Subhash Ghai

Last updated

Subhash Ghai
Subhash Ghai 2007 - still 27030.jpg
Ghai in 2007
Born (1945-01-24) 24 January 1945 (age 79)
Alma mater Film and Television Institute of India
Occupations
  • Director
  • producer
  • screenwriter
  • actor
  • lyricist
  • music director
Years active1967present
Spouse
Mukta Ghai
(m. 1970)
Children2
Website muktaarts.com

Subhash Ghai (born 24 January 1945) is an Indian film director, producer, actor, lyricist, music director and screenwriter, known for his works predominantly in Hindi cinema. He was one of the most prominent and successful filmmakers of Hindi cinema throughout 80s and 90s. [2] His most notable works include Kalicharan (1976), Vishwanath (1978), Karz (1980), Hero (1983), Vidhaata (1982), Meri Jung (1985), Karma (1986), Ram Lakhan (1989), Saudagar (1991), Khalnayak (1993), Pardes (1997) and Taal (1999). [3]

Contents

In 1982, he started Mukta Arts Private Limited which, in 2000, became a public company, with Subhash Ghai as its executive chairman. In 2006, he received the National Film Award for Best Film on Other Social Issues for producing the social problem film Iqbal. The same year he founded the Whistling Woods International film and media institution in Mumbai. [4] In 2015, he received the IIFA Award for Outstanding Contribution to Indian Cinema. [5] His films are known for their iconic characters, grand and epic sets and climaxes, and themes of divine justice or duty. The vast majority of his movies are considered iconic or classics by most Indians, leading to their immense popularity on Television and YouTube.

Early life

Born in Nagpur, India, Subhash Ghai's father was a dentist in Delhi. Ghai graduated in commerce from Rohtak, Haryana, and then went to pursue graduation in Cinema from the Film and Television Institute of India, Pune. [6]

Career

In an interview with Rajya Sabha TV, Ghai recounted that after graduated from FTII, he came to Bombay, but was not allowed to enter any studio as he was unknown. He then read self help books like Dale Carnegie's How to Win friends and influence people, and used techniques given in it to help him try and enter the film industry. At the same time, he learnt of and entered a United Producers Filmfare talent contest. Of the 5,000 participants, three people were selected in it, he, Rajesh Khanna and Dheeraj Kumar. While Khanna received a role soon after, Ghai received a role a year later.[ citation needed ]

Ghai started his career in Hindi cinema as an actor with small roles in films including Taqdeer (1967) and Aradhana (1969). He was the male lead in the 1970s Umang and Gumraah. [1] His directorial debut was the action thriller Kalicharan (1976) which he obtained through a recommendation by Shatrughan Sinha.

In the 1980s and 1990s, he formed a successful collaboration with Dilip Kumar whom he directed in Vidhaata (1982), Karma (1986) and Saudagar (1991), the latter for which he won his first and only Filmfare Award for Best Director.[ citation needed ] He introduced Jackie Shroff as a leading actor in the action romance Hero (1983) and helped establish Anil Kapoor's rising career with the legal drama Meri Jung (1985). He went on to frequently work with Shroff and Kapoor, casting them together in the films Karma (1986), Ram Lakhan (1989) and Trimurti (1995), the latter which he had produced and it was directed by Mukul S. Anand. His action crime film Khalnayak starring Sanjay Dutt, Madhuri Dixit and Shroff featured the hit songs "Nayak Nahin Khalnayak Hu Main" and the controversial "Choli Ke Peeche Kya Hai".

In 1997, he directed the musical romance Pardes which starred Shahrukh Khan and newcomers Mahima Chaudhry and Apoorva Agnihotri. In 1999, he directed the musical romantic drama Taal which starred Aishwarya Rai, Akshaye Khanna and Anil Kapoor. Both Pardes and Taal were released internationally. His following films were Yaadein (2001) and Kisna (2005). He then took a break from directing and turned producer with films including Aitraaz (2004), Iqbal (2005), 36 China Town (2006) and Apna Sapna Money Money (2006). In 2006, he set up his own film institute Whistling Woods International in Mumbai. [7] The institute trains students in filmmaking: production, direction, cinematography, acting, animation. Ghai has done brief cameos in his directorial ventures.

