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'Relationships here are need-based'
Subhash Ghai says a low phase in his career taught him the valuable lesson that most friends aren't really friends. But Salman Khan stood by him even in his darkest hours...
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He has given the industry some of it's most memorable films. The larger than life tenor of his movies earned him the title of the 'showman' after Raj Kapoor. And then he went through a lean patch. His films like Yaadein and Kisna bombed at the box office.
Ghai says the failure of his films affected him a lot ? not because of the money he lost but because of the sudden change in everyone's behaviour towards him.
"After Kisna flopped, I realised that there is no permanent friend here?everyone started shying away from me. Most stars were worried that with the current brand value I had, if I approached them with a new project, they wouldn't know how to say no.
They were obviously not telling me that, but their actions more than implied it. This sent me into depression. I do realise that most relationships are need based here. But I wasn't ready for this kind of shunning. Though today I look at it as an learning experience which made me see the true colours of the people, at that time I was truly down. Most people here have such shortterm vision. They look at your last failure and are worried you might give them a dud again. It is as immature as that."
But help came from an unexpected source. "That was the time Salman Khan approached me and told me in his casual manner, "Do you want to do a movie with me?" I could sense that the boy had noticed my depression and wanted to help me out.
But he didn't want it to look like he is trying to help. I will always be grateful to him for that gesture. Here was a guy whom I have never offered a movie even when I was at my peak and he was a newcomer?I never approached him for a film even when he was a successful star and he actually came forward to help me out. That's when I sat down to write the script of Yuvvraaj."
Ghai says Salman is what he is mostly because of his dad, Salim. "His character shows his upbringing. I have had a long association with Salim bhai, Helen? they are the kind who would rather respect a human being first, not what he's achieved or not. Everyone told me that Salman is tough to handle.
But when I worked with him he was like a newcomer ready to listen to whatever his director told him. Later he told me that his dad had strictly told him to behave himself on my sets. He told me, 'Dad says I should respect you and listen to you because you have tremendous experience and a big body of work. So, I will listen to whatever you tell me.' And he did."
However, his depression is a thing of the past. "I have enough self belief and resilience to bounce back. I have ten really good friends who stand by no matter what. I feel rich. How many people can boast of so many friends?"
And this time Ghai is not experimenting. He has stuck to his traditional magnanimous big canvas kind of a movie. "At a time when most movies made are the popcorn and weekender variety, I have stuck to the traditional big screen experience kind of a movie. It is an emotional investment. I am taking a risk, I know, but I would continue making movies that I believe in and movies which would offer truly cinematic experience and not ones which can be watched on DVD," he says.
The film releases today, and yes, Ghai is very anxious about the outcome. By now he knows it takes just one failure for most people to turn their faces away.
Ghai says the failure of his films affected him a lot ? not because of the money he lost but because of the sudden change in everyone's behaviour towards him.
"After Kisna flopped, I realised that there is no permanent friend here?everyone started shying away from me. Most stars were worried that with the current brand value I had, if I approached them with a new project, they wouldn't know how to say no.
They were obviously not telling me that, but their actions more than implied it. This sent me into depression. I do realise that most relationships are need based here. But I wasn't ready for this kind of shunning. Though today I look at it as an learning experience which made me see the true colours of the people, at that time I was truly down. Most people here have such shortterm vision. They look at your last failure and are worried you might give them a dud again. It is as immature as that."
But help came from an unexpected source. "That was the time Salman Khan approached me and told me in his casual manner, "Do you want to do a movie with me?" I could sense that the boy had noticed my depression and wanted to help me out.
But he didn't want it to look like he is trying to help. I will always be grateful to him for that gesture. Here was a guy whom I have never offered a movie even when I was at my peak and he was a newcomer?I never approached him for a film even when he was a successful star and he actually came forward to help me out. That's when I sat down to write the script of Yuvvraaj."
Ghai says Salman is what he is mostly because of his dad, Salim. "His character shows his upbringing. I have had a long association with Salim bhai, Helen? they are the kind who would rather respect a human being first, not what he's achieved or not. Everyone told me that Salman is tough to handle.
But when I worked with him he was like a newcomer ready to listen to whatever his director told him. Later he told me that his dad had strictly told him to behave himself on my sets. He told me, 'Dad says I should respect you and listen to you because you have tremendous experience and a big body of work. So, I will listen to whatever you tell me.' And he did."
However, his depression is a thing of the past. "I have enough self belief and resilience to bounce back. I have ten really good friends who stand by no matter what. I feel rich. How many people can boast of so many friends?"
And this time Ghai is not experimenting. He has stuck to his traditional magnanimous big canvas kind of a movie. "At a time when most movies made are the popcorn and weekender variety, I have stuck to the traditional big screen experience kind of a movie. It is an emotional investment. I am taking a risk, I know, but I would continue making movies that I believe in and movies which would offer truly cinematic experience and not ones which can be watched on DVD," he says.
The film releases today, and yes, Ghai is very anxious about the outcome. By now he knows it takes just one failure for most people to turn their faces away.
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