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🇳🇵 Nepal /Culture & Society

‘Made in India: A Titan Story’ harks back to a more idealistic time in the country

From Kathmandu Post · () English

Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

In-depth Sources not specified Context piece
  • "Made in India: A Titan Story," a web series adapted from a book, navigates the challenges of depicting real events and people in India, especially when partly sponsored by the company itself.
  • The series, focusing on the 1970s and 1980s, portrays the founding of the Titan brand under J.R.D. Tata's guidance, featuring an optimistic tone and generally honest characters.
  • Despite its corporate sponsorship, the show includes a notable scene where a character reflects on the need for hard work to achieve good times, hinting at contemporary political awareness.

Creating films and web series based on real events and individuals in India presents a significant challenge, often requiring careful selectivity, especially when political powers are involved. "Made in India: A Titan Story," adapted from Vinay Kamath’s book, "Titan: Inside India’s Most Successful Consumer Brand," faces an additional hurdle as it is partly sponsored by Titan.

This sponsorship raises questions about objectivity, as straying from the agreement could jeopardize access to the Tata archives. Consequently, the series risks appearing as a corporate advertorial, particularly in some episodes, while also adopting a good-natured storytelling approach in others, reminiscing about the past. However, a moment in the second episode offers a glimpse of contemporary awareness when Xerxes Desai, played by Jim Sarbh, responds to the phrase "achhe din" (good times) with, "The good times don’t come by themselves, they need to be summoned through hard work."

The six-episode series reconstructs the 1970s and 1980s, depicting how Xerxes, guided by J.R.D. Tata, and a core team established one of India's premium brands. Similar to other period dramas set in Nehruvian or post-Nehruvian India, the show exudes optimism, featuring bright visuals, cheerful background scores, and mostly honest characters. Bureaucracy is depicted as slow and corrupt but handled with a light touch.

Within the narrative, characters generally avoid undermining each other or taking undue credit. Even minor conflicts are typically resolved quickly. The plot follows a familiar trajectory: a driven Xerxes seeks a challenging project within the Tata group. His close relationship with J.R.D. Tata leads to him being tasked with turning around the struggling Tata Press, a mission that stems from a chance encounter aimed at reviving the company's fortunes.

Achhe din aate nahi hai, unhe laana padhta hai (The good times don’t come by themselves, they need to be summoned through hard work).

— Xerxes Desai (Jim Sarbh)A character's response to the phrase 'achhe din,' offering a moment of contemporary political awareness within the series.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Kathmandu Post. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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