As Karz, starring the late Rishi Kapoor, completes 45 years in Hindi cinema since its release, filmmaker Subhash Ghai stated that the film remains as fresh as ever and that he would not remake it. He recalled how, in 1980, after its release, many critics and business stalwarts had told him that Karz was way ahead of its time. He added, “But I am grateful to see it still among the favourite films in 2025.” Let’s watch a flashback interview with Subhash Ghai, where the Showman talks about his early career and explores the timelessness of Karz. #subhashghai #karz #muktaart #lehren #podcast #lehrenpodcast
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00:00If I want to compete at the professional level, it is important for me to go to a film institute.
00:06I had two years of training at Pune Institute.
00:09That was the only thing that made my career of 30 years.
00:12And one day, when NNCP, who was a very big producer, called me to listen to a story,
00:18I told him the story of Kali Charan.
00:20As soon as he heard the story of Kali Charan, he said, who should be the director?
00:24So I said with a smile, I knew Sanjay Dutt, Tina Mooney.
00:29Because Tina Mooney had worked in Karzmi.
00:31So her name was Tina Mooney, who is now Tina Amani.
00:34So he introduced me to Sanjay, that you should take her as a hero.
00:39After completing my education in B.Com,
00:43when I first thought of stepping into the film industry,
00:47my father advised me that I should take it seriously as an education system.
00:55And if I want to compete at the professional level,
00:57it is important for me to go to a film institute.
01:01So he sent me to Pune Film Institute.
01:04I took two years of training at Pune Film Institute.
01:07I was in the acting course.
01:09But I was very fond of both direction and acting.
01:13Because of being fond of direction, I got to know all the departments in the film institute.
01:19I got to know how a play is told through cinema.
01:24I saw world cinema there, international cinema.
01:27I understood professionalism.
01:29So my two years of training at Pune Film Institute,
01:33helped me make my 30-year career.
01:36It was a very important moment for me.
01:38Everyone takes risks in a moment.
01:41But until someone's basic education is strong,
01:44he cannot make a 20-year or 30-year career.
01:47He can stay for a short period of time.
01:51If you look at Dilip Saab, Avitaab and Shah Rukh Khan today,
01:56the biggest reason for them is their intelligence.
02:01And their intelligence is supported by their education.
02:05They are all educated actors.
02:07And there is no better actor than them who is not educated.
02:10He is not such a big star.
02:12Education was of great importance.
02:14That's why I joined the film industry.
02:16And all the ups and downs in my life,
02:19I took care of them because of education.
02:22I got my diploma in acting.
02:24I joined the film industry.
02:26I worked in some films.
02:28In Umang film, Natak film, Ghumrah.
02:31But I saw and discovered that
02:34the film industry is only for a few people.
02:38And the big people in it,
02:41the Raj Kapoor family, the Chopra family,
02:44and I am an outsider.
02:46So I discovered that acting is not my cup of tea.
02:50Because there is a big hand of chance and luck in it.
02:53The talent will come when I become a star.
02:56So it was very difficult to become a star.
02:58So first of all, I decided that
03:00why not discover my talent.
03:02I saw that I am a writer.
03:04I can tell a story. I can write a story.
03:06I can write a film story.
03:08I was interested in films since childhood.
03:10So when I started telling my co-artists about films,
03:14one of my co-artists told a producer.
03:17His name was Prakash Mehra.
03:19I liked Prakash Mehra's story very much.
03:21He told me to call Subhash.
03:23I went and told him the story.
03:25I told him that I wanted to do a role.
03:27But he said that he wanted a star cast.
03:30But I will give you the money you want.
03:32At that time, I was in dire need of money.
03:34So I said, it's just a story.
03:36We will write another story.
03:38Then I learned to write a script from L.V. Prasad.
03:43At that time, Prasad's production was very big.
03:46He continuously won 11-12 hits.
03:49And with Prasad, I learned what screenplay writing is.
03:52In a mainstream cinema,
03:54what is an audience-friendly relationship?
03:58When you are telling something,
04:00you also see if the audience is watching it or listening to it.
04:04So his training for a year,
04:06I was associated with him in the screenplay department.
04:09Because of that, I wrote 5-6 more scripts.
04:12And luckily, within a year and a half,
04:145-6 of my scripts were sold.
04:17And big directors took them.
04:19There was a film called Khandos,
04:21in which Raj Kapoor worked.
04:23When Raj Kapoor read Khandos for the first time,
04:25it was about 20 pages or 15 pages.
04:29And as soon as he read it, he said, I will do this film.
04:32But who wrote this film?
04:35I met him and he said, you have written a very good story.
04:38But how does it become a screenplay?
04:40How does it become a film?
04:42This will be in the hands of the director.
04:44And when I saw the film,
04:46and whatever script we wrote,
04:48when we saw the film,
04:50the form of the film was something different.
04:52The story of the film, that soul, that thing was not there.
