th, 20^th, and 21^st of November 2009.

Āhvān ’09 is IIM Indore’s annual management festival and is one of the most anticipated events among top B School participants across India. The showcase events such as Ashwamedha, Kalpavriksha, and Klueless have seen tremendous participation from top B Schools over the years, attracting some of the best minds in the field of business and management. This year, they are expecting to host close to 500 participants from major B schools and Corporate Houses in their campus and another 2000 students and faculty from local institutes. Their theme, inspired by the Nandan Nilekani book of the same name, is “Imagining India” with most events circling around issues that deal with making India globally competent on multiple levels, while at the same time staying locally centric, and, above all, socially relevant.

With Ashwamedha – one of their flagship events receiving over 1200 hits already & 600+ well-informed comments on its blog, the ‘Think’ stage of Ashwamedha can’t be called anything less than successful. The first round ‘Hurdle’ was an aptitude-based round that stressed on out-of-the-box thinking. 70 successful warriors crossed over to ‘Ignite’ where they have chosen to present their ideas on 1 out of the 7 topics like waste management, river pollution etc. Allowing readers to comment on the presentation uploaded on the ’Ignite’ blog has received huge support & enthusiasm. The ‘Act’ and the ‘Lead’ stages will kick off tonight with the announcement of the final 30 contenders, hailing from B-schools like IIM – K, A, L, I; MDI, FMS, XLRI, IIFT. The final winner shall take home Rs.1,50,000 along with the trophy.

Another flagship event of Ahvan 2009 will be Kalpavriksha- the social Business plan competition which is all set for its final presentation round on 20th November. The final 5 teams are from IIM A, IIM K, IIM Shillong, FMS and SIIB. These teams are currently in the mentorship phase where their plans are being looked into by a team from Ashoka Fellows and FINO. The final round will be judged by a panel of an academician, a venture capitalist and a field expert in the area. Kalpavriksha, with an international tie-up with Global Social Entrepreneurship Competition (GSEC) of Foster School of Business and association with FINO as ‘Knowledge Partner’ and Cognizant as Sponsor, promises to be bigger and better than last year.

Gordian Knot is another such event where management students would get down from their ivory towers and be tested on their faculties to make the best use of any situation. A thoroughly challenging event, it has received participation from more than 200 teams across colleges like IIMs, IITs, MDI, IMT, IMI, NMIMS, SPJAIN, IIFT and FMS. The first round ‘Cognitive Knot’ consisted of online puzzles, from where 30 teams that were shortlisted had to make a video introducing themselves in the Creative Knot.  The 6 final teams from IIM Kozhikode, MICA, IIFT-Delhi, IIM Indore, SP Jain and MDI shall now battle it out in the city of Indore for the prize money of more than Rs. 50,000.

Klueless – the online game which in its 5^th year now, reached a new high with a million hits in the first 2 days itself. People from US, UK, Indonesia, Kazakhstan and even Romania have racked their brains to crack this puzzle. The Hall Of  Fame has a couple from UIUC Chicago, a Lt General from the Army, a dentist from Nagpur, a Purdue University student and many such others listed on it. Its popularity can be gauged by the fact that the organizers of the event having received a number of requests to make it more frequent than the current annual format.  Certainly, K5, it is popularly known has taken us all by storm.

And for the grand finale on 21^st November, there would be a live stage performance with Neeraj Shridhar of the Bombay Vikings fame gracing the LiveWire stage. Since 2005, Neeraj has been singing playback for bollywood films and has delivered hits like Bhool Bhulaiya (Bhool Bhulaiya), Love Mera Hit Hit (Billu Barber), Heyy Babyy (Heyy Babyy), Twist (Love Aaj Kal) and most recently Prem Ki Naiyya ( Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani), thus making Neeraj the flavor of the season. It surely promises to be an evening packed with energy and electricity. The promotions have already started and there are many road shows planned at various locations around the city of Indore. There shall also be many exciting contests from winning a free ticket for the concert to a dinner with the artiste himself.

