In August this year, one of Subhash Ghai’s iconic films, Pardes, clocked in 25 years. The movie that was Mahima Chaudhry’s launch vehicle, had a story layered with themes and emotions that continue to find a connection with the viewers. While chatting with Bombay Times, Subhash Ghai, who was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award at the recently held Filmfare Awards, recalled the time when he made a visible change to his style of storytelling and chose to make Pardes, despite several hurdles in his way.

Ghai says, “The greatest hurdle in making the film was the casting. We had a lot of discussions about whether we should cast a known name who had that star value, or find someone who suits the part to the T. I had Shah Rukh Khan in mind for Arjun’s character. I had developed it keeping him in mind, and I insisted on casting him. He was just setting foot in the industry at that time, and I got him on board immediately. He was perfect for the role. My script did not allow me to cast a star for Kusum Ganga’s and Rajiv’s characters (eventually played by Mahima and Apoorva Agnihotri). I only wanted to cast actors who could fit the bill. The distributors wanted me to cast bigger names and create a bigger project because our previous film Trimurti had not worked at the box office. I declined. I said, ‘I am making a film, not a project. I want to be sincere with what I want to say.’ Finally, when they saw Pardes, they were convinced. The rest is history! The film celebrated a golden jubilee run all over India, and Mahima won awards.”

“I got some awards for the screenplay, too,” reminisces Ghai, adding, “Today, if you asked me, I would not remake my own films. I would leave that for others to do. I would prefer creating a fresh story in my own style.”

Today, narrating stories with strong women protagonists is quite the trend, and is finding great appeal with the audience. ‘Women-oriented cinema’ is a term that has been attached to films where women play pivotal roles. Years ago, Ghai made a string of films featuring strong female characters. Rakhee as the mother in Ram Lakhan, Madhuri Dixit as the policewoman in Khalnayak or Mahima Chaudhry as Kusum Ganga in Pardes — the women in his films were strong and layered. Bring this up and he says, 

“No man can ever succeed in life without the blessings of his mother. She is a woman, the creator and the nurturer of the family. So, in every story that I have narrated, I’ve depicted women at the power centre or as the power herself. Khalnayak was the last crime drama I made, after which I made three films centred around women characters — Pardes, Taal and Yaadein. The women were my heroes in these films. As a storyteller, I believe that a woman as a personality has more dimensions than a man.”

The definition of commercial cinema has changed a great deal in the last two years alone. Back in the day, when Ghai was making films back-to-back with the biggest stars, the audience’s content palette was different, and even then, there were filmmakers who had their own voices. He explains, “I’ve always thought differently from other filmmakers. I have my own style of storytelling. In fact, people tell me that I’ve made commercial films like Karz and Meri Jung, which have been ahead of their times. I have always believed in making a commercial movie the way I envision it and not as per market trends. A good filmmaker should create a market through his films. It should not be the other way around.”

Elaborating on how commerce has begun to dictate cinema as an art form, Ghai says, “Today, commerce has taken over the arts. Studios are the decision makers and they take charge of the creative aspects. They get involved in the making of a film as they are the investors. Distributors heavily depend on star-led projects. So, a lot of power goes to the stars who approve of the stories, scripts and various departments, which actually belong to no one except the directors. That is why I have held off on making any film as of now, though have developed a few exciting scripts. Maybe, I’ll make them when the time is right. The big screen always demands a great canvas of sound, cinematography, locations and larger-than-life characters. Today, visuals have taken over the soul of a story. Visuals have invaded everything, so what we need to do is to bring the soul back into a film and story. Yes, there are good films being made, but a lot of films don’t have a soul. The films from the South have substance, characterization and a huge emotional canvas which leads to drama. They’re not led by visuals alone. A grand visual canvas has no meaning if there is no drama and emotion in a story.”

When asked about making a movie, which Ghai hasn’t made since Kaanchi was released seven-eight years ago, he says, “I am holding off on making my kind of movies because to make those, you need a budget. The studios will finance a film when it has a star cast and stars work in their own time. I have to wait for them to like my script. By the time they show interest in my script, I have moved on to the next screenplay. I will make a big canvas film of my kind with an apt actress. Stars or no stars, I will make the film the way I want to, where content is paramount. Of course, it is challenging to make a film which finds a space in the hearts of the younger and evolved audience but thanks to my film school, I’m in touch with the youth. I know what they’re thinking and consuming. As a filmmaker, one has to evolve. Don’t expect me to make Kalicharan again. I will make something that resonates with today’s youth’s values and thoughts.”