Biggest Winner?
Exporters could reap ‘Slumdog’s’ Oscar gold.
By JOEL RUSSELL
Los Angeles Business Journal Staff
The eight Oscars won by “Slumdog Millionaire” last week might end up being good news for U.S.-Indian trade said local business consultant Gunjan Bagla.
The film about a disadvantaged youth in Mumbai who wins a TV game show and the love of his sweetheart was a box office bonanza.
Bagla managing director of Amritt Inc. in Cerritos said the film’s popularity should highlight the attraction of India as an export market. Its economy is predicted to grow 7 percent this year.
“Any company with sales of over 10 million that has an exportable product or service should be looking to expand its sales into India” Bagla said after last week’s Academy Awards. But with some caveats: It’s not all singing and dancing.
Bagla advises people doing business in India to handle frustrating moments by pausing taking a deep breath and withholding judgment. He notes that Indians often base decisions on esoteric factors.
Indian executives “may depend on astrology to guide them to pick a date to sign a contract” Bagla said. “This can be irritating to an American who would rather fly home on a Friday but finds the 20 million contract may not be signed until Monday.”
