A star exit: Why is there an element of surprise in Uday Shankar departure?

Shankar was 46 when he took over as CEO of Star India, then a Rs 1,600-crore floundering broadcaster. Disney Star is now a Rs 18,000-crore powerhouse and India's largest media firm

Thirteen years is a long time, so there shouldn’t be any surprise that Uday Shankar, 59, will step down as the Asia Pacific president of the $69.5-billion The Walt Disney Company, and chairman, Star and Disney India. 

Shankar was 46 when he took over as CEO of Star India, then a Rs 1,600-crore floundering broadcaster. There was much scepticism. How could a former journalist and man who set up Aaj Tak and Star News run an entertainment company? Shankar proved everyone wrong. 

Disney Star is now a Rs 18,000-crore powerhouse, India’s largest media firm with a leading share in broadcasting, one of