Chairman's Speech
WWIL
Coruscant
Subhash Ghai
Chairman & Managing Director - Mukta Arts Ltd, Mumbai
Chairman - Whistling Woods International – Institute for Film Television Animation & Media Arts, Filmcity, Mumbai
Born in Nagpur, India, Subhash Ghai a graduate in Cinema from the Film & Television Institute of India, Pune, started his career as a screen actor, then shifted to writing screenplay and got his first directorial break in film KALICHARAN which proved a big hit and thereafter he did not have to look back and went on making blockbusters with lot of acclaim from public and critics. He has been awarded with various laurels and titles including "showman" and "dream merchant 'by various media establishments. The then President of India honored him with a national award for making "KARMA" an ant-terrorism motion picture in 1986. His later films like PARDES and TAAL opened a wider audience's world wide for Indian movies and featured in Hollywood top twenty at box-office for various weeks.
Subhash Ghai is now one of the most renowned names among Indians and south Asians for his excellent record as an Indian filmmaker in mainstream cinema for the last 26 years.
Filmography
Contributions
Awards & Felicitations
Honorary positions held
Executive Director of Whistling Woods International
A post-graduate from IIT Bombay and an MBA from JBI, Ravi Gupta brings with him a wealth of media and corporate experience. He has held board positions in companies in the UK , USA , Middle East and Africa, and recently moved back from London to head WWI. He was the founding CEO of B4U, founding member of SRFTII, Managing Director of NFDC and has also been on the Governing Board of FTII. He has been closely associated with the production and distribution of over 150 films, including those of directors Satyajit Ray, Mrinal Sen, Shyam Benegal and Mira Nair. Notably among these are Salaam Bombay, Gandhi, Maya Memsahib, Rudali, Ghare Bhaire, The Making of Mahatma and Rudali. He has represented India on the board of the Paris-based FIAPF and has been on the board of the Los Angeles-based IATAS that awards the iEMMY.
Executive Director
Born in Pune, Parvez A. Farooqui graduated in Commerce from Mumbai University. He started his career by joining a textile dyes and chemicals manufacturing firm in 1975. This small scale firm which had only two executives at the start, grew to have 84 employees in 1984 when Parvez joined Mukta Arts Limited (then Mukta Arts Private Limited) as Executive Director. During his career span at both the places, he acquired vast experience in various fields like marketing, sales, purchases, accounts, taxation and legal. At Mukta Arts Limited, handles the Distribution and Exhibition business apart from finance, accounts, taxation and legal matters. He was also actively involved in framing the Film Insurance Policy which was later named by United India Insurance Co. Ltd as “Cine Mukta” policy.
Executive Director
Rahul Puri born in Neath, UK a graduate of Kings College London, spent almost 3 years at UBS Warburg in London in corporate finance, working on international transactions worth up to US$10 billion. These included the merger of Publicis with Saachi and Saachi and the IPO of Dentsu Advertising in Japan. After moving to Mumbai in 2002, he joined Ambit Corporate Finance and soon after Nimbus Communications. In 2003, he joined Mukta Arts Limited as Vice President – Finance and Strategy and has been involved in the development of the company and the production and release of numerous films.
Head of Production
Raju Farooqui has wide experience in the field of Media especially film production, direction and post production. He joined renowned film director, Mr. Subhash Ghai as an assistant director in 1976. He worked in the capacity of Assistant Director for successful films like Kalicharan, Vishwanath, Karz, Vidhaata and Meri Jung. Thereafter he worked as Production Manager for films like Karma, Ram Lakhan, Saudagar, etc. During the period he also was instrumental in setting up the Equipment division of Mukta Arts. The division slowly flourished into a mega post-production studio by the name “Audeus”. Currently, Mr. Raju Farooqui is the Head of Productions for Mukta Arts Limited. He is also Head of Productions for Whistling Woods International Institute with regards to equipment and studio design & purchase.
COO, Distribution & Exhibition
Vashdev Bajaj popularly known as Tolu Bajaj is in the field of film Production and Distribution since last more than 30 years. He was partner in a firm Shiv Shakti Enterprises which was one of the biggest Distribution firm in South India. Thereafter, he spread his Distribution business to Delhi U.P. and Bombay territories. During his career, he was associated with major leading Production houses such as Yashraj Films, Prakash Mehra Productions, V.I.P Films Pvt. Ltd. (Manoj Kumar), Mukta Arts Pvt. Ltd., Cineyug, Tips Films etc. Currently Tolu Bajaj is handling the Distribution and Exhibition business of Mukta Arts Ltd. on national level.
President – Whistling Woods International
Holding an advanced diploma in Communications, Advertising and Marketing and a BSc Honours degree in Business Management from Kings College, London, Ms. Ghai Puri has been instrumental in shaping the foundation of Whistling Woods International from its inception. She now heads the operational aspects of the world class institute, managing a team of well over 150 professionals & faculty. Earlier in her career she managed marketing for Mukta Arts Ltd and was associated with films like ‘Pardes’, ‘Taal’, and ‘Yaadein’. She has been associated with key businesses in the Indian entertainment industry through prominent projects including Cinema 100.
COO – Distribution and Exhibition, North
Sanjay Ghai started his career at an early age. Initially he worked for prominent Distribution of Delhi U.P. territory such as Neelam Films, etc. He joined a group firm of Mukta Arts Ltd. i.e. Mukta Shakti Combines in 1991. He finally joined Mukta Arts Ltd. in 2003 and is handling the Distribution and Exhibition business of the Company in the erritories od Delhi U.P. and Punjab. During his career, he has distributed more than 150 films till date including big hits like Raja Hindustani, Taal, Khalnayak, Pardes, Saudagar, Yaadein, Iqbal, 36 China Town, Apna Sapna Money Money, Aitraaz, Singh is Kinng, Slumdog Crorepati, Jannat etc.