Kellogg MBA Bollywood Bash 2020

Kellogg held its first-ever Kellogg MBA Bollywood Bash Digital Dhamaka on Saturday, May 23rd 2020. The event was nothing short of a star-studded extravaganza with attendees ranging from Bollywood stars to professors to deans. The organizing committee of the India Business Club or IBC achieved a coup. The two MCs, Akash Kapoor and Deepika Mehta, kept the crowd on its feet for over 60 minutes, which is no mean feat ladies and gentlemen.

Kellogg Meets Bollywood

At the start of the event, Bollywood actor Karthik Aryan showed up channeling his best Chris Pratt and did not shirk from poking fun at the school as he poured some Kellogg’s cereal into a bowl. Sona Mahapatra dazzles as she croons her popular number, ‘Ambarsariya’. Her message to the class certainly strikes the right notes as she says, “Guys, have a bash but remember you have to leave behind a better world than what you inherited from your previous generations. Make it count. It’s not just the bottom lines and top lines that matter”. Other Bollywood celebrities that featured in the event included Aamir Khan (aka Leonardo DiCaprio), Sonam Kapoor (aka Mila Kunis) and Anil Kapoor (aka Tom Cruise).

Kellogg Professors and Deans

Guess who can shake a leg? Kellogg professors and deans! Several members of the faculty took Bollywood Bash over by storm with their performance. I must say there were some promising ‘thumkas’ in there. Among the performers were Professors Tim Calkins, Julie Hennesy, Achal Bassamboo, Kevin McTigue, Fran Langewisch, Mike Mazzio and Donald Dale. The two deans Francesca Cornelli and Greg Hanifee participated fully in the festivities as well. In fact, the bash reached a crescendo where Dean Cornelli sportingly joked, “I have to say I am changing career now. I am resigning as the dean and I think I am going to try to become a Bollywood star”. Well, we have to say she will receive stiff competition from Professor Dale whose Hrithik Roshan moves were exemplary, to say the least. Don’t believe us? See the video of the dance performance below for yourself!

Kellogg Students’ Performances

Now, coming to the student performances themselves, there were several dances ranging from current Bollywood to Punjabi / Bhangra to Bharatnatyam to Hiphop /Bolly fusion and a lot more. The performances were short and sweet, which made them more engaging. There was participation across a wide range of students. There was the good ole ‘retro Bollywood’ with Humma and ‘Bole Chudiyan’ (with a special shout out for the social distancing at the end – very creative!). Watch the performance below:

If members of the IBC organizing committee happen to read this, song request for next time: “Chaiyya Chaiyya” with those Shah Rukh moves (people who were in school in the 90s will totally get this). Though all dances were incredible, my favorite was the ‘Bole Chudiyan’ performance by Suhani Chapparwal and Mike Sarchet. Another one that I esp. liked was the dance by Bhangra Groupwerk 2020. Overall, I have to say, “Kellogg’s Got Talent”! You can watch the full video here.

Virtual Events Fostering Camaraderie

I’ve been receiving several inquiries from students worried about the social aspect of the MBA experience as a result of the pandemic. I have to say that the organizing team of Kellogg’s Bollywood Bash has shown incredible resilience in planning such a high quality production within what I assume is a short span of time. Having organized the AIGAC Conference 2020 virtually last week, as a pivot resulting from the pandemic, I can appreciate the organizing committee’s efforts all the more. I think this is a great service to current students, admitted students and prospective applicants who can get a sense for how MBA events can still be engaging and fun. Kudos IBC and Bollywood Bash Digital Dhamaka organizing teams!

Update: the previous version of the article inaccurately stated the emcee’s name as Akshay Kapoor instead of Akash Kapoor. Also, from the previous version, it was unclear that the dean’s statement was made in jest. We have edited the article to reflect these changes. Thank you to the organizers for bringing this to our attention.