After a three-year hiatus from directing, he returned in 2008 with Black & White released on 7 March 2008 and, later Yuvvraaj released in November 2008 with collaboration Yash Singhaniya (award-winning journalist and writer). which did not perform well at the box office.[ citation needed ] A. R. Rahman stated in an interview that Ghai had asked him to use the words "Jai Ho" in a song. [8] Although intended for Yuvraaj, the song resulted in Jai Ho!, featured in Slumdog Millionaire (2008) and won the Academy Award for Best Original Song at the 81st Academy Awards.

At the Cannes International Film Festival in May 2018, Ghai announced that he is co-producing a biopic on Osho Rajneesh along with an Italian production house. The movie would be directed by Lakshen Sucameli. [9] [10] [11]

He is considered as one of the greatest director Indian cinema has ever seen. As of 2016, he has written and directed a total of 16 movies.

Advisor

Currently, he is also on the Board of Advisors of India's International Movement to Unite Nations (I.I.M.U.N.). [12]

Awards

YearAwardCategoryFilm
1992 Filmfare Awards Best Director Saudagar
1998Best Screenplay Pardes
2022Lifetime Achievement Award
2006 National Awards Best Film on Other Social Issues Iqbal
2015 IIFA Awards Lifetime Achievement Award
Business World Pioneering contribution in the field of Cinema Exhibition
2017 Screen Awards Lifetime Achievement Award
Amar Ujala Lifetime Excellence
2018Economic Times-EdgeIconic Brand of Indian Cinema
20191st Diorama International Film Festival & MarketLifetime Achievement Award
2022The FilmFare AwardLifetime Achievement Award

Filmography

YearFilmRole
1969 Aradhana Flight Lieutenant Prakash
1970UmangSupporting actor
1973SherniActor (Punjabi film)
1975NaatakActor (Negative role)
1976 Kalicharan Writer, Director
1978 Vishwanath Writer, Director
1979 Gautam Govinda Writer, Director
1980 Karz Writer, Director & Producer
1981 Krodhi Writer, Director
1982 Vidhaata Writer, Director
1983 Hero Writer, Director & Producer
1985 Meri Jung Writer & Director
1986 Karma Writer, Director & Producer
1989 Ram Lakhan Writer, Director & Producer
1991 Saudagar Writer, Director & Producer
1993 Khalnayak Writer, Director & Producer
1995 Trimurti Producer
1997 Pardes Director & Producer
1999 Taal Writer, Director & Producer
2001 Yaadein Writer, Director & Producer
Rahul Producer
2003 Ek Aur Ek Gyarah Producer
Joggers' Park Producer
2004 Aitraaz Producer
2005 Kisna: The Warrior Poet Writer, Director & Producer
Iqbal Producer
2006 36 China Town Producer
Shaadi Se Pehle Executive Producer
Apna Sapna Money Money Producer
2007 Good Boy, Bad Boy Producer
2008 Black & White Writer, Director & Producer
Yuvvraaj Writer, Director & Producer
2009 Paying Guests Producer
2010 Right Yaa Wrong Producer
2011 Love Express Producer
Cycle Kick Producer
Naukadubi (Bengali)Producer
Kashmakash Producer
2013 Samhita (film) Producer
2014 Double Di Trouble Producer
Kaanchi: The Unbreakable Writer, Director & Producer
Nimbehuli Producer, Kannada Film [13]
2015 Hero Producer
2022 36 Farmhouse Producer, writer

Personal life

In 1970, Ghai married a woman from Pune named Rehana, later known as Mukta. Today, he lives in Mumbai with his wife, Mukta Ghai and daughters, Meghna Ghai Puri and Muskaan Ghai. Meghna Ghai Puri is the President of Whistling Woods International Institute. [14]

