Mumbai: Gautam Adani, chairman of the Adani Group, praised the students of Whistling Woods International as the “Gems of Bharat” while sharing the stage with Rajkumar Hirani, Kartik Aaryan, and Jackie Shroff, whom he called “icons.”
Billionaire Gautam Adani shared a mix of photos on Instagram from his speech to the students at Whistling Woods International. He also posted a picture with filmmaker Subhash Ghai, Kartik Aaryan, and others.
Gautam Adani captioned the photos, stating: “Always energising to be among the youth of our nation. And when that youth comes from @whistling_woods, the energy turns electric. Thank you, @subhashghai1, for giving our country a powerhouse of creativity and passion – every corner of your institute radiates inspiration.”
“Sharing the stage with icons @hirani.rajkumar, @apnabhidu, @kartikaaryan, and Mahaveer Jain made the evening even more special! To the students, you are the gems of Bharat. Let your Bharatiyata light the path to India’s greatness.”
On Friday, the Adani Group Chairman emphasised the importance of India shaping its global story using cinema, storytelling, and new technologies like Artificial Intelligence (AI).
Gautam Adani had said: “If we do not narrate who we are, others will rewrite who we were. That is why we must own our story, not with arrogance, but with authenticity, not as propaganda, but as purpose.”
He gave the example of Raj Kapoor’s iconic film Awara, where Kapoor, playing a common man, created a strong emotional connection with Soviet audiences in the post-World War II era. He said Kapoor was India’s best promoter of soft power, creating a cultural bond that strengthened Indo-Soviet ties for generations.
Gautam Adani cautioned against letting India’s stories be told mainly from Western viewpoints, as happened with films like Gandhi and Slumdog Millionaire.
“Why must it take Richard Attenborough from across the oceans to tell us Indians the story of our Mahatma?” he asked.
He said that for too long, “India’s voice has been firm within our own borders but faint beyond them. And in that silence, others have lifted the pen, sketching Bharat through their lenses tinted by bias and shaped by their convenience.”
“And nothing reveals this bias more than the British film ‘Slumdog Millionaire’, a spectacle that sold Dharavi’s poverty for Western applause, turning our pain into foreign award-winning ceremonies,” the billionaire businessman said.
He added that, in contrast, a Hollywood film like Top Gun “is not just selling cinema; it is projecting power.”
“Behind the dogfights and heroism lies a brilliantly crafted narrative, one that showcases national pride, the might of the US military, and drives exports, an image of American courage to every corner of the world. These films are not just stories. They are strategic instruments designed to shape perception, project US strength, and define US identity,” he said.
Gautam Adani On Hindenburg’s Report: ‘Totally False Story Had Been Weaponised’
Adani Group Chairman Gautam Adani, on Friday, recounted the sharp impact of a “false” script weaponised against the conglomerate by Hindenburg Research, a foreign short-seller, which resulted in the USD 100 billion market value erased.
He said in today’s world, the truth must also be loudly proclaimed as “silence leaves space for others to script your destiny.”
Addressing students at Whistling Woods International Institute in Mumbai, Adani Group Chairman said, “I can say from my personal experience, because I saw first-hand how swiftly a false script could be propagated when, in January 2023, a foreign short seller, Hindenburg Research, launched a calculated attack against us. It was not just a short seller report that they had published, but a manipulated script crafted to provoke doubt and amplified through multiple global echo systems.”
In January 2023, Hindenburg published a report accusing the Adani Group of financial irregularities, leading to a significant drop in the company’s stock price. The group at the time had rubbished these claims.
The Adani group has repeatedly denied all the accusations in the Hindenburg Research report.
He revealed how the market reacted dramatically to the false narrative. “In a matter of days, over USD 100 billion of our market value was erased, not because any fundamentals had changed, not because facts had failed, but because a totally false story had been weaponised.” Adani added that although his group reclaimed the narrative and emerged stronger, the episode underscored the power of perception over facts in today’s world.
“That period revealed a reality we are living in: an era where narratives move markets faster than numbers, where headlines can undo decades of hard work, and where stories of truth trail stories of perception,” he added.
He emphasised the need for proactive communication, adding that “This experience taught me that in today’s world truth must also be loudly told. For silence leaves space for others to script your destiny. If we do not narrate who we are, others will rewrite who we were. That is why we must own our story, not with arrogance, but with authenticity, not as propaganda, but as purpose.”
Last month, the Securities and Exchange Board (SEBI) gave its conclusion in the matter of the allegations made by the US Short seller Hindenburg against the Adani Group. SEBI concluded that there is no violation of the listing agreement or SEBI Listing Obligations and Disclosure Requirements (LODR), and the impugned transactions do not qualify as “related party transactions”.
Adani concluded by urging businesses and individuals to own their stories with sincerity: “That is why we must own our story, not with arrogance, but with authenticity, not as propaganda, but as purpose.”
Gautam Adani’s session was attended by actor Kartik Aaryan, blockbuster filmmaker Rajkumar Hirani, producer Mahaveer Jain and Whistling Woods International founder Subhash Ghai.
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