Never in his five decade long career has Subhash Ghai seen such a worrisome situation with the entire film industry at a standstill. Actors, cinematographers, technicians, and support staff are all at home, and no one knows for how long.
“For 125 years, our cinema has faced new challenges from technologies, wars and competition. Now, we are facing a pandemic," he says, reminding us that 8,000 public screens stand silent today. "Digital will feed our small budget movies, which is good for many film makers to flourish, but people can’t watch films like Baahubali on small screen unless they have experienced the magic of the large screen in theatres.”
Ghai has taken to sharing his knowledge of film-making on Vidyadaan, his venture, an online skill education portal.
Excerpts from an interview.
So much learning has gone on to the web with the lockdown. How are you making it possible to teach film making online?
At Whistling Woods International we started connecting our students and faculty online as soon as the lockdown was announced in order to continue the classes. It was a new challenge that we took and have learnt a lot from the experience and may well continue it in hybrid classes in the future.
What is the philosophy of Vidyadaan?
I am a strong believer of the right kind of education in schools and colleges and in skill development of trainees in all professions, be it in technical or non-technical functions. When I was entrusted with the chairmanship of MESC (Media and Entertainment Skills Council) I immediately designed the concept of Vidyadaan connecting many senior experts from the industry with learners.
Which subjects are taught or skills developed?
It covers not only the art and craft of media and entertainment, but also other skills where every technical man has to be an artist as well as be creative and innovative to develop new skills and craftsmanship.
Webinar on June 3, 2020, 1 p.m.; more details at Vidyadaan
