Aetbaar, the Tatas, and me: The untold story of Tata’s brief stint in Bollywood

Analysis
By Dale Bhagwagar
Ratan Tata - The icon, the legend.

Ratan Tata was a visionary leader whose influence extended far beyond business. His deep sense of ethics, innovation, and compassion set a benchmark for corporate responsibility. Though his ventures touched many industries, his quiet yet impactful foray into Bollywood with Aetbaar will always be a cherished part of my journey in PR.

His legacy continues to inspire countless professionals, including myself, who have been fortunate to work on projects associated with his name.

Not many know that the Tatas once started a film production house called Cutting Edge Entertainment in the early 2000s. Veteran filmmaker Sujit Kumar and his enterprising son Jatin Kumar were making a film called Aetbaar starring Amitabh Bachchan, John Abraham, and Bipasha Basu, directed by Vikram Bhatt. I was handling the media and PR for it.

When the Tatas made their foray into Bollywood, they took over the project. Many other PR companies were trying to take over the PR work, so the Tatas decided to evaluate all the agencies. Jatin Kumar requested them to consider continuing with me, and they agreed, saying, “We will also interview Dale along with the other corporate and Bollywood PR agencies.”

I was fine with that because, as usual, I was overconfident that they would reject the others and continue with me. In the end, that’s exactly what happened. They found me to be the best fit for the job. I did great PR for the movie, and it became one of the most talked-about and anticipated films of the year.

Unfortunately, when it was released in 2004, inspite of receiving relatively good reviews, it did not perform too well at the box-office, and the Tatas did not make any more movies after that.

Here are some pics from the sets of Aetbaar:

The media and me. Preparing for media interviews with the cast of Aetbaar.
Had got interviews of Amitabh Bachchan done for the promotion of Aetbaar.
I’m here with Mr Hoshang Billimoria of Tata Infomedia Limited, producer Sujitji (Sujit Kumar) and Mandeep Singh of the Tata’s film production company Cutting Edge Entertainment, during a song recording of Aetbaar. Rajesh Roshan was the music composer and this pic has everyone intently listening to his music.
John Abraham and Bipasha Basu in Aetbaar.
Amitabh Bachchan and Bipasha Basu at the Mahurat of Aetbaar.
Earlier, with Hrithik Roshan at the Mahurat of Aetbaar. Hrithik has been a family friend of the Kumars and had attended the Filmfare Awards just the night before. But still, he managed to come for Aetbaar’s Mahurat early next morning at around 7am. I’ve also handled the Personal PR for Hrithik and also the post-release PR for Koi… Mil Gaya.
John Abraham and Bipasha Basu in Aetbaar.
The cast and main production team of Aetbaar while shooting at the Barista coffee joint at Oshiwara, Mumbai.
This pic was taken while celebrating Jatin Kumar’s birthday on the sets of Aetbaar. We’re clapping for Jatin… with director Vikram Bhatt, filmmaker Sujitji (Sujit Kumar), Mandeep Singh of Cutting Edge Entertainment and cinematographer Pravinji (Pravin Bhatt).
Dale Bhagwagar

Dale Bhagwagar (डेल भगवागर) is a leading Bollywood publicist in the Indian entertainment industry. With 11 years of experience in journalism, followed by 27 years of expertise in entertainment PR, he leads the Bollywood PR agencies Dale Bhagwagar Media Group and Hybrid Media in Mumbai. Their activities bear his personal touch and stamp. He runs this site and sometimes writes for it.

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