Must watch: Movies every aspiring CEO cannot afford to miss

Lagaan: Make the best out of the resources you have

Taking on the gora sahibs and beating them at their own game was no small feat for a village bumpkin. Set in a drought-stricken village in early British Raj, Lagaan is the story of how young Bhuvan, played by Aamir Khan, accepts a British officer’s offer that will exempt them from paying taxes if he can beat them at cricket. A major part of the movie shows Bhuvan’s struggles with understanding the game and acquiring basic play gear, getting a team together, educating them about it, and eventually playing the match. Totally relatable to entrepreneurs and those venturing out to set up their own business.

Patton: Think radical. Don’t live by the rule book

“Patton” tells the tale of General George S. Patton, famous tank commander of World War II. The film begins with Patton’s career in North Africa and progresses through the invasion of Europe and the fall of the Third Reich. The most famous scene is the first one, Patton mounting a stage to address his troops from in front of an American flag that fills the huge 70-mm screen. And his iconic dialogues -" _Now I want you to remember that no b@#$!^& ever won a war by dying for his country. He won it by making the other poor dumb _b@#$!^&die for his country".

Side plots also speak of Patton’s numerous faults such his temper. But in all this eccentricity, there lied a fearless leader who was not afraid to put the rule book aside and take matters in his hands if the situation demanded.

Money Ball: Rather than going with instinct when evaluating candidates, Moneyball advocates a more methodical approach to hiring personnel using quantifiable measures to judge whether an applicant will fit the role in question.

After losing to the New York Yankees, down and out Oakland A’s lose three of their star players to teams offering higher salaries. The A’s general manager Billy Beane has the tough task of building a team on a shoestring budget which he successfully does by employing computer-generated analysis.

**Udaan :**The importance of self-realisation ( Life is too short to live someone else’s dream)

It’s the story of a 17-year-old boy who aspires to be a writer,but is pressurized to study engineering and work part time at a factory by his alcoholic father.

An overpowering father bullies his son throughout the movie. How the boy overcomes his low self-esteem and picks up the courage to walk out of the home to lead a life free of humiliation and abuse forms the crux of the theme.The movie also explores the complexities of the father-son relationship, the pressures of a small town, middle class upbringing and portrays theintense loneliness and frustration of a free spirited boy.

Pirates of Silicon Valley:Persistence can take you to the top of the world and at times can be your undoing.

Before The Social Network made the internet cool in Hollywood, there was this film about Steve Jobs and Bill Gates that chronicled their rise in Silicon valley. Battling perceptions, holding onto an idea that few believed in and finally going head to head against each other, Pirates of the Silicon Valley had all the masala of a Hollywood plot.

Rocket Singh :Relentless optimism and penchant for dreaming is key to realizing your dream

Rocket Singh is a simple story of a college graduate entering the big bad corporate world and trying to make a career he can be proud of. He is a young nave salesman who believes in integrity, honesty and fair play.Harpreet Singh Bedi lands a job with a computer company, and quickly learns that the position and the people working there aren’t exactly what he had originally envisioned.Business for him is is not about cutting prices but about creating value for the customer.Then Rocket Singh leaves his boss and forms his own company, taking it to great heights without giving up his morals.

Jerry Maguire:It’s all about the journey

Jerry Maguire is the story of a man who is at the top of his game. He has everything: money, a beautiful girlfriend, the big clients and respect. But then he decides to step back and question it all and proposes his new thoughts to the rest of the company, which ultimately ends in him losing it all. Everyone turns his back on him, except for one, very volatile client. And this is when the rest of his life begins. Jerry examines what is really important to his business and life and works towards bringing it all back together again.

**Chak De India:**All individuals in a team have their own way of working. Respect that and make it work in your favour

The story of a former hockey player, played by Shahrukh Khan, who returns to the game as the coach of the women’s hockey team and leads it on to win the World Cup. In the beginning it is very apparent that the girls are pretty adamant on how they want to play and practically ignoring the coach, almost to a point where they conspire to oust him. But as the story unfolds, the transition from being girls representing their states to playing as one team, for one country is what the coach manages to bring. SRK’s inspiring monologue prepping the girls before the game can be easily applied to many boardroom situations.

