Lessons that could be learnt by Starups from the movie Rustom

Akshay Kumar starrer Rustom which hit the screen on 12th August is based on the controversial KM Nanavati case. There are certain things about the Nanavati case one should know before watching Rustom. KM Nanavati v/s the State of Maharashtra is one of the sensational court cases to have been tried by the Bombay High Court. It left the whole nation in a shock as to whether the murder committed by Nanavati was impetuous or was it a ‘premeditated move’. The Film has been directed by Neeraj Pandey, who is famous for flicks like Wednesday, Baby and Special 26. The fascinating things are as follows.

Integrity is the essential commodity to have before starting any startup

KM Nanavati was a naval commander in the Indian Navy, he was a parsi by birth, settled down in Mumbai with his wife Sylvia Nanavati and his three children. KM Nanavati had a trial for the murder of Prem Ahuja, his wife’s lover. This case got a prodigious amount of media coverage and later on inspired many books and movies. Nanavati gathered huge support from the public, especially Parsi community and Indian Navy even after being declared guilty by jury of Bombay high court.  He killed Prem Ahuja (his wife’s lover) firing three shots straight at him after the confrontation with Prem. Nanavati was granted a bail after three years after Prem’s sister gave the pardon in writing. He shifted to Canada soon after with his family. He died in the year 2003

With Integrity and Positive Talk about startup even a Win-Win Deadlock can be easily tackled

There were no witnesses in the Nanavati case. There were only two people in the room when the incident happened; one of whom was dead. It was practically Nanavati’s word against the worlds. The victim’s sister Mamie Ahuja and the prosecution contested the fact that what Nanavati had done was not because he lost his self-control after discovering the truth about his wife’s affair. Their stance was that the murder was premeditated, and committed in cold blood. With this argument, the then-young lawyer Ram Jethmalani, assisting in the prosecution, appealed to the Bombay High Court. The Bombay High Court found Nanavati guilty and sentenced him to life imprisonment. He appealed the sentence in the Supreme Court, which upheld the decision of the High Court in November 1961. Meanwhile, a tabloid called Blitz was championing Nanavati’s cause, and the case caught the public imagination in such a way that 25p copy sold for Rupees 2 apiece. This case led to some unrest between the Parsi and the Sindhi communities in Mumbai. While Nanavati belonged to the Parsi community, Ahuja was a Sindhi. Around the same time, Maharashtra Governor Vijaylakshmi Pandit (who was Jawaharlal Nehru’s sister) received a mercy petition for Bhai Pratap, a prominent Sindhi businessman dealing in import-export of sports goods. Bureaucrats agreed that he could be pardoned. KM Nanavati walked in the same circles as the Gandhi-Nehru family, and thus found favour from the newly-appointed Governor. Vijaylakshmi Pandit pounced on the chance and said that Bhai Pratap would be pardoned after Nanavati was pardoned. This would ensure that both the Parsi and Sindhi communities are happy. Ram Jethmalani’s job was to convince the victim’s sister, Mamie Ahuja. Mamie Ahuja finally gave in to the Government’s request, and KM Nanavati was released after spending three years in jail.

Perseverance is the key for Winning against the odds

The lesson for startup is there could be tough times where in integrity and dedication along with perseverance could turn the odds in favors, here in the case of Nanavati The feud between the Sindh and Parsi created a win-win situation that has helped a patriot and a patient Nanavati being pardoned against all the odds. And the next lesson is about the word by mouth which spread all over rapidly like forest fire and created waves of sympathy waves for Nanavati.