AB CHENNAI KE JUNGALO MEIN SUBHASH GHAI KA JAADU CHAL GAYA THA

I knew Subhash Ghai was destined to be someone very special and big when I had first seen him at the Janata Dugdhalaya outside the Natraj Studio where he was shooting as the leading man of Atma Ram's "Umang " which was a film made with most of the artists from the first or second batch from the FTII  - Ali Peter John

The film crushed the desires and dreams of the young actors . Most of them were lost stories after the flopping of the film , but Subhash Ghai was fortunate to find leading roles in several films , but they too fared very badly and the only time Ghai found some recognition was when he played the friend of Rajesh Khanna in "Aradhana' .

By this time , Ghai had realised that he had no bright future as an actor and so took to writing scripts with B B Bhala , another actor turned writer as his co writer and wrote some good and entertaining films .

But , the team split and Ghai decided to find his own way . He was naraating a script to the well-known producer N N Sippy and was going down the steps after he had finished the narration , when Sippy called him back and asked him why he couldn't direct the film because he liked the way Ghai gave him the narration .

Ghai took up the challenge . The result was " Kaalicharan" , his first film as.a director and that was the beginning of a massive saga which continues to this day , when he is known as the showman of the industry and has branched out in several directions and is now also known as an educationist .

His greatest contribution is the mammoth Whistling Woods International , which stands in all its glory in the midst of Film City in Goregaon , with his daughter Megna Ghai Puri running the institute, which is ranked among the ten best acting schools in the world .

The show of the showman continues even after 50 years of outstanding achievements and unending contributions made to the development of cinema .

My belief in Ghai going places was strengthened when he had impressed the doyen of Tamil Cinema ,Dr M G Ramachandran at a Filmfare awards function and had developed a fondness for him .

He was so fond of Ghai that he made a special trip to Bombay to attend the wedding reception of Ghai with Rehana ( now better known as Mukta ) who has been his source of inspiration for the last 51 years and has been a close witness to every small and big step he has taken .

M G R attending his reception was the talk of the industry in Bombay and Chennai and Ghai had become famous before he was famous.

Ghai started his own production house for which he was making its first film , "Karz" with his father in law M M Farooqi and his friend from the FTII , editor Jagjit Khuraana as the
producers .

He had assembled an impressive cast consisting of Rishi Kapoor , Tina Munim , Premnath , Pran , Durga Khote , Simi Garewal and Raj Kiran .

He had the kind of technicians which made a film look big . And he had Anand Bakshi as his lyricist and Laxmikant - Pyarelaal as his composers .

I was a cub reporter in Screen and was usually sent to cover shootings in Film City and around the studios of Bombay .

But , I was destined to be associated with the success story of Subhash Ghai . My editor , Mr S S Pillai who treated me like a son asked me if I would like to go to Ooty to cover the shooting of Ghai's film "Karz".

I didn't react . I thought he was joking like he usually did . I had only heard about a place called Ooty and when he confirmed that I was going to Ooty, I felt like kissing his Hitler like moustache , but I was scared that if did something so childish , he would cancel my trip to Ooty.

I was the junior most reporter in a group of journalists who were traveling to Ooty . It was only the second flight of my life and I was still nervous .

We had to take a flight to Bangalore first and then travel by road, passing through the jungles of Chennai which would take us to Ooty after a four hour drive

We were traveling in a mini bus and were warned not to drink on our way because there was prohibition all over Madras.

But , we were all young , daring ( ?) and adventurous and didn't care for any one's advice and opened the whiskey bottles which were given to us by Ghai's production company at Bangalore Airport .

We were growing more and more drunk and noisy as our bus passed through the jungles , when I realised that I had forgotten my luggage at the airport .

It was too late and even risky to turn back and told my friends not to stop and go all the way .

We were in the middle of the jungle when four men stopped our bus and started searching the bus , thinking that we were certainly carrying bottles of liquor . They only spoke what I thought was Tamil and we stupid young men were still drinking .

One of the men ( we knew now that they were all policemen ) starred pushing a gunny bag which was lying under my seat.

And I don't know how I just blurred out , " chemicals , chemicals , Shubash Ghai , MGR , going Ooty " .

The man who was now trying to open the gunny bag stopped looking at the bag and mumbled something in Tamil and they all got out of the bus .

I was curious to know what was in that bag . And when I looked in , I was shocked to see several bottles of the best brand of whiskey .

The whiskey bottles brought us black to our senses . The names of Subaash Ghai and MGR had saved us that night .

Or we could have been in jail with very little chances of being let out , mainly because we had broken the law and mostly because no one or very few people in Madras knew Hindi and did not want to know Hindi.

We reached the Fernhill Palace Hotel at 2 am and found Ghai, his brother Ashok Ghai and the two producers waiting for us in blistering cold .

My other friends had their luggage with them , but I was without any luggage and was wearing a flimsy t shirt and jeans with chappals on my feet .

When Ghai saw me , he said , " Ali , tu fakeer hi rehga kya ? " I told him about what had happened to my bag at the airport .

The next morning , Ashok Ghai came to my suite with warm clothes , woollen bedsheets and woollen socks and shoes from the Chellram Department Stores .

That trip to Ooty was my first trip with Ghai as the host . I have lost count of the many other trips I made all over India with the showman as my host

DOSTI AISE HI NAHI BANTI . DOSTI BAHUT KUCH NAANGTI HAI JISKO PAISE SE KHAREEDA NAHI JA SAKTA. GHAI SAHAB AUR MERI DOSTI KE 50 SAAL POORE HO GAYE HAI . ISKI KOI TOH WAJAH HOGI . WAJAH JAANNE KI KOSHISH MAINE KABHI KI NAHI . MAINE TOH SIRF DOSTI KI HAI, BAAKI SAB HOTA GAYA