Forrest Gump: Never ever give up

Forrest Gump seems like its a film about a dumb guy who’s at the centre of all historical events from the 1950s to 80s and gets by on luck. But this Tom Hanks-starrer is as much about hope and self belief, as it is about luck. Gump shows us what its like to be mocked for being different, and yet achieve everything you put your mind to just because you refuse to give up.

Sholay: Teamwork can conquer the odds

Gabbar Singh. Real life couples Dharmendra-Hema Malini and Amitabh Bachchan-Jaya Bhaduri. Gunfights. Tragedy. Sholay may have all the elements of a masala Bollywood film but it finally is about a team of two taking on the world, no matter the consequences. Perhaps the most legendary bromance in an Indian film, Sholay is about friendship, doing good and no matter what, always getting your buddy’s back.

Shawshank Redemption: When hope wins over fear

Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman play the lead characters in a film about a bunch of convicts in a US prison, but the Shawshank Redemption is as much to do with life, hope and friendship as it is to do with life in prison. From smuggling contraband into prison to laundering money for the jailer, this film shows how the human spirit can triumph even in the most adverse of conditions. If this film doesn’t leave you smiling at the end, you may just need to check if you have a heart of stone.

Satyakam: The tension between idealism and the reality of compromise

This is a late 1960s classic by Hrishikesh Mukherjee. It is the story of an idealistic young man Satyapriya (played by Dharmendra in one of his best-ever acting roles) who tries to live life by his ideals of truth and honesty - and nearly fails. The one successful convert to his idealism is his wife (played by Sharmila) , but that is only at the end of his life. She did not believe in his ideals till the point Satyapriya himself is about to compromise towards the end of his life to save his family’s future. Mukherjee himself rated Satyakam as his best film, and, coming as it did in 1969, when the initial euphoria of creating a new India had died down, replaced by cynicism. Satyakam is particularly relevant today when leaders invite only cynicism - and the people are trying to find alternatives in idealistic parties like Aam Aadmi Party.

Invictus: A movie that cured discrimination, even if it was for a few hours

Following his release from prison and election as the new President of South Africa, Nelson Mandela spots the potential of the Rugby World Cup as a way of uniting his divided country. Enlisting the support of Springbok rugby team captainFrancois Pienaar, they succeed in turning around not only the team’s fortunes, but those of the entire country. The movie provides many insights into Mandela’s inspiring leadership and his strategy for healing his country in the aftermath of Apartheid.

Swades : Follow your heart, it’s not always about the money

Written, produced and directed byAshutosh Gowariker, this film is about an NRI, Mohan Bhargava, who works as a Project Manager in Nasa but returns to his village in India to bring about development.

Mohan is played by Shahrukh Khan who returns to India after 12 years in the US. In his village, he meets a village postmaster and is eager to know more about e-mails and the internet. He goes on to meet an ex-freedom fighter who teaches history at the local school and a cook who harbors ambitions of opening a dhaba on a US freeway. During his stay, Mohan realises there’s a lot to do for his village. He decides to return to India and with the help pf a few men builds a reservoir beneath a perennial spring on a nearby hill. Buying turbines and other equipment with his own money, he sets up a small hydro-electric power plant that solves the problem of irregular electricity and makes the village self-sufficient. This is a must watch for allentrepreneurs.

The Secret Life of Walter Mitty: It is a story about an individual and his imagination. But the environment Walter Mitty is attempting to escape - a dead-end job where his work is not respected - can hold lessons for business leaders

At the beginning of the movie, Mitty’s drab corporate cube life gets worse when word spreads that Life magazine is being shut down. Mitty’s last mission before being laid off is to find the negative print of a photograph which is meant for the magazine’s final cover. Firstly, the movie teaches employers to have faith in their employees. Mitty’s journeys are about discovering himself, but they are also driven by the pride he takes in his work, and it is this pride which ensures his success.Secondly, encourage camaraderie and cooperation. Mitty’s mission wouldn’t be successful if he wasn’t helped along by Hernando - who scours the archives for him - and Cheryl, a colleague who helps him piece clues together.