Subhash Ghai

Subhash Ghai is an Indian film director, producer and screenwriter, known for his works predominantly in Hindi cinema. His most notable films include Kalicharan (1976), Karz (1980), Hero (1983), Meri Jung (1985), Karma (1986), Ram Lakhan (1989), Saudagar (1991), Khalnayak (1993), Pardes (1997), Taal (1999), and Black & White (2008). 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 producing the social problem film Iqbal.

Ghai started his career in Hindi cinema as an actor with small roles in films including Taqdeer (1967) and Aradhana (1971). He was the male lead in the 1970s Umang, and Gumraah (1976). His directorial debut was the film Kalicharan (1976) which he obtained through a recommendation by Shatrughan Sinha. As of 2016, he has written and directed a total of 16 movies.

In the 1980s and 1990s, he formed a collaboration with Dilip Kumar whom he directed in Vidhaata (1982), Karma (1986) and Saudagar (1991), the latter for which he won the Filmfare Best Director Award. He introduced Jackie Shroff as a leading actor in Hero (1983) and helped establish Anil Kapoor’s rising career with Meri Jung (1985) for which he was nominated for a Filmfare Best Actor Award[citation needed] . He went on to frequently work with Shroff and Anil Kapoor, casting them together in the films Karma (1986), Ram Lakhan (1989) and Trimurti (1995) which he had produced and was directed by Mukul S. Anand. His 1993 release Khalnayak starring Sanjay Dutt, Madhuri Dixit and Shroff featured the songs “nayak nahin khalnayak hu main” and “Choli Ke Peeche Kya Hai”.

After a three-year hiatus from directing, he returned in 2008 with Black and White released on 7 March 2008 and, later Yuvvraaj released in November 2008 which didn’t perform well at the box office. A. R. Rahman stated in an interview that Ghai had asked him to use the words “Jai Ho” in a song.