‘Black & White, Iqbal in the same league’

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He is known to be a master of the big canvas. He ruled Bollywood for decades with multi-starring, action-packed, music-filled hits. Think Karz, Karma, Khalnayak or even Ram Lakhan and Saudagar, Pardes and Taal. But then came a period of lull for Subhas Ghai when his magic failed to work at the box-office (both Yaadein and Kisna were commercial flops). After a hiatus of two years, Ghai is back, directing two films — Black & White, which is releasing on March 7, and the big-banner Yuvraaj, starring Salman Khan, Katrina Kaif, Anil Kapoor and Zayed Khan, slated for an October release. “I like to be the controller of creativity,” says Ghai, as he takes time off from his busy Yuvraaj schedule to talk about a most “un-Ghai film” like Black & White. “It’s in the league of Iqbal… it will touch a chord somewhere,” he adds. Ghai talks to Sudipta Datta on why he is the “captain” of the films he directs, on his banner Mukta Arts’ growth plans and why remakes — Karz is being re-made and Om Shanti Om too doffed its hat to Bollywood’s ultimate showman — make perfect business sense. Excerpts:

You have always been the master of big projects. But do you think the times have changed and the plot and script call the shots rather than stars?

Well, the stars are now calling all the shots. Financiers go straight to them to finalise stories. Commerce has gone to the actors’ hands. Now, directors are being groomed under the stars. Of course, there are some directors like myself who believe in being the controller of creativity. So, while I will always request actors and other specialists to give inputs and incorporate them if necessary, I am still the captain, the bade babuji, if you will.

So, this is the new trend in Bollywood, stars controlling big projects?

Yes, every few years or so, a new business model sweeps across the industry and now directors are being groomed by stars.

Your earlier films were massive hits. But your last few films as director didn’t fare too well at the box-office with critics saying you have lost your touch…

Well, nobody can guarantee a hit. Could I have imagined that Khalnayak would be such a big hit? No. It’s show business, nothing is predictable. For instance, did I ever think I would get Rs 3 crore for the rights to remake Karz, a film I made for Rs 80 lakh 30 years ago? Sometimes, some movies don’t work, even if it is Shekhar Kapur or Mani Ratnam or Sanjay Leela Bhansali. If a Bhansali film doesn’t do well, will you think he is not talented? As a creative artist, you experiment and hope for the best. Then again, the films you said were flops — Yaadein and Kisna — didn’t do all that badly financially. We made a profit of Rs 15 crore on Yaadein and lost only Rs 5 crore on Kisna.

You have produced sensitive films like Iqbal. Is that the path you are treading as a director too because Black & White doesn't look like a Ghai film at all?

Black & White is in the same league as Iqbal. It’s not like a Ghai film at all but it will touch a chord with the people. But my next project, Yuvraaj, is a full-blown Ghai film with all the glamour and glitz.

You said earlier that you are the “controller of creativity”. As a producer, do you control creativity as well?

It depends. For instance, I did have a hand in Nagesh Kukunoor’s Iqbal, but didn’t have any say in his latest film, Bombay to Bangkok. I wouldn’t dream of controlling a team like Abbas Mustan’s, for example.

Is Bollywood settling for a Hollywood style studio model with contracts being signed with actors and directors for a slate of films at a stretch?

I don’t know if we can call it a studio model yet, but yes, actors and directors are being signed on for 3-4 films. Our Mukta Arts has signed Anurag Sinha — he is being introduced in Black & White — for five years.

Tell us about Mukta Arts and its growth plans.

We will be one of the leading production houses in five years. We have laid out a wonderful, practical growth plan, not just on paper. We will also tap into the talent we are creating at our film school,

Whistling Woods. With the Hindi film industry on a growth path, the film school pool will help others too.

Your own film Karz is being remade, Pritish Nandy Communications has announced a Sholay remake. Do you think Sholay should be remade?