The Real Reason You’re Not Expanding

AI Generated Image There is a silent struggle unfolding in boardrooms, networking events, and leadership circles across the country — a struggle rarely spoken about, yet deeply felt by business owners who have already achieved substantial success. Many founders who have built companies worth tens or hundreds of crores find themselves facing an unexpected hurdle: despite their competence and experience, they are unable to scale to the next level. Their operations run smoothly, their clients...

min read

AI Generated Image There is a silent struggle unfolding in boardrooms, networking events, and leadership circles across the country — a struggle rarely spoken about, yet deeply felt by business owners who have already achieved substantial success. Many founders who have built companies worth tens or hundreds of crores find themselves facing an unexpected hurdle: despite their competence and experience, they are unable to scale to the next level. Their operations run smoothly, their clients are satisfied, and their teams respect them, yet expansion remains frustratingly slow. Recently, a business owner shared a thought that many silently carry: “I’m doing everything right, but I’m not being seen the way I want to be seen.” He was honest, humble, and hardworking. He listened more than he spoke, stayed polite at networking events, delivered consistently, and maintained a quiet presence. But in a world where visibility often determines opportunity, quiet confidence can easily be mistaken for lack of influence. The reality is stark: growth today is not driven only by performance. It is powered by perception. And when a founder’s personal brand does not match the scale of their ambition, the world struggles to understand their value. This is the hidden gap that many high-performing business owners never address. They assume their work will speak for itself. But the modern marketplace doesn’t reward silence — it rewards clarity, presence, and personality. If your visiting card, website, social media, communication, and leadership presence all tell different stories, the world cannot form a clear image of who you are. And when your identity is unclear, the opportunities meant for you stay out of reach. A founder may be exceptional at what they do, but if their personal brand is scattered or outdated, it creates confusion. Prospects hesitate. Opportunities slow down. Collaborations slip away. Clients choose competitors who appear more authoritative, even if they are not more capable. The loss is subtle, but constant — a quiet erosion of potential. This problem is not obvious, which is why many business owners fail to diagnose it. They think they have a sales issue, a market issue, or a demand issue. But often, what they truly have is a positioning issue. They are known, but not known well enough. Respected, but not remembered. Present, but not impactful. And this is where personal branding becomes far more than a marketing activity. It becomes a strategic growth tool. A strong personal brand aligns who you are with how the world perceives you. It ensures that your voice carries authority, your presence commands attention, and your identity reflects the scale of your vision. It transforms the way people experience you — in meetings, online, on stage, and in every business interaction. When a founder’s personal brand is powerful, trust is built faster, decisions are made quicker, and opportunities expand naturally. Clients approach with confidence. Partners open doors. Teams feel inspired. The business grows because the leader grows in visibility, influence, and clarity. For many business owners, the missing piece is not skill — it is story. Not ability — but alignment. Not hard work — but the perception of leadership. In a world where attention decides advantage, your personal brand is not a luxury. It is the currency that determines your future. If you are a founder, leader, or business owner who feels you are capable of more but not being seen at the level you deserve, it may be time to refine your personal positioning. Your next phase of growth will not come from working harder. It will come from being perceived in a way that matches the excellence you already possess. And if you’re ready to discover what your current brand is saying about you — and how it can be transformed into your most profitable business asset — you can reach out for a free consultation call at: https://sprect.com/pro/divyaaadvaani Because opportunities don’t always go to the best. They go to the best perceived. (The author is a personal branding expert. She has clients from 14+ countries. Views personal.)

The Thrill of Encounters in Bollywood: A Cinematic Reflection

Abhijit Joshi
Oct 4, 2024
3 min read

Updated: Oct 22, 2024

The recent encounter of Akshay Shinde, the accused in the Badlapur sexual assault case, has become the talk of the town, with supporters and critics expressing their views. However, this article isn’t about the police action or the criminal case itself—that’s for the judiciary to decide.

What this encounter does remind me of is Bollywood’s long-standing obsession with encounters, and how the Indian audience perceives them. Films based on real-life encounters offer a mix of thrill, drama, and a reflection of society’s complex relationship with crime and justice.

