India, Feb. 23 -- Filmmaker Mohit Suri reflected on creativity, failure and leadership at the All India Management Association's (AIMA) 70th Foundation Day and the 20th National Management Day in Delhi. During his session, the 44-year-old spoke about lessons from cinema that extend beyond film sets. Sharing details of his unconventional journey into filmmaking, Suri said his path from science student to business management graduate and eventually director did not follow a predictable plan: "Each day on set, if you messed up, the cost of producing could change. You learn leadership in chaos." Failure, he emphasised, is essential. "In between the songs you remember, there are many I tried and failed. And without those, I wouldn't have made the ones you love," he said, adding that he feels the weight of expectations even today: "With success comes more fear. You feel more watched, more responsible. Nobody really has the answers; you keep learning." That anxiety returned during his blockbuster directorial Saiyaara (2025), which worked despite breaking conventional formulas. With newcomers and no obvious safety nets, the film's response reminded him to trust instinct. "Sometimes you stop chasing a standing ovation and just try to give an outstanding performance. then art and commerce align." Cinema, for Suri, is inseparable from his own memories. "Music took me back to that moment (I fell in love with my now-wife, actor Udita Goswami). I realised stories always start with a feeling." On set, too, he embraces imperfection. He remembered improvising an emotional scene when a prop went missing, only to later be praised for the shot. "Sometimes when you have limitations, things come out of the box. This is the magic of survival. Those imperfections can't be programmed. Humans don't plan their mistakes, and sometimes that's good." He concluded with blunt, parental advice: "If you're not willing to give 14 hours a day to something you love, you probably don't want it enough."...