Interview with Gautam Dutta, CEO of PVR cinemas

Interview With Gautam Dutta

SHARANYA: How did you get into the cinema business?

GAUTAM: Totally by default, I was in advertising and I used to work for PVR. I used to do advertising campaigns for PVR and that’s when I met Ajay Bijli (owner of PVR) and over the next four years I continued to work on PVR’s account from re-diffusion. One fine day, I got a call saying he wanted me to join PVR , so I took about six months to decide and then finally I took the plunge.

SHARANYA: As a group head what inequalities have you faced?

GAUTAM: I haven’t faced any inequalities at all, I have been treated well and with absolutely no inequalities.

SHARANYA: What kind of inequalities have you seen in your office?

GAUTAM: See actually there aren’t, I would say PVR is a fairly progressive organisation and we do sort of keep an eye on maintaining a very strong and a healthy balance. I think most of the profiles of hirings that we do and is based completly on merit rather than on gender, I would not know any position within PVR where a gender would possibly be prescribed. So from that point of view I would say I spot not much of inequalities other than the fact that again not by design but by default. Some of our M1 grade which is the top cadre in the organisation which consists of five or seven people. We don’t have women there from that perspective because if their was any inequality I would say that could be the only one place although our board does have women. On the M1 grade we could have been better off if we had a woman there.

SHARANYA: Do you think the education of girls is still not given enough importance?

GAUTAM: See actually there are two perspectives to this from our society which is more urban today I don’t see that as an issue at all for now. None of this is happening in educated homes things have really changed. Even within the mid and the lower segment I have seen things really changing and changing for the better. When I talk to some of domestic help in the house and i check on their aspirations , forget about what they are doing but even on their aspirations for a women or a girl child. It is wonderful to see how everyone is so positive and loving, I see not making too much of distinction but to say that in the teir 3 section, in the lower middle I still feel the boys may have a little bit of the edge. That is very deep rooted in our culture and tradition of celebrating a boy rather than a girl child. But the good thing is change has started to happen. Education is clearly visible and more importantly the vision for the parents carry for their child is very heartning to see.

SHARANYA:I think that a little bit of gender inequality is still there like when you imagine a job like a nurse you imagine a woman. How can you change that mindset?

GAUTAM: All I can say is ‘how can you eradicate it’ is very simple when every job qualification is based on merit and not on gender. That’s the only way to possibly change it. In more and more cases, the qualifications don’t talk about gender at all. Now, it could be a man or a woman, pleas also understand that you talk about more woman being in the jobs of nurses. It’s also a very strange stigma that men can when they get a job of being nurses they are teased, mocked at and seen as being sissy. So, when you see a male nurse, the kind of stigma they carry is on the reverse for saying they are a nurse because there are certain qualities or requirements of a job which needs you to be very soft and emotional. Those qualities in our society has been fixed with a women gender. So, the moment in a job of a nurse honestly the stigma is on the other side. If men had to be more in number you would be surprised with the kind of oppression and taunts that the men would need to go through for a job. So as I said this change is going to be extremely gradual. However, organisation culture and then finally societies and then mindset where people start assigning jobs and qualifications as per a certain merit and within that qualification there’s no gender specified would possibly be the way to change this. The phrases like ‘men don’t cry’. All of that is deep rooted in our culture where manly strength holding your emotions, physical strength, being brash are all associated with the male gender. And all the softer households stuff being subservient. The so called not so intellectual jobs were being categorised with the female gender. However I think the society has moved on. It takes ages to build and ages to deplete. Both the process is fairly slow. The good thing is I see this rapidly changing within the teir 1 and the more urban class. Today kids like you are studying and are so conscious of anyone using a phrase. There are so called right things and the wrong things that we perhaps are unknowingly saying or doing. But these take time, the good thing is that this seed has been sown in the society with kids like you who think differently. But it’ll take time. It’s not something which can happen immediately and wherever education, the seed is not being sown. The change is going to be ever so slow or very difficult. The only way tis can change is through education and better exposure and on key word- RESPECT. If you have respect everything in this world will honestly get sorted. You get love, work, equality through respect. The one word you could have- debates are not bad. Different point of views are not bad. Remember everything in this world is not as per what you see and its not as per what you believe. This is just a point of view. You may have your point of view I may have mine. To say this point of view is wrong and my point of view is right is also not the right learning. Because life is all about point of view. Even your parents have given you value systems. Hopefully, you will be carrying those value systems through. Because your values don’t harm anyone. You will share it to your descendants because it’s part of your system. What you eat, the breakfast you have, the thought process. So, unknowingly or knowingly you’re making your set of values and systems which you believe because you’re very thoroughly invested in them. You believe this is right and this is wrong. Life doesn’t teach you that. Life just tells you to respect a point of view. Learn how to debate. Learn how to respect. When you respect and when you debate logically maybe there will be education along the way and I will get educated. Then perhaps what you’re saying is another point of view. When individuals start respecting points of views, I think it’s wonderful

SHARANYA: What are you doing to make the EWS feel more comfortable in your business ?

GAUTAM: We have close to about 12000 people who are paid minimum wage staff. The most important thing is that we recruit them, we train them and we give them equal or better oppurtunities to grow in the organisation. Our head of operations ‘Sanjay Walia’ about 18-19 years back started as an ESP who used to be selling tickets at the box office. Today he’s heading the operations for the entire unit. SO, we give them opportunities, we grow them and most importantly we employ them and we give them a lot of respect. Even the designation they hod which is ‘ESP’ Entertainment Service Provider is the mark of respect you give them. Technically, today they are actually the face of the organisation.

SHARANYA: I think that’s amazing how someone can grow into the organisation! What about in the current situation? What are you doing for them in the current situation which is covid- 19?

GAUTAM: We’ve completely insulated them. The staff members have taken a 50% cut in their salary but we’ve completely insulated their salaries, they do not take any financial cut. We’ve taken the entire cut on ourself to insulate that so that they can sort of tide over this difficult time easily.

SHARANYA: What is equality to you?

GAUTAM: Respect

SHARANYA: What will it be like in a totally equal society?

GAUTAM: Respect- Respecting individuals and point of views. You would have a great society.

SHARANYA: What advice would you give to Project Equal?

GAUTAM: Respect point of views and be willing to logically be debated on every point of view. I think somewhere you lose track about this is right and this is wrong. You’re so fundamentally engraved and invested into a certain thought process that no other thought than your own thinking parameter. If someone were to give you another you will not buy into it which I think is a problem. You should buy into another point of view. Be willing to be debated. Be willing to have a logical discussion and be willing to sometimes respect societies are built through a lot of pain, hardwork and have different types of people coming together. The repair will also take time. It cannot be that everybody begins to see only your point of view and not another point of view. As long as you can respect point of views and be willing to move your point of view. Sometimes, I feel people get into a debate with no mood to change. They only want the other to change which is not a good idea. Are you larning or just debating for the sake of it?

SHARANYA: So, I should keep an open point of view and respect others point of views too. Thank you!

GAUTAM: Thank you! Goodbye, dear!