Subhash Ghai: Attitude, talent, efficiency & loyalty can get you hired in the industry

Shiksha.com has started a series called – Take 5, in which we put forth five questions to industry stalwarts. This series is initiated by us with an aim to help candidates understand what the industry values when they hire people.

Popularly known as Bollywood's master of melodrama, Subhash Ghai is one of the most celebrated and grandiose directors in the Indian Film Fraternity. Known for his grand films, he is not only a director but a producer and screenwriter too.

Interestingly, Ghai kicked off his in Bollywood as an actor with small roles in films like Taqdeer (1967) and Aradhana (1971). He was also seen in lead roles in movies like  Umang and Gumraah. Till date, Ghai has written and directed over 16 movies.

Taking a break from movies and directing, in the year 2006, he launched his own film institute Whistling Woods International in Mumbai. The institute trains students in filmmaking: production, direction, cinematography, acting, animation.

In this article on Take 5, Shiksha.com got talking to Subhash Ghai who promptly agreed to offer guidance to aspirants seeking to enter the field of film-making:

Question: What are the skills one needs to join the industry as a film-maker?

Subhash Ghai: Handling people, knowing people, experiencing people, developing aesthetics, photography and music, and art of storytelling are few of the key skills one requires as a film-maker

Question: Based on what criteria does this industry hire people?

Subhash Ghai: Attitude, talent, efficiency, loyalty are some of the main criterion basis which the industry hires people.

Question: Which are the top institutes - both in India and Abroad - that students should consider for their studies/training before joining this field?

Subhash Ghai: Some of the top institutes are:

• Whistling Woods International (twice Ranked among top ten film schools in the world by Hollywood Reporter and Asia’s largest media and entertainment)
• University of Television and Film, Munich
• FTII

Question: Things you wish you knew about being a film-maker and the industry as a student?

Subhash Ghai: I wasn’t aware of the politics and cut-throat competition prevalent in the industry when I was a student and that’s what I wish I knew when I was a student.

Question: Tell us about the career progression and what kind of packages students can expect in this industry.

Subhash Ghai: You may start with minimum but the speediest way to rise in your career, even monetarily is to follow the following:

• Qualification from a respected institute
• Grabbing Opportunities to perform
• Sharing knowledge with seniors
• Active participation in projects and companies
• Personal smartness and communication skills 

What are the courses offered by WWI and what makes them different from the existing ones in the industry?

The overriding element in our teaching is ensuring that students understand that film & media is a combination of art, technology and commerce. None of these are more important than the other and neither can be ignored. While their relative importance at various stages of the process are varied, eventually all of them have to be studied, learnt & understood.

Further, we teach that every artist has to be a technician and every technician has to be an artist as well.

Another unique element in the teaching methods is the weekly Film Forum session where a newly-released film is screened for the students. The following day the filmmaker, along with the crew take the students through the journey of the film. Over the past 8 years more than 200 filmmakers have shared their experiences with the students. This enables students to understand the reality of the industry.

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