Hyderabad: Women are under-represented in the film industry as it is predominantly created by men and for men, said film producer and actress Niharika Konidela on Sunday.
Speaking at a panel discussion on ‘Women Redefining Cinema’, Niharika said while films like ‘Gundamma Katha’ had strong female roles, contemporary cinema often reduced actresses to side-characters in male-dominated stories.
The panel discussion was a part of a two-day conference ‘Katalyst’ organised by American Progressive Telugu Association (APTA). The conference brought together many entrepreneurs, investors, and industry experts, and hosted informative discussions on various topics.
Speaking at a panel discussion on ‘Scaling Up: From $1M to $100M Revenue-Strategies for Success’, Bhaskar Gangipamula, president and co-founder of Quadrant Technologies, stressed on the value of continuous talent acquisition. “If you want to run long, you must take the team along."
Observing that many successful entrepreneurs have come from small places and humble backgrounds, the panelists suggested providing employees with responsibility and ownership to create a more dedicated team.
Chandrudu Sambashiva Rao of Quadgen Wireless emphasised on India's ability to manufacture crucial components for Wi-Fi and IoT, as they play a major role in enabling widespread connectivity.
“Semiconductors are not rocket science. If you take the top ten most valued companies, nine such as Apple, Tesla, Google and others depend on semiconductors. The 10th company is a chip manufacturer TSMC (Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company). Its business is in trillion US dollars,” he said.
Speaking on ‘Fuelling India's growth engine through Make in India’, Bheemudu Pasupuleti, a self-made technocrat, said, “There is an entrepreneur in every human being. I did not go to any school during the first 15 years of my childhood. Then I studied Class 7, and ended up doing engineering from BITS Pilani. I am in the business of polymer insulators. Today the turnover of my company is `100 crore and aiming for `300 crore in the next three years.”
He shared that it took a mix of confidence, focus, risk tolerance, self-discipline, determination and competitiveness to start a business and see it through to success.
The APTA Katalyst Business Pitch Contest saw five finalists present ideas:. Samruddhi Eco Agrifabrix Private Limited in agri technology, SureChain in B2B enterprise technology, Indgeos Geospatial Technologies in geospace technology, Archimedes Green Energy in green energy technologies, and EPIC International in life sciences.