Controversies

In 2018, Subhash Ghai was accused of sexual assault by an anonymous woman. The victim, who used to be an assistant of Subash Ghai alleged that he raped her at Fariyas hotel, Lonavala after spiking her drinks with drugs. No Criminal case or FIR was registered in this matter while Ghai denied it strongly, calling it false. [15] [16] [17]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amrish Puri</span> Indian actor (1932–2005)

Amrish Puri was an Indian actor, who was one of the most notable and important figures in Indian cinema and theatre. He acted in more than 450 films, established himself as one of the most popular and iconic actors in Indian cinema. Puri is remembered for playing various roles in variety of film genres, specially iconic villainous roles in Hindi cinema, as well as international cinema. He reigned supreme in villainous roles in the 1980s and 1990s, his dominating screen presence and distinctive deep voice made him stand out amongst the other villains of the day. Puri was active in both art cinema such as in some of Shyam Benegal and Govind Nihalani's films as well as in mainstream cinema. Puri won three Filmfare Awards for Best Supporting Actor in eight nominations. He also holds most Filmfare Award for Best Villain nominations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shammi Kapoor</span> Indian actor (1931–2011)

Shammi Kapoor (born Shamsher Raj Kapoor; was an Indian actor known for his work in Hindi cinema. Kapoor is considered as one of the greatest and most successful actors in the history of Indian cinema. In a career spanning over five decades, Kapoor worked in over 100 films. He is the recipient of three Filmfare Awards, including one for Best Actor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jackie Shroff</span> Indian film actor

Jaikishan Kakubhai Shroff, known by his screen name Jackie Shroff, is an Indian actor and former model from Mumbai, Maharashtra; who primarily works in Hindi film industry. In a career spanning over four decades, he has appeared in over 220 films in 13 languages. He has received several accolades including four Filmfare Awards. Shroff established himself as one of the leading actors of Indian cinema of the 1980s and the 1990s.

<i>Taal</i> (film) 1999 film by Subhash Ghai

Taal (transl.Rhythm) is a 1999 Indian Hindi language musical romantic drama film co written, edited, produced and directed by Subhash Ghai. The film stars Aishwarya Rai, Akshaye Khanna and Anil Kapoor in lead roles, while Amrish Puri and Alok Nath feature in supporting roles. It was also dubbed in Tamil as Thaalam. Taal was premiered at the Chicago International Film Festival, the "official selection" at the 2005 Ebertfest: Roger Ebert's Film Festival, and retrospectively at the 45th IFFI in the Celebrating Dance in Indian cinema section.

<i>Pardes</i> (1997 film) 1997 Indian film

Pardes is a 1997 Indian Hindi-language romantic drama musical film directed, produced, and co-written by Subhash Ghai. Distributed by Mukta Arts, it stars Shah Rukh Khan, and newcomers Mahima Chaudhry and Apurva Agnihotri in lead roles, with Alok Nath, Amrish Puri and Himani Shivpuri in supporting roles. The film was shot at various locations in the United States, Canada and India.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vinod Khanna</span> Indian film actor, director and politician (1946-2017)

Vinod Khanna was an Indian actor, film producer and politician who is best known for his work in Hindi films; while also being a notable spiritual seeker. In Bollywood, he was the recipient of two Filmfare awards. Khanna was one of the highest-paid stars of his times, along with Amitabh Bachchan and Rajesh Khanna. He was the only superstar who could compete with Amitabh Bachchan's box office run in late 1970s to early 1980s before taking break from films. Khanna was considered the style icon & fashion icon, often referred as 'Sexy Sanyasi' in media. After joining politics, he became the MP from the Gurdaspur constituency between 1998–2009 and 2014–2017. In July 2002, Khanna became the minister for Culture and Tourism in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee cabinet. Six months later, he became the Minister of State for External Affairs.

<i>Khal Nayak</i> 1993 film by Subhash Ghai

Khal Nayak (transl. Villain) is a 1993 Indian Hindi-language action crime film written, directed and produced by Subhash Ghai under Mukta Arts Ltd. The film stars Sanjay Dutt, Madhuri Dixit and Jackie Shroff. The plot focuses on the escape and attempted capture of criminal Ballu (Dutt) by sub-Inspector Ram (Shroff) and his cop girlfriend Ganga (Dixit).

