'Subhashji Never Shouted On The Sets'

'There was a kind of disagreement with Subhashji after Meri Jung and unfortunately for me, I did not get to work with him again after that.'

As Subhash Ghai turned 80 on January 24, Meenakshi Seshadri pays rich tribute to the man who made her a star.

She tells Dinesh Raheja, "For Aye Mere Khwaabon Ke from Meri Jung, Subhashji carted these huge pianos onto the beach. They were all black so that they would stand out against the sand and the sea. The most interesting part is the risk he took of shooting this during the peak of monsoon in Mumbai."

Subhash Ghai's personality, his success and the lofty reputation as a filmmaker that he has created over the years speak for itself.

I would add that he's a filmmaker with whom I still want to make movies because I did two awesome films with him -- Hero (1983, co-starring Jackie Shroff) and Meri Jung (1985, co-starring Anil Kapoor).

His career is, of course, not limited to these films. He has worked with the best of the best, and given all-round successes which cater to all sensibilities.

Karz was the first movie that I saw of Subhashji's directorial ventures, and thought it was a brilliant movie.

I was first told about Subhashji by Manoj Kumar; I was introduced to films with his production Painter Babu, 1983.

Manojji told me that Subhash Ghai had contacted him as he wanted to see the rushes of my scenes.

Since Manoj Kumar, who introduced me to films without taking my screen test, was telling me that I must work with Subhash Ghai, I was ready to go into this with eyes closed.

My first meeting with Subhashji was when he was editing Vidhata's Udi Baba song filmed on Padmini Kolhapure and Jagdeepji.

I went to the editing studio in Khar (north west Mumbai) and was very impressed because I thought that the set-up looked very slick.

He told me that Radha, my character in Hero, belongs to a cultured family. She's very aesthetic, loves music and is a classical dancer.

Her introduction in the movie itself will be a classical dance sequence. I just felt that Radha and I were meant for each other.

He was really honest with me. Initially, he wasn't sure if I would suit the role of Radha. Fortunately for me, he was soon convinced.

Subhashji had this unique ability to spot talent and present it beautifully on screen. He has brought to the spotlight Madhuri (Dixit), Manisha (Koirala), Mahima (Choudry) besides Jackie and me.

I definitely feel he looks for that spark, the ability to reach out to the audience through the camera's lens.

Bolte hai na, johari parakh leta hai ke kaun asli heera hai -- Subhashji has that ability.

Subhashji never shouted on the sets.

I never saw him angry.

There were times when he got irritated but he knew how to approach the artiste and keep them in a good mood. He was an actor's director.

He encouraged me not to be scared to improvise, to be spontaneous, to vary my acting style and try to not be loud in my expressions.

He has a knack of bringing out the best in the actors he works with.

In one scene, Radha complains that all the police can think of is Arrest-attack. Arrest-attack.

I was a little clueless about how to do that so he pretty much acted it out for me (laughs) and said, do it like this.

Fortunately, I'm very good at picking up cues so it was smooth sailing.

The Hero song Nindiya Se Jaagi Bahar in which I dance on a giant sized tabla is beautifully visualised. I shot the song with high fever.

You know, a lot of people dissuaded Subhashji from keeping the song in the movie. They complained that it was the first song in the movie and was so slow. Classical.

But Subhashji said, 'Mark my words, this will be a classic.' And that's what happened.

Each song in Subhashji's movie soundtracks is interesting, unique, melodious, and popular. The picturisation also would be very interesting.

I did feel initially that he had borrowed some thoughts from Manoj Kumar's style of song picturisations and it worked out very well.

For Aye Mere Khwaabon Ke from Meri Jung, Subhashji carted these huge pianos onto the beach. They were all black so that they would stand out against the sand and the sea.

The most interesting part is the risk he took of shooting this during the peak monsoon in Mumbai.

He wanted the monsoon skies and high tide because the song talks about the beautiful weather.

That reminded me a lot of old Hollywood musical magnum opuses of the '40s and '50s with rich and elaborate song sequences.

Hero was a huge success and subsequently, we collaborated on Meri Jung.

There was a kind of disagreement with Subhashji after Meri Jung and unfortunately for me, I did not get to work with him again after that.

But since then, I hope we have cleared the air.

I'm glad I've had the opportunity to meet him now that I have returned to India after so many years.

I met his wife Rehanaji and his daughters who I saw growing up.

Now they're handling his acting academy so beautifully. It felt nice to reconnect with him.

He has been given the title of a 'Showman'. He does have the ability to create entertaining movies which balance substance with showmanship.

But if I had to use another title for Subhashji, I would say that he's one of the most complete Hindi cinema directors we have.

I would love to work with him again. I hope he still goes strong and I wish him a very happy 80th birthday.