The recent film Guru is a drama tracing the rise of Gurukant Desai (based on the career of real-life entrepreneur Dhirubhai Ambani) from humble origins in rural India to founding and running the largest private corporation in Indian history.
From the back of its DVD package:
Guru
Villager
Idhar Village, Gujarat
Don't dream. Dreams never come true, my father, the headmaster of our village school, often told me when I was a young boy. But I did dream. As I grew, so did my dreams. Bigger than my outstretched arms, bigger than my small house, bigger than my village. I loved Idhar. It was quiet, peaceful, lazy and green. But I knew that my destiny was beyond this village... I knew that my destiny had to be made by me.
Visionary
Bombay, 1958
When I came to Bombay, I had two shirts, a wife, a brother-in-law, and Rs. 15,000 [rupees, somewhere around $250 to $500 US] in a small suitcase to start a business. But all doors were shut to a newcomer. Indian business and trade was run by a handful of the rich and the privileged. Only they were given the licenses, they had the quotas and they controlled all the government and trade. It was an exclusive club where it was impossible for an ordinary middle class newcomer to enter, let alone succeed. You had to kick the doors open or cajole them open. I did both. I did not take no for an answer. And that's because I can never hear the word no.
Winner
40 years [later]
We started Shakti Trading in a 350 sq feet room, with one telephone, one table and three chairs. Today Shakti Corporation is the first Indian company to enter the Forbes Top 500 list. People ask me how this happened. I say by thinking... Think big, think ahead and think fast.
Deal me in. Would love to see some Bollywood during the seminar!