When Bollywood’s only PR guru lost his way on a warship

Legendary Bollywood publicist Dale Bhagwagar at a press meet in Mumbai

March 23: Today, Bollywood’s only PR guru Dale Bhagwagar is the most talked-about celebrity publicist in India. The various PR trends he has introduced in the entertainment PR industry have made him legendary.

His Mumbai-based celebrity PR agency Dale Bhagwagar Media Group has handled the media for some 300 names including Hrithik Roshan, Shilpa Shetty, Priyanka Chopra and films like the Shah Rukh Khan-starrer Don and Farhan Akhtar-starrer Rock On!! A Google search in his name brings up thousands of results.

But when Dale was about to begin his career in PR some 25 years ago, he had little idea about which direction the winds of destiny would blow. For his first assignment, he was hired to handle the media for Fling ’97; a grand naval awards event held on the flight deck of India’s most famous warship, the then decommissioned aircraft carrier INS Vikrant.

Where eagles dare!

In a case study article on BollywoodPR.in, the PR expert recently narrated his experience on INS Vikrant for the first time. The most interesting part of the article turned out to be where he reveals the secret of having got lost on the warship.

In the piece titled ‘Where Eagles Dare’, Dale recalls his experience saying that while trying to get back to the flight deck, he took a wrong entrance on the ship. “What followed is something I will never forget. I got lost. Yes, I got lost on INS Vikrant. I was somewhere on the lower deck. Inside the ship. All alone.”

He remarks that the ship was quite well lit from inside. Clean, spick and span. But on that magnificent huge machine, he was still lost. He just couldn’t find his way to reach the decks above.

“Initially I said to myself, ‘Cmon Dale, it’s just a ship. You’ll find your way out.’ But one section and compartment led to another and as I walked further, the more confused I got. I reached a point when I realised that even if I turned back, I wasn’t sure if I’d find my way out,” he explains in the article. How he finally got out makes entertaining reading.

For the record, BollywoodPR.in leads as a premier authoritative website of the Indian entertainment industry. Its articles, news stories, lists, interviews, case studies, trade analysis, top 10s, influencer features and expert opinion pieces strive to be the top best in information as well as journalistic and PR ethics in Bollywood. The site also serves as a guiding light for new-age PR agencies in Mumbai and PR professionals all over India.

Who is Dale Bhagwagar?

Dale Bhagwagar is a leading publicist in India with 35 years of experience in the news media industry — 11 years in journalism, followed by 25 years of expertise in PR. As a journalist, he has written for national publications like The Indian Express, The Asian Age, DNA, Screen, Cine Blitz, Showtime, Moviemag International and the iconic Blitz tabloid, among others.

As a publicist and thought leader, he has been quoted in almost every top media in India. He is also the only Indian publicist who has been quoted in top best international media such as BBC, Sky News (UK), CNN, The New York Times, The Washington Post (US), International Herald Tribune (France), Pravda (Russia) and The Sydney Morning Herald (Australia).

“He is widely recognized as the Indian entertainment PR industry’s most significant agent of change. Creating many trends in the PR profession, he often sets the agenda on how PR evolves in the industry,” writes the industry trade site PR Agencies in Mumbai.

Journalism and PR internships in India

Dale is also the only publicist “who is authorized by all his celebrity clients to double up as their spokesperson in the media,” states another trade site Bollywood Publicity. But what we found most interesting about him is that Dale Bhagwagar is training gen next, offering virtual internships in journalism and PR in India.

The Bollywood Publicity site adds that his Bollywood PR agency conducts virtual internships in content writing for mass media students. It talks about him being the only entertainment publicist in India “who regularly visits various colleges for guest lectures and trains gen next in ethical journalism and best PR practices. His official website lists more than 20 mass media and communication students who have completed their thesis and dissertations with Dale Bhagwagar as their guide.”