<i>Karma</i> (1986 film) 1986 Indian film

Karma (Hindi:कर्मा) is a 1986 Indian Hindi-language action thriller film directed by Subhash Ghai and featuring an ensemble cast including Dilip Kumar, Nutan, Jackie Shroff, Anil Kapoor, Naseeruddin Shah, Sridevi, Poonam Dhillon, Satyanarayana Kaikala and Anupam Kher. The film reunites Subhash Ghai and Dilip Kumar after the success of their last film together Vidhaata (1982). The film also marked the first time Dilip Kumar was paired with veteran actress Nutan. It was the top grossing Indian film of 1986 and the eleventh highest-grossing Bollywood film of the decade.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reena Roy</span> Indian actress

Reena Roy, is an Indian actress. She made her film debut as a teenager with B R Ishara's Zaroorat (1972), but gained wider public recognition with Jaise Ko Taisa (1973) and the romance-action film Zakhmee (1975). In 1976, Roy entered the top league after starring in two of the biggest box-office hits, the action thriller Kalicharan and the horror film Nagin. She repeated the feat in 1978 with Vishwanath and Aasha.

<i>Saudagar</i> (1991 film) 1991 Indian Hindi drama film

Saudagar is a 1991 Indian Hindi-language drama film, directed by Subhash Ghai. It starred two legends of the Hindi silver screen, Dilip Kumar and Raaj Kumar, in lead roles. It was the second film in which the two actors came together after the 1959 film Paigham. It featured the debut performances of Vivek Mushran and Manisha Koirala, the latter becoming a noted Bollywood actress in later years. Amrish Puri, Anupam Kher, Mukesh Khanna, Dalip Tahil, Gulshan Grover, Dina Pathak and Jackie Shroff are also featured in the movie. The story line is influenced by the famous play Romeo and Juliet and Mandhaari's role is parallel to that of Friar Laurence in Romeo and Juliet.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sachin Bhowmick</span> Film screenwriter and director (1930–2011)

Sachin Bhowmick was an Indian Hindi film writer and director. Writing was his main work and he wrote stories or screenplays for over 94 films. He is best remembered for directing the light romantic black comedy classic Raja Rani (1973). He was also a regular contributor to Ultorath, a Bengali magazine on cinema. Due to the Bengali pronunciation of his surname Bhaumick we will find his surname spelled as Bhowmick in numerous sites.

<i>Kalicharan</i> 1976 Indian film

Kalicharan is a 1976 Indian Hindi-language action thriller film directed by Subhash Ghai, starring Shatrughan Sinha, Reena Roy, Premnath, Ajit, Madan Puri and Danny Denzongpa. The film became a box office hit. The film was the directorial debut of Subhash Ghai and was the breakthrough role for stars Shatrughan Sinha and Reena Roy. It was later remade into the Telugu film Khaidi Kalidasu (1977), the Kannada film Kaalinga (1980), the Tamil film Sangili (1982) and the Malayalam film Pathamudayam (1985).

<i>Hero</i> (1983 film) 1983 Indian film

Hero is a 1983 Indian Hindi-language romantic action film directed by Subhash Ghai. Starring Jackie Shroff and Meenakshi Sheshadri, it marked Shroff's debut in a lead role. Its music directors were Laxmikant–Pyarelal. Upon release, it became a blockbuster at the box office and established Shroff as a leading Bollywood actor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mukta Arts</span> Indian film production company

Mukta Arts Limited is an Indian film production company, headquartered in Mumbai. Established in 1978, the company is involved in the production, distribution, exhibition and education in cinema and creative arts and production of digital software in television serials, web series and documentaries. It is the first Hindi film production company that listed on the stock exchange. Mukta Arts Limited has produced and co-produced 42 films in Hindi and other languages till date. It has distributed over 400 movies under the brand name Mukta movies distributors. In 2012 it entered into exhibition sector and launched its own chain of multiplex theatres under the name Mukta A2 Cinemas, now present at 18 locations in India including one in Bahrain with 54 screens.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Waman Bhonsle</span> Indian film editor (1932–2021)

Waman P. Bhonsle was an Indian film editor, who worked in Hindi cinema from 1960s to 1990s.

