Mukta Arts LTD
Telling stories across cinema, screens and classrooms.
Mukta Arts is the vision of Subhash Ghai, one of India's most celebrated filmmakers, who founded the company in 1978. What started with landmark films like Karz, Ram Lakhan, Khalnayak and Pardes has grown into an entertainment group spanning production, exhibition, animation and education. Through Whistling Woods International, Mukta A2 Cinemas and SGM Studios, the group continues to shape how stories are made, taught and experienced across India.
Mukta A2 Cinemas
SGM Studios
Mukta Arts Productions
Whistling Woods International
Mukta A2 Cinemas is the exhibition arm of Mukta Arts, founded with a vision to make the big-screen experience accessible to audiences across India.
SGM Studios is Mukta Arts' animation and visual storytelling arm.
The house behind Karz, Hero, Ram Lakhan, Pardes and Taal, producing 50+ stories that have stayed with Indian audiences since 1978.
Whistling Woods International (WWI) is India’s premier institute for Film, Communication, and Creative Arts.
- 57 screens across 19 cities in India, and growing.
- Iconic properties including New Excelsior in South Mumbai, Sun City in Vile Parle, Ratnanjali Square in Ahmedabad, Orbit Plaza in Surat and Konark 70MM in Hyderabad.
- Big-screen experience, pocket-friendly prices, making the multiplex accessible beyond metro audiences.
- International presence through a 6-screen multiplex in the Kingdom of Bahrain.
- 50+ films produced and co-produced since 1978, in Hindi and regional languages.
- 35 blockbusters, many of which remain among the most loved films in Indian cinema.
- 8 regional films across Marathi, Bengali, Punjabi and Kannada, including Valu, Samhita, Noukadubi and Vijeta.
- National Award winner for Iqbal, named Best Film on Other Social Issues.
- India's first listed Hindi film company, the first to go public on the stock exchanges, in 2000.
- Among the world's ten best film schools, as rated by The Hollywood Reporter, more than once.
- 7 specialised schools under one roof, spanning filmmaking, acting, animation, design, fashion, media and music.
- IIM Mumbai x WWI: India's first MBA in Media & Entertainment from an IIM.
- TISS degrees, with a curriculum shaped by working industry professionals.
- Built for what's next, with tech labs alongside Apple, NVIDIA, Epic Games, Sony and more.
- 4,500+ alumni shaping Indian and global media and entertainment and 1,300 current students.
Subhash Ghai
Founder and Chairman
The Filmmaker
From his directorial debut Kalicharan in 1976 to films including Karma, Ram Lakhan, Saudagar, Pardes and Taal, Subhash Ghai has shaped mainstream Hindi cinema through stories, music and characters that have endured across generations. He has written and directed 19 motion pictures, with 14 achieving blockbuster status.
The Visionary
Ghai went beyond filmmaking to help shape the infrastructure of the Indian film industry. He founded Mukta Films in 1978, took Mukta Arts public, and pioneered initiatives in film financing, insurance, exhibition and digital projection. Mukta Arts became the first Indian film studio to undertake an IPO and list on the major stock exchanges, and pioneered film insurance with Taal as the first Indian film to be insured.
The Educator
In 2006, Ghai founded Whistling Woods International, transforming his experience in cinema into a platform for film and media education. His vision was to create a world-class institution that could equip the next generation of filmmakers, technicians and storytellers for a global industry.
Years of Legacy
Films Produced
Blockbusters
Alumni
Mukta A2 Cinemas
Honours.
Digital Studio M&E Award - Media & Entertainment Education Award for Cinema
Whistling Woods International in 2025
Big Cine Awards - Fastest Growing Cinema Chain of the Year
Mukta A2 Cinemas in 2025
Navbharat Education Excellence Award - Filmmaking Institute of the Year
Whistling Woods International in 2024
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FICCI Higher Education Excellence Award - Excellence in Creative & Performing Arts
Whistling Woods International in 2019
Big Cine Awards - Best Single-Screen Theatre of the Year
New Excelsior Mukta A2 Cinemas in 2019
Screen Award - Lifetime Achievement
Subhash Ghai in 2017
IIFA Award - Outstanding Contribution to Indian Cinema
Subhash Ghai in 2015
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National Film Award - Best Film on Other Social Issues
Iqbal produced by Subhash Ghai / Mukta Arts in 2006
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Filmfare Award - Best Screenplay
Subhash Ghai for Pardes in 1998
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Filmfare Award - Best Director
Subhash Ghai for Saudagar in 1992
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