Q. FOUR DECADES IN FILMMAKING AND YOUR PASSION REMAINS UNABATED…
Ans. There’s hunger in me. We live in such a huge universe. There are billions of subjects and ideas. I’m a curious guy and see a story in everything. Stories keep me alive. Whether I succeed or fail depends on how I tell that story. Box-office failure is different from cinematic failure. I’ve never failed in the academics of filmmaking. Kisna and Yuvraaj didn’t work but they adhered to higher standards than some blockbusters.
Q. MADHURI DIXIT, MANISHA KOIRALA, MAHIMA CHOUDHARY AND NOW MISHTI… ALL YOUR HEROINES HAVE CREATED A BUZZ…
Ans. I look for two things in a girl. She should be innocent and a seductress in equal measure. I call it ‘the innocence of the seductress’. Innocent itni ho ki usay main apni bahu bona loon our seductress aisi ho ki apni mashooqa bona loon. If these two qualities are not present, then she’s just a cabaret dancer or an item girl. Most heroines today are item girls. Innocence is lost. My heroines had both these qualities… from Tina Munim to Mahima Choudhary.
Q. IS IT DIFFICULT CONNECTING WITH THE NEW GENERATION?
Ans. Cinema is a reflection of society. When I came in the ’70s, I was influenced by Guru Dutt and Bimal Roy. There was philosophy and poetry in their films. Then I was competing with the cinema led by Prakash Mehra and Amitabh Bachchan. I made Karz and stood out with the musical. Then came the generation of Karan Johar, Aditya Chopra and Sooraj Barjatiya. They’d tell me that I was a textbook for them. That was a huge compliment. Anurag Kashyap symbolises the new generation. A generation, which thinks freely and speaks boldly. I love it. I’m envious because we couldn’t do all these things earlier. Earlier cinema had theatrical direction arid drawing room language. Karan’s films brought out bedroom language and now the new generation of directors has brought out the bathroom language. Every actor is on the pot. The bathroom is a reality. It’s the naked truth. Hamara generation was about lihaaz! I loved Udaan, Dev D and Gangs of Wasseypur. But I can’t make those films. I belong to a retro world. But I can weave the modern language in my storytelling. None of my heroines have abused but in Kaanchi, Mishti’s opening dialogue is bh”&°/.@#d.
Q. IN AN AGE OF REALISTIC AND PARALLEL CINEMA, DO YOU THINK THE AUDIENCE WILL ACCEPT YOUR LARGER THAN LIFE MOVIES?
Ans. All kind of movies have their audience and hence they do business. Every director has his own painting which people easily accept. Movies are like dream and stories told emotionally are liked by all.
Q. IS THE PRESSURE IMMENSE FOR A HIT?
Ans. I’d be lying if I say there isn’t. There’s a huge economic pressure. You can become a hero or a zero in one Friday. But I’m used to this pressure for the last 36 years now. I laugh it out. Life’s about taking risks. You’ve got to pick up the bat to score a century.
Q. HOW DO YOU KEEP YOURSELF IN SYNC WITH THE TIMES?
Ans. I have a huge passion for cinema. I opened a film school (Whistling Wood International). I’m interacting with young students all the time. I’m not a master. I’m a student of cinema. A student hero. I learned from Queen, Chennai Express, Dhoom 3 and Udaan. All four films are my teachers.
Q. EARLIER THE TITLE OF SHOWMAN WAS BESTOWED ON YOU…
Ans. I’m an enlightened man today. I’ve been a follower of Osho Rajneesh. I’m aware that people’s judgment fluctuates with success and failure. Even when they were calling me the ‘Showman’, I wasn’t affected. Have my posters ever read ‘Showman Subhash Ghai’? Wealth doesn’t attract me. I live in the same three-bedroom flat, which I bought during Hero. My office cabin is bigger than my bedroom. What makes me proud are my films, my songs. Longevity is what I seek. I’m a hero. And a hero can’t exist without crisis.
Q. DO YOU STILL CONSIDER YOURSELF A SHOWMAN?
Ans. Showman is a title that has been gifted to me by media and I happily accept it. However with the kind of versatility in youngsters tally, I see a showman in all in everyone today. I like being called a storyteller than a showman.
Q. OF THE LOT YOU DIRECTED. WHICH MOVIE WOULD YOU CONSIDER AS YOUR FAVOURITE?
Ans. Karz and Taal have remained my favourites for keep. Both these movies are like musical journeys.
Q. ONE MOVIE YOU WISH YOU HAD NOT MADE
Ans. It has got Trimurti. Though the movie had excellent music, the story was not up to the mark.
Q. IF GIVEN A CHANCE TO ACT, WHICH DIRECTOR’S WORK WOULD YOU CHOSE TO BE DIRECTED BY?
Ans. I think it is Tigmanshu Dhulia
Q. OF ALL THE ACTORS YOU’VE WORKED WITH, WHO HAS REMAINED CLOSE TO YOU?
Ans. I’m the closest to Dilip Kumar. I’ve worked with him in three films (Vidhata, Saudagar and Karma). I learnt so much from him that it changed my personality, my views towards life and work. It’s unfortunate that I can’t talk to Dilip saab often because of his illness. Other than him, Anil Kapoor and Jackie Shroff are two people I’m close to. We meet over drinks. Sometimes, I meet Salman (Khan) and Shah Rukh (Khan) too.
Q. WHAT ROLE HAS YOUR FAMILY PLAYED IN YOUR CAREER?
Ans. A director’s life is fraught with risks. Success and failure are a constant. My wife (Rehana) and daughters (Meghna and Muskaan) are my biggest assets. My wife didn’t take my success seriously. So my failure didn’t affect her either. One thing we didn’t adopt was the showmanship in your lives. We believe in simple living. Rehana doesn’t think of collections and money. She’s popular amongst the industry and is loved by all. I’m lucky to have her. My elder daughter Meghna is a strong girl too. She was never interested in movies. She’s done her MBA. I’m proud of her.
Q. TELL US SOMETHING ABOUT WHISTLING WOODS?
Ans. I invested whatever I earned into Whistling Woods. The idea behind the school was to make youngsters understand international sensibility in movie making and produce movie of international standard.
Mukta Arts 