Veteran filmmaker Subhash Ghai turns 75 today and from acting in films to donning the director’s hat, Ghai has given plenty of hit films to the industry in a chequered career spanning almost five decades.
Born in Nagpur in 1945, the filmmaker completed his graduation in Commerce from Rohtak, Haryana. Ghai shifted his focus to films and moved to Pune, Maharashtra to join Film and Television Institute of India (FTII).
Ghai didn’t start his innings in Hindi films as a director or producer, but ventured into acting in supporting roles in films like Tagdeer and Aradhana.
Subhash Ghai is also known as the ‘Showman’ of Hindi film industry. On the occasion of his 75 birthday, let’s list few of his hit films:
Karz:
Karz is a thriller, starring Rishi Kapoor, Tina Munim and Simi Garewal (in the role of Kamini Verma). The story is all about Ravi, who murdered by his wife after marriage. He took rebirth as a singer named Monty. While he went on holidays to Ooty, he recalls memories from his previous life and enquires about his family and wife Kamini.
Vidhaata:
Vidhaata is the highest grossing film of 1982. The multi-starrer film had Dilip Kumar, Shammi Kapoor, Sanjay Dutt, Padmini Kolhapure, Amrish Puri and Sarika in significant roles.
The film was all about — Kunal (essaying the role of XXX) who lived with his grandfather Shamsher, an influential man, and fell in love with Durga (essaying the role of XXX). However, Shamsher did not approve of her choice and plotted to separate them.
Karma:
Karma was one of the biggest successes in Subhahs Ghai’s career. The 1986 film starred Dilip Kumar and Nutan along with Naseeruddin Shah, Jackie Shroff, Anil Kapoor, Sridevi and Poonam Dhillon in different roles. A jailed terrorist, aided by associates, fled the prison and decided to take revenge on Vishwa, the jailer who kept him in exile. Michael succeeded in killing Vishwa’s grandchildren, and when the police couldn’t stop him, Vishwa took the matters in his own hands. He trained three inmates to punish his family’s slaughterer.
Ram Lakhan:
After Karma, Subhash Ghai took a recess of three years, and then in 1989, he made Ram Lakhan, with Anil Kapoor, Jackie Shroff, Dimple Kapadia and Madhuri Dixit. Soon after its release Ram Lakhan fared well in the box office. The story was based on Ram Lakhan — the two brothers who were brought up by their mother after their father was killed by his unfaithful cousins to steal the legacy. The elder brother Ram (played by Shroff) was an honest police inspector and his brother Lakhan (Anil Kapoor) was after money. Later the brothers were separated. However, after Lakhan was tricked by Bhishamber, Ram had to come to the rescue of his younger brother and finish the unfinished business.
PNN