04:54So with this frustration, I thought,
04:56if I write a script,
04:58and whatever I think,
05:00if a director completes it in the film,
05:02then why should I not become a director?
05:04So this is what forced me to become a director.
05:07And one day, when NNCP,
05:09who was a very big producer,
05:11called me to listen to a story,
05:13so I told him the story of Kali Charan.
05:15As soon as he heard the story of Kali Charan,
05:17he said, who should be the director?
05:19So I said with a smile,
05:21so he started laughing,
05:23that you are not an assistant director,
05:25and you have been an actor, a writer,
05:27so how can you become a director?
05:29I said, no, it is your wish.
05:31On the third day, he called me and said,
05:33Subhash, you are directing my film.
05:35So I asked him, why should I be a director?
05:37He said, the way you have narrated the story,
05:39it means that you are a good storyteller.
05:41If you make 70% of the films you have narrated,
05:43then this film will be a hit.
05:45And this is how Kali Charan was born.
05:47The film was made.
05:49My friend Shatrughan Sinha,
05:51who was studying in the film institute,
05:53I went to him,
05:55he happily accepted it,
05:57and we formed a team,
05:59and two films were made,
06:01Kali Charan and Vishwanath,
06:03and both the films were a big hit.
06:05From there, a new journey started.
06:07In both the films, there was a crime thriller,
06:09and after that, I made two more films,
06:11Gautam Govinda and Krodhi,
06:13which were made in 3-3.5 years.
06:15So at that time, I felt that
06:17it is very important for a producer
06:19to be a good producer.
06:21Because a producer who cannot make a film
06:23in a year,
06:25is not a producer.
06:27As a writer,
06:29I was frustrated with the director.
06:31When I became a director,
06:33I was frustrated with the production.
06:35The production should be professional,
06:37so that the director's vision
06:39can come in the film.
06:41Because of that,
06:43I started my film production, Mukta Arts,
06:45and the first film I made
06:47from Mukta was Kars.
06:49The birth of Kars was that
06:51I became a producer for the first time,
06:53and I became a producer because
06:55I was fed up with the production.
06:57And I could not
06:59change my thinking.
07:01So I wrote the film Kars
07:03and produced it myself.
07:05But when I made the film Kars,
07:07people said that
07:09I made a very time-ahead film.
07:11This film was not of the 70s and 80s
07:13at that time,
07:15when it was made for the masses
07:17and for the common man,
07:19where there was a need for growth,
07:21anti-establishment,
07:23we used to abuse the politicians,
07:25we used to abuse corruption.
07:27Today we do not abuse,
07:29today we are their colleagues.
07:31So how can we abuse ourselves?
07:33At that time we used to abuse corruption.
07:35Today we cannot abuse because
07:37we have become their colleagues.
07:39So Kars did not do a very big business
07:41at that time,
07:43and the media criticized Kars
07:45when it was released.
07:47And Rishi Kapoor and I were
07:49very frustrated at that time.
07:51We were just as frustrated
07:53when it was released.
07:55Because today, based on Kars,
07:57films are being made,
07:59inspired by Kars.
08:01Today, the remake of Kars
08:03is being made by T-Series
08:05and Himesh Rashmiya.
08:07So today, after 20-25 years,
08:09its importance is coming out.
08:11So it is a matter of joy
08:13that whenever we have created,
08:15there was a scientific method
08:17in it, there was a grammar in it.
08:19And the two-year training
08:21gave me what is right.
08:23And if you put a soul in it,
08:25and if you put a soul in it,
08:27then it will be alive forever.
08:29Then it will always be a classic film.
08:31At that time, if the film did not work,
08:33then what?
08:35Today, our last film, Krishna,
08:37did not work, but I know that
08:39after the next 10 years,
08:41when we will see Krishna film again,
08:43then we will consider Krishna
08:45to be as classic as we will consider Kars.
08:47Because it does not match
08:49the modern values.
08:51Because today, the modern generation
08:53wants fun, entertainment,
08:55they do not want a statement from us.
08:57So its values also,
08:59because Krishna's story was
09:01his grandfather's story.
09:03When his grandfather was 17 years old,
09:05the people who lived at that time,
09:07it was their story.
09:09So the viewer felt that
09:11I should never do that,
09:13like my grandfather used to do.
09:15After that, I made Vidhata,
09:17for Gulshan Roy.
09:19In that, I took Dilip sir
09:21and a new star, Sanjay Dutt.
09:23I knew Sanjay Dutt,
09:25Tina Munim, because Tina Munim
09:27had worked in Kars.
09:29So Tina Munim was his name,
09:31who is now Tina Amani.
09:33So he introduced me to Sanjay,
09:35that you take him as a hero.
09:37And I told Gulshan Roy,
09:39that I want an 18-year-old boy,
09:41and an old man,
09:43so I took Sanjay Dutt.
09:45It became a super hit film.
09:47His first film was Rocky,
09:49and his second film was Vidhata.