Along with all the competitions, they would also be organizing various guest talks throughout the 3 days under the “Envision” series, where some of the well known personalities would be delivering lectures on the diverse fields of business. Some of the eminent names include Mr. V. Shankar, MD & CEO, Rallis India Limited; Prof. G. Mohan Gopal, Director, National Judiciary Academy, Bhopal; Mr. N. Gopalaswami, Former Chief Election Commissioner;  K. Raghavendra Rao, MD, Orchid Chemicals & Pharmaceuticals Ltd amongst others.

Ahvan 09 is co-sponsored by State Bank of India, ONGC & SAIL. Associate sponsors are Gati, Indian Oil Servo Extra Premium & Tata Consultancy Services. Safexpress are the Official Logistics and Supply Chain Sponsor. Event sponsors include Cognizant, Rediff.com, Nokia, Appy Fizz & Grappo Fizz, Max, Smokin’ Joes & iimjobs.com. Nai Dunia are Local Print partners whereas Business Standard are their National Print Partners. Sahara Samay MP is the exclusive Television Partner whereas BIG92.7FM is the official Radio Partner. Dare2Compete.com is their online Event Partner. PVR Cinemas are the Official Multiplex Partner. Greycells is the Quiz Partner whereas Sayaji Hotels are the Hospitality Partners. MBAUniverse.com & ManagementParadise.com are the Official Management Portals of this summit.

- Media & Public Relations Vertical, āhvān ‘09

Director: Shashank Jha

Cast: Ashwamedha, Kalpavriksha, Klueless, Entrepid, Gordian’s Knot, among others

Genre: Action/Drama/Comedy/Thriller

Running Time: 3 days

This one has to be THE most anticipated magnum opus of the year. And not without reason. With a star-studded cast including icons like Ashwamedha, Kalpavriksha and Klueless, and a supporting cast including the likes of Fin League and Cerebrate, the expectations are but natural. Add to that, re-launch of yesteryear’s superstar Sanjeevani who comes back in a brand new avatar this year as Gordian’s Knot, and the expectations get magnified hundred-fold.

The director of the film, Shashank Jha, though refuses to divulge the story – all he has to say is “It’s hatke!”. “This is one movie which would invite the audiences to not only watch but also be a part of the action. If I really have to define a genre for Ahvan, I would say it’s a dramatic intellectual thriller.”

News from trusted sources seems to re-affirm his statement. According to sources, people who have seen the rushes of the film are blown over by the sheer magnitude of the venture. ”The plot careens through in a serpentine manner. Just when you think you have decoded the plot… Bam! A new twist jolts you.” said an industry insider on conditions of anonymity.

Talking about the new and improved Sanjeevani, the industry insider warns, “Do not make the mistake of expecting another Sanjeevani… you might be caught off-guard.” Perceived as a thinking-man’s actor, Sanjeevani has beefed itself up into a physical powerhouse called Gordian’s Knot. This has added another dimension to its personality, making Gordian’s Knot a rare combination of brawn and brain.

And the enterprise reaches a crescendo with a rocking number by Livewire. “Audiences will be dancing in the aisles… and this is an understatement.” the insider promises.

Well, by the looks of it, we may have the year’s biggest blockbuster on our hands here. The countdown has begun… 24 days to go!

IN PART-II: Comments from the principal cast

Just a month to go for Ahvan… a lot of excitement can be seen on the campus… Back after Diwali celebrations, the following posts will take you through some of the biggest and challenging events  that  are a part of Ahvan.

Entrepid is a full time stimulation-strategy game, a first of its kind in B-School history.  The interesting part of the event is that it tests the real time holistic-challenges faced by a firm, and in the end, it’s not the team with the sharpest minds in finance, strategy, operations & marketing that wins, but the team that collaborates most effectively who will emerge as the winners. The game is spread across different sectors and the value chain of an industry and where players would fight it out amongst themselves. There would be government regulations, dispute resolution cell, market forces and the concept of ‘GOD’, i.e. participants can expect literally anything from earthquakes, strikes, forest fires to terrorist attack on their companies! The preliminary round will be conducted online and the top 6 teams will be part of the final battle! …So be ready to fight it out!