<i>Kaanchi</i> (2014 film) 2014 Indian film by Subhash Ghai

Kaanchi: The Unbreakable is a 2014 Indian Hindi-language romance film produced and directed by Subhash Ghai, starring newcomer actress Mishti and Kartik Aaryan supported by veteran actors Rishi Kapoor and Mithun Chakraborty.

Sudhendu Roy (1921–1999) was a noted Indian film director, art director and production designer in Hindi cinema, most known for his realistic art direction in auteur Bimal Roy's films, like Sujata (1959), Madhumati (1959) and Bandini (1963), and glitzy work in films Subhash Ghai's Karz (1980) and Karma (1986) to Yash Chopra's Silsila (1981), Chandni (1989) and Lamhe (1991). He won the Filmfare Award for Best Art Direction thrice for, Madhumati (1959), Mere Mehboob (1964) and Sagina (1975).

Jainendra Jain was a Bollywood film writer, director and film producer based in Mumbai, India.

<i>Rebellious Flower</i> 2016 Indian film

Rebellious Flower is a 2016 Hindi-language biographical film directed by Krishan Hooda. The directorial debut written and produced by Jagdish Bharti is based on the early years of Rajneesh Osho. The film won Special Mention Jury Award at 12th Salento International Film Festival, Italy. This is the first biopic on the early life of Osho Rajneesh and it is supported by the Osho Foundation. The film was released on 15 January 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jackie Shroff filmography</span> List of films of Indian actor Jackie Shroff

Jackie Shroff is an Indian actor. He has been working in the Hindi films for almost four decades and till now has appeared in more than 250 films in thirteen languages. He has won four Filmfare Awards among other accolades. He has also appeared in several successful short films.

References

  1. 1 2 "Profile – Mukta Arts". Mukta Arts. 14 February 2008. Archived from the original on 14 February 2008..
  2. "Subhash Ghai delivers 24th film as a silver jubilee hit; '36 Farmhouse' continues to break records on OTT". The Times of India . 17 July 2022.
  3. "53rd National Film Awards" (PDF). Directorate of Film Festivals . Retrieved 19 March 2012.
  4. "Directorate of Film Festival". Archived from the original on 15 August 2016.
  5. "Showman Subhash Ghai to receive IIFA Lifetime Achievement award 2015". 28 May 2015.
  6. "Mukta Arts >> Board of Directors". Mukta Arts. Archived from the original on 13 April 2015. Retrieved 6 April 2015.
  7. Subhash Ghai unveils dream project IndiaFM, Monday, 27 March 2006.
  8. “Subhash Ghai is the one who asked me...”, The Times of India , 24 February 2009.
  9. "After Wild Wild Country, Subhash Ghai announces a film on Osho". Hindustan Times. 16 May 2018. Retrieved 5 May 2019.
  10. "Subhash Ghai's biopic on Osho would be different from Wild Wild Country, asserts filmmaker | Bollywood News". www.timesnownews.com. 6 June 2018. Retrieved 5 May 2019.
  11. "Subhash Ghai to produce international biopic on Osho Rajneesh". The Times of India. 17 May 2018. Retrieved 5 May 2019.
  12. "I.I.M.U.N. || Board of Advisors". new.iimun.in. Retrieved 17 July 2021.
  13. "Subhash Ghai's Kannada film". Rediff. 11 October 2011. Retrieved 16 June 2020.
  14. "Board of Directors".
  15. "Filmmaker Subhash Ghai accused of drugging, raping woman". Hindustan Times. 11 October 2018. Retrieved 2 December 2022.
  16. "Subhash Ghai drugged and raped me: Woman recounts horrific experience". India Today. 11 October 2018. Retrieved 16 December 2022.
  17. "Deeply pained by allegations says Subhash Ghai". NDTV.