Script continues to be king, Subhash Ghai

Dubai: Modern cinema may be undergoing dramatic changes but the script still remains the king, says renowned filmmaker Subhash Ghai. "Script will always remain the hero in cinema, whether you are doing animation, art, science fiction, comedy or drama. "It holds the key to the success of a film, and no amount of glamour, technical brilliance or item numbers can save a film if the script is weak," said Ghai, who is also the chairman of Whistling Woods International Institute for Film Television Animation and Media Arts, Mumbai. Delivering a talk on The Business of Film-making at the University of Wollongong in Dubai (UOWD), Ghai said, "There has been a dramatic change in modern times, with the arrival of satellite TV and Internet." The 66-year-old filmmaker, who has made 18 movies since 1975, shared with the audience his experiences in the world of Indian cinema, covering issues like art cinema, piracy, movie marketing, social responsibility and entry of corporate groups into filmmaking. According to him moviemaking is challenging because one has to marry art and commerce, which are enemies. "What used to take six months to recover movie investment some years ago now takes a few days. Personally speaking, marketing budgets vary from movie to movie. "For my movie `Saudagar` I spent Rs 60 lakhs; in contrast, when I released `Khalnayak`, I had to spend just Rs 10 lakhs because the publicity it generated because of the arrest of the lead star Sanjay Dutt in a different connection made it a superhit. "On the other hand, marketing a movie like `Iqbal` I had to depend on a clever sub-title to generate audience interest," he said. PTI