The Finance League is the biggest finance event @ Planet-I & will take you through the life cycle of Finance. This event will have 3 phases consisting of 7 rounds and the winners will be decided on the cumulative scores, with different weights assigned to each of the rounds. This year the Finance League brings with it lots of media coverage, quizzes, debates, Equity research reports, Portfolio management game , role play of a editor(newspaper), banking stimulation game and a First time entrant – a game inspired from ‘Monopoly’ where teams will move on the board &  trade companies to capture maximum market share! It is going to be a battle field of Finance Gurus, so even if you think you have it in you, it is recommended that you start sharpening your fin skills… cause in the end it’s all about being crowned the Ultimate-Finance League Champion!

The last event that I will talk about will take you back to the nostalgic days of ring trading and the open outcry. It is the largest spot event of Ahvan and is characterized by the excitement and the frenzy of activity that can only be generated by the best minds of the country continuously trying to outwit each other as they react to news and try to master the whims of the market. The event, aptly titled Bulls and Bears, would be one in which you are expected to literally shout to find takers for your trades and promises the participants a journey of their lifetime (for their experience & their throats, as well)!

So, be ready to experience this epic management fest @ IIM Indore, from 19^th-21^st November, 2009!

…Just a Month to Go!

Here is a screen-shot of āhvān’s website that was launched yesterday. Please check it out and  feel free to send in your feedback to us.

We have made sure that in spite of all the changes and scaling up going on, āhvān does retain some of the trademark traditions of IRIS. So yes, you will once again see the 3 storey banner and yes it will be larger than last year’s. Other than that we have taken the tradition of in house designing of all our creative requirements a step further. This year even the images used on our brochures were ones taken by our own people except one for which we are highly grateful to Antony’s friend Gopal, who shot some amazing pics while he was on campus. Ah ok…for the benefit of the non-inhabitants of Planet I, Antony or Father as we call him,  is one of the most respected personalities in Planet I and is Joint Head of Operations vertical in āhvān 09. So, coming back to my point, it was indeed a proud moment for me when Vishal Jalan, our senior and one of the best talents to have walked on Planet I, pinged me and told me this -

Very elegant work with the brochure dude….
congrats…
Felt so proud to show the work to my colleagues here telling that it
was done totally inhouse.. literally … even the photos are inhouse
convey my congrats to all those who worked on it…

Our creative and design team truly rocks!! With people like Sudhir, Harish and Sadaf, we are never short of ideas and talent which can turn those ideas into jaw-dropping designs. And thanks of course to Sayani for patiently bearing with us while we shot a zillion pics of her, Neeta for obliging us and allowing us to use her pic on the brochure and Rakesh for being the man behind the lenses. Sayani, please don’t forget to thank us in case you start receiving ‘more’ offers for modeling once people see our corporate brochure.

As for the website, yes we have once again been able to save some money by not outsourcing the work. We are working on it and you’ll soon get to see it at http://ahvan.in

These and a lot more things we are planning will make sure that IRIS lives on in the soul of āhvān.

Very elegant work with the brochure dude….
congrats…
Felt so proud to show the work to my colleagues here telling that it
was done totally inhouse.. literally … even the photos are inhouse

convey my congrats to all those who worked on it…

Continuity gives us roots; change gives us branches, letting us stretch and grow and reach new heights.

IRIS, our annual management festival and one of India’s largest, had served as a platform since 2001 for some of the best minds in our country to exhibit their tremendous potential. Some of our flagship events such as Ashwamedha, Kalpavriksha and Sanjeevani have over the years become cult events with a dedicated following of their own. Klueless has cut across all geographic barriers, becoming a record breaking phenomenon that continues to expand every year, reminding us that the world really is flat. The secret of IRIS’ success was in the constant innovation in the organizing and the content, with a committed openness to embracing change.

This change is now being extended to the name. This year – IRIS becomes āhvān. Sanskrit for a “Call”, āhvān is just that – to the nation at large. A call for awakening, collaborating, commitment and action.  It is an invitation to those with a spirit and vision to come forth and make a mark. This year we present you a fest which promises to make a difference.

While we do acknowledge the many who have been a part of Iris over the years and would feel attached to the name (including ourselves), we believe this change is necessary to be in line with our vision for this fest.

We are delighted to announce that āhvān will be organized on the 19^th, 20^th and 21^st of November  this year, and we promise that it will be better and bigger than ever.