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Subhash Ghai reflects on how he approached music in his movies

IANS March 13, 2025 242 views

Veteran filmmaker Subhash Ghai recently shared his profound insights about music's role in cinema during a podcast with Komal Nahta. He revealed a unique perspective where music was not just an accompaniment but a form of poetic storytelling, with lyricist Anand Bakshi playing a crucial interpretative role. Ghai emphasized that he never claimed credit for making actors stars, instead attributing their success to destiny and their inherent qualities. His reflective approach highlights the deep, intrinsic connections between narrative, music, and performance in Indian cinema.

"I considered music as poetry" - Subhash Ghai
Subhash Ghai reflects on how he approached music in his movies
Mumbai, March 13: Veteran filmmaker Subhash Ghai recently appeared on the popular podcast "Game Changers", hosted by trade analyst Komal Nahta.

Key Points

1

Ghai viewed music as narrative poetry beyond mere soundtrack

2

Anand Bakshi's lyrics deeply connected with film's emotional core

3

Filmmaker believed in actors' inherent destiny rather than personal star-making

4

Music was integral storytelling element in Ghai's cinematic universe

During the show, the director talked about the pivotal role played by music in his films. Known for his string of musical hits, Ghai shared his unique perspective on how he approached music in his movies, revealing how he treated it as an integral part of storytelling.

Nahta asked Ghai, "Music was a very important part of your films. You gave one superhit song after another. But was there a different way of creating your music? How did you work on it?"

To this, Ghai who has always been reflective about his craft, responded, "In our time, when we had even bigger musical hits, there was only one difference: I considered music as poetry. For me, Anand Bakshi was even greater than Laxmikant Pyarelal and Rahman. I used to write the spoken dialogues in the movie, and you [Anand Bakshi] were writing the singing dialogues. And when we wrote the 'antara' (stanza), it felt like he knew my story better than I did."

The 'Taal' director further emphasized the deep connection between music and narrative in his films, acknowledging the profound influence of lyricist Anand Bakshi in transforming the essence of his stories into timeless songs.

During the podcast, Ghai further declined to take credit for making stars out of Anil Kapoor, Jackie Shroff, Madhuri Dixit, and Meenakshi Seshadri.

The 'Karz" maker stated that all of these actors were destined to become stars, it is just that destiny brought them together and allowed them to get the best out of each other.

When Nahta asked about his process of transforming these actors into stars, Ghai revealed, “I didn’t make them stars, their destiny did. Destiny brought us together, and I found them good, honest, like students, eager to learn. They didn’t seem fake, artificial, or cosmetic. That’s why I asked them to work together, whether it was Jackie, Madhuri, Anil, Sanju, whoever”.

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