THE LAST SHOWMAN

Subhash Ghai recently made a comeback with a small film called 36 Farmhouse. Analita Seth interviews the showman

- Analita Seth

Subhash Ghai started out as an actor, tried his hand at writing and then made a name for himself as a director. He took on the mantle of showman from Raj Kapoor. Larger than life films, with their roots in Indian mythology and folklore, teeming with pulsating music became his hallmark. He became bigger than the stars he employed. A Subhash Ghai movie became an event to look forward to. From 1976 to 1999 he had a successful run at the box office, churning out hits after hits and scaling new heights. For perhaps the first time in his career, Subhash Ghai made a single-location film set in a farmhouse. Released on an OTT, 36 Farmhouse is unlike any other thriller made by the director. Excerpts from an interview with the filmmaker who has a never-say-die spirit...

YOUR NEW FILM 36 FARMHOUSE WAS MADE AT HOME FROM THE CONCEPT TILL THE EXECUTION. HOW WAS THE EXPERIENCE WORKING IN A BUBBLE DURING THE PANDEMIC?

We took five to six months to write the script at home. We have a story lab, and a room for young writers, we developed the entire film there. I have a habit of writing poetry, so I wrote three songs for the film, and then I called my students from Whistling Woods to compose them. When the rough draft was done then we went to the studio to record. We started shooting the film on June 24, 2021, in the Lonavala farmhouse. Since there was a lockdown, we had to be very careful during the shooting. Our executive producer, Vishal Gandhi was very particular about it and he took care of every artist and unit member. If we have made a good film in this kind of stress, then the credit goes to all the members.

THE FILM IS REFLECTIVE OF THE IMMIGRATION CRISIS WHICH HAPPENED DURING THE EARLY STAGES OF THE PANDEMIC.