Aahana Swrup
‘Made in India: A Titan Story’ centers on the narrative of Xerxes Desai, the founder of the titular Indian watchmaking company. Yet, the series, based on true historical events, also maintains a vested focus on the surrounding cast of characters, who form the foundation of Titan’s early days and its eventual success. Among these characters, Megha Mhatre is one of the most prominent contributors. She’s the first employee hired by Xerxes and Akash when they had just begun pitching the Tata Group with the idea initially known as the Tata Watch Project. Over time, as the project evolves into Titan, a Tata-backed company s[ecializing in world-class watches, Megha’s role as head of marketing continues to shape its promising future. Given the real-life basis of the series, Megha’s character becomes an intriguing addition, particularly in terms of her potential off-screen connections.
Vibha Paul Rishi Seems to Have Been an Inspiration For Megha Mhatre
In ‘Made in India: A Titan Story,’ Megha Mhatre is introduced as one of the first executives Xerxes Desai assembles during the inception of Titan in the 1980s. She is hired as the Head of Marketing and serves a pivotal role in championing the project’s progression from an idea into a legitimate business. In real life, Vibha Paul Rishi occupied a similar space in the group of foundational executives behind Titan. After a Master’s degree in Business Administration with a specialization in Marketing, Rishi’s career began at the Tata Administrative Service. Therefore, she was one of the first members to become involved with Tata Group’s foray into the watchmaking industry through the venture that eventually came to be known as Titan.
Rishi worked alongside Desai and his team of experts, cementing her identity as one of the founding members of the company. However, it’s worth noting that many of the defining storylines that are a part of Megha’s narrative seem to be complete works of fiction. For instance, the on-screen marketing executive struggles with her mother’s constant pressure for an arranged marriage. Eventually, this problem is solved by an organic romance that blooms in the workplace between Megha and Guarav. In real life, there’s nothing that suggests Rishi faced similar challenges or underwent such experiences during her tenure at Titan.
Likewise, no records suggest that Rishi was ever involved with another co-worker at the Tata Group, especially Bhaskar Bhat, the real-life inspiration behind Gaurav’s character. Thus, it’s evident that Megha’s storyline, exploring the pressures of marriage on young women, is a product of creative liberty employed in the service of the narrative. Through this largely fictionalized storyline, the series brings up relevant conversations around the way even the more progressive parts of society perceived marriage to be the most important thing for women, even surpassing their professional achievements. This thematic nuance adds another layer of realism to Megha’s character while also detaching her from the reality of Rishi’s legacy.
Vibha Paul Rishi Worked in a Number of Executive Roles For Multiple Companies Including PepsiCo
After Vibha Paul Rishi’s departure from Titan sometime in the 1990s, Vibha Paul Rishi became associated with PepsiCo. Her connection with the brand started in 1989, when the company was partnering with Tata Group’s Voltas during its first three years in the country. Afterward, she decided to part ways with Titan and stay with PepsiCo. In fact, she was one of the founding members of the food and beverage corporation’s establishment of operations in the Indian market. After joining, she continued to rise through the ranks until eventually securing a position as the Head of Marketing.
Under her leadership at PepsiCo, Rishi spearheaded some of the most influential marketing and advertising campaigns for the brand. She can be credited with the “Nothing Official” campaign that ran during the 1996 cricket World Cup. During her time with Pepsico, she moved to the United States and became a part of the company’s international marketing team. Shortly afterward, she earned an innovation leadership role in London.
However, eventually, in 2006, this professional collaboration came to an end, and the executive ended her tenure at PepsiCo after 17 years. Afterward, Rishi went on to take executive roles in companies like Future Group and Max India. Currently, she continues to remain a Non-Executive Independent Director of Cummins India Limited. Moreover, she is also the Independent Director at ICICI Bank Limited. Other ventures where she holds a directorial position include Pratham Education Foundation, ICICI Prudential Life Insurance Company Limited, and Piramal Pharma Limited. In her personal life, Rishi enjoys the company of her family, husband Sanjay Rishi, and two children, Varun and Sanjana. In 2022, the marketing executive also became a grandmother.
Read More: Is Gaurav Dhar Based on a Titan’s Real Head Engineer? Where is He Now?
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