Mumbai: Adani Group Chairman Gautam Adani lauded the students of Whistling Woods International as the “Gems of Bharat” and referred to sharing the stage with Rajkumar Hirani, Kartik Aaryan, and Jackie Shroff, calling them “icons.”
Billionaire Gautam Adani took to Instagram and shared a motley collection of images of his address to the students at Whistling Woods International. He also posted a picture with film-maker Subhash Ghai, Kartik Aaryan, and others.
Gautam Adani captioned the photos stating: “Always energizing to be among the youth of our nation. And when that youth comes from @whistling_woods, the energy turns electric. Thank you, @subhashghai1, for giving our country a powerhouse of creativity and passion – every corner of your institute radiates inspiration.”
“Sharing the stage with icons @hirani.rajkumar, @apnabhidu, @kartikaaryan and Mahaveer Jain made the evening even more special! To the students – you are the gems of Bharat. Let your Bharatiyata light the path to India’s greatness.”
The Adani Group Chairman on Friday had highlighted the importance of India taking charge of its global narrative through the soft power of cinema, storytelling, and leveraging the advantage of emerging technologies like Artificial Intelligence (AI).
Gautam Adani had said: “If we do not narrate who we are, others will rewrite who we were. That is why we must own our story, not with arrogance, but with authenticity, not as propaganda, but as purpose.”
Citing the example of Raj Kapoor’s iconic film ‘Awara’, in which the famous actor in the role of a common man, made a deep emotional connect with Soviet audiences in the post-World War II era, he said that Kapoor was India’s finest advocate of soft power, building a cultural bond that uplifted Indo-Soviet ties for generations.
Gautam Adani warned against allowing India’s stories being told through Western perspectives, as was the case with films like ‘Gandhi’ and ‘Slumdog Millionaire’.
“Why must it take Richard Attenborough from across the oceans to tell us Indians the story of our Mahatma?” he asked.
He said that for too long, “India’s voice has been firm within our own borders but faint beyond them. And in that silence, others have lifted the pen, sketching Bharat through their lenses tinted by bias and shaped by their convenience.”
“And nothing reveals this bias more than the British film ‘Slumdog Millionaire’, a spectacle that sold Dharavi’s poverty for Western applause, turning our pain into foreign award-winning ceremonies,” the billionaire businessman said.
He went on to point out that in contrast, a Hollywood film like ‘Top Gun’ “is not just selling cinema; it is projecting power”.
“Behind the dogfights and heroism lies a brilliantly crafted narrative, one that showcases national pride, the might of the US military, and drives exports, an image of American courage to every corner of the world. These films are not just stories. They are strategic instruments designed to shape perception, project US strength, and define US identity,” he said.
(IANS)
