Search the Internet          Tips  Sites: Finance, Investment

James Packer hosts a power dinner

Raksha Hegde

It was a power dinner, the likes of which has perhaps not been seen in many months. At the dining table on Wednesday night were Tata group chairman Ratan Tata, Bombay Dyeing chairman Nusli Wadia , Reliance Industries managing director Anil Ambani, Hindustan Lever chairman M S (Vindi) Banga, Godrej & Boyce managing director Adi Godrej and Mahindra & Mahindra vice-chairman and managing director Anand Mahindra.

Nor was glamour missing -- it came in the form of -- who else? -- the Big B, namely, Amitabh Bachan, Ekta Kapoor, creative head of production company Balaji Telefilms and filmstar Jeetendra's daughter. The only heavyweight missing was Kumar Mangalam Birla.

The venue: the Taj Hotel's The Chambers. The occasion: 28-year-old Australian media tycoon James Murdoch's visit to Bombay. Murdoch wanted to meet the big daddies of corporate India and Star TV chief executive Peter Mukherjea had drawn up a guest list of the who's who of the corporate world.

The dinner, of course, perhaps also represented a gathering of Star TV's biggest advertisers and producers. The Bachan hosted gameshow Kaun Banega Crorepati has turned around Star's fortunes. And Balaji Telefilms has played a major role in helping Star TV consolidate its position with programs such as Kyonki Saans Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi and Ghar Ghar Ki Kahani.

But it was memorable for the wealth that those at the dining table represented. On the one side was Murdoch, the younger son of Rupert Murdoch, head of The News Corporation, the media conglomerate whose market capitalisation today is $18.35 billion (Murdoch also oversees the operations of News Corp's Indian subsidiary Star TV).

On the other were the Indian businessmen, no lightweights themselves. The companies of the Indian businessmen gathered there reported a combined market cap of $25.92 billion, with the Reliance group leading the pack at $12.84 billion.

The last such dinner Star hosted was when Rupert Murdoch came calling. Then, the power dinner at Delhi's Ashoka Hotel witnessed a stampede of the who's who of the capital (mostly politicians) falling over themselves to shake hands with the media baron.

Those who attended that dinner, hosted to celebrate India's longest running talk show, the Rajat Sharma-hosted Aap Ki Adalat, included the Ambanis, film stars, political heavyweights and, of course, the prime minister. Subhash Chandra, though he had been invited, did not turn up for the do.

Powered by

YOU MAY ALSO WANT TO READ:
The Rediff-Business Standard Special
The Budget 2001-2002 Special
Money
Business News

Tell us what you think of this report