Subhash Ghai to take a sabbatical

Panaji: He is the veteran `Showman` of Bollywood but Subhash Ghai is taking a sabbatical from showbiz and will make his return to direction post the break. Ghai said that he will be on a extended holiday for a year and hopes to recharge himself for a fresh beginning.

"Now I am going to take a sabbatical holiday for one year and when I return I will direct a Hindi film. I may start the movie with a new comer," Ghai told PTI on the sidelines of the International Film Festival of India (IFFI). The filmmaker, who is the force behind the production house Mukta Arts, is here with his Bengali film ``Nauka Dubi``, based on a novel by Rabindranath Tagore and directed by Rituparno Ghosh. Ghai has helmed all-time hits like ``Hero``, ``Ram Lakhan`` and ``Saudaagar``, but his last directorial project ``Yuvraaj``, a 2008 release starring Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif failed to garner both critical and commercial success. The 65-year-old has for the past half decade concentrated on film production and says that "multitasking" comes easily to him and he now wants to mentor new talents. "The casting depends on the subject. For ``Yuvraaj`` I chose Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif but after that I produced a movie called ``Black and White`` in which a new face was introduced," he said. "Recently we did a movie named ``Pashchim Express``, which was directed and acted by students from my film school. For me they are all actors and not stars. If they fit in the role then I approach them," he added. The director has witness four decades of filmmaking and said that Bollywood has progressed in some ways and deteriorated in other aspects. "I feel that sometimes very very bad films become hits and some not-so-successful movies are really good. Technically we have come far ahead from the earlier days but when it comes to content we are lagging behind," said Ghai. PTI