Inside Ghai’s Whistling Woods
HT Entertainment Bureau, July 20th 2006

A dream of a decade has finally been realized, “Began Subhash Ghai, at the official opening of his film institute, Whistling Woods International (WWI) at Film City on Tuesday afternoon. A graduate of FTII, Pune, Ghai said WWI was his “way of repaying to the film industry all that I have received in the last 27 years.” Chief guest, thespian Dilip Kumar, and guest of honour Information and Broadcasting Minister Pryanranjan Desmunshi and Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel unveiled the larges film, television and media arts institute of Asia by lighting a lamp.

Many recognizable faces from the entertainment industry and politics congratulated the WWI management and the first batch of students who began classes this week. These included Anand Mahindra, Shah Rukh Khan, Karan Johar, Jeetendra, Tusshar Kapoor, Suresh Kalmadi, Zeenat Aman, Naseeruddin Shah, Om Puri and many others.

We spotted actors and BJP politicians Hema Malini and Vinod Khanna deep in conversation which made us wonder if they were discussing Narendra Modi’s recent visit the city. Ghai’s lucky mascot Jackie Shroff mingled with industrialist Gautam Singhania and Anand Mahindra while Shabana Azmi, sporting stylish sunglasses caught up with Kirron Kher and Vinay Shukla. Later Malini and Nafisa Ali happily posed for photographs once lensmen followed the former’s instruction: ‘Shoot from a distance of two feet and take a good angle.” The even began with a two minute silence for the victims of the 11/7 bomb blasts and culminated with a flute recital by Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia.