In a speech laced with dollops of his long association with Birla, he said: "I cannot claim to be a close friend of Birla. But between me and him there was a warmth. Birla was a complete human being in the sense he had pursued his artistic interests despite being busy building a business empire."

In his opening remarks, Aditya Birla group chairman Kumar Mangalam Birla said: "My father's life, though cut short, was livid with uncommon courage and determination. My father always admired the Tata group for its humane approach." Describing Aditya Birla's life as a celebration of triumph, the maker of the documentary Zafar Hai said that Birla had an umblical cord linked to his heritage that was the guiding force throughout hislife.