Encounters in Bollywood films have always been more than just police actions. They are spectacles, filled with tension, and moral dilemmas. The connections between the underworld and Bollywood have often been whispered about but rarely discussed openly, adding a layer of intrigue to films dealing with gangster encounters. This “unsaid truth” has become part of the allure that surrounds these movies. In Bollywood, the encounter drama is portrayed in two major ways. One, where the gangster tries to escape from the police—either after being cornered, or when the police receive a tip-off.

When the gangster refuses to surrender and tries to flee, the police, after warning him, fire, often aiming for the leg. If he still attempts to run, he is killed. The second type involves a gangster attacking the police, sometimes even while in custody, grabbing their weapons and trying to make a run for it—leading to his death. These scenarios have played out numerous times in Bollywood, embedding themselves in the audience’s memory.

Take the iconic 1975 film Deewar, where Vijay (Amitabh Bachchan) meets his tragic end in an encounter. In the film’s climax, Inspector Ravi (Shashi Kapoor) confronts his brother Vijay, asking him to surrender. When Vijay refuses and tries to escape, Ravi shoots him, ending the movie with an emotional scene where Vijay dies after meeting his mother. Another similar encounter can be seen in Shakti (1982), where Vijay (Amitabh Bachchan) runs after killing JK Verma (Amrish Puri).

Despite being asked to surrender by his father, Inspector Ashwini Kumar (Dilip Kumar), Vijay is shot dead when he refuses. These encounters were personal, driven by family conflicts that spiraled due to the protagonist’s underworld connections.

Bollywood has produced numerous films that focus on police and gangster confrontations, often claiming to be inspired by real-life incidents. The 2002 film Encounter: The Killing was one of the first to fully explore the genre. Directed by Ajay Phansekar and starring Naseeruddin Shah, the film is a gripping take on police encounters and the impact of crime on families. The plot revolves around a police officer who kills a young boy in an encounter, only to later search for the boy’s parents, who never claimed the body. The movie poignantly highlights the hypocrisy of middle-class parents, disconnected from their children’s lives until tragedy strikes. Then there’s the 2004 film Ab Tak Chhappan, directed by Shimit Amin and produced by Ram Gopal Varma. The story of Inspector Sadhu Agashe, portrayed by Nana Patekar, is loosely based on the life of Mumbai police officer Daya Nayak, famous for his role in the Mumbai EncounterSquad.

The film, known for its realistic portrayal of police procedures and moral ambiguity, became a classic, with Nana Patekar’s performance earning critical acclaim. It’s a film that refuses to sugarcoat the harsh realities of life as a police officer tasked with eliminating gangsters.

The audience’s appetite for encounter-based films was further fueled by the 2007 film Shootout at Lokhandwala, based on the infamous 1991 gunfight between Mumbai Police and gangster Maya Dolas. Starring Amitabh Bachchan, Sanjay Dutt, and Vivek Oberoi, this film took dramatic liberties but stayed rooted in real events. The film’s tagline, “based on true rumours,” perfectly encapsulates Bollywood’s relationship with encounters—a mix of fact and fiction, driven by the desire to entertain while reflecting societal issues.

A few years later, the 2013 film Shootout at Wadala hit the screens, bringing to life the story of gangster Manya Surve, played by John Abraham. The film was praised for its gritty realism and intense action sequences, once again putting the spotlight on the phenomenon of police encounters. While films like Singham and Simmba have more recently presented a more polished, commercial version of police encounters, it is movies like Ab Tak Chhappan, Shootout at Lokhandwala, and Shootout at Wadala that remain etched in the audience’s memory for their hard-hitting portrayal of crime and justice.

In a country where encounters—both real and reel—fascinate the public, Bollywood continues to be at the center of this complex narrative. Whether glamorizing the gritty world of gangsters or raising questions about the morality of encounters, the industry keeps its finger on the pulse of a society that finds itself grappling with these very real issues.

(The writer is a communication professional. Views personal)