‘Whistling Woods has strived to ensure quality since the beginning’

Meghna Ghai Puri could have easily followed her filmmaker father Subhash Ghai’s footsteps. But she chose to tread a different path. As President of Whistling Woods International, she helps youngsters to take sure steps into the world of cinema, fashion and media arts.

As part of today’s edition of e4m Pride of India Brands series, Puri spoke to exchange4media at length about her challenges and how she overcame them to make Whistling Woods International a success.

Excerpts:

Please take us through the initial journey of Whistling Woods.

My father dreamed of having an institute for newcomers in the film industry while he was struggling himself as an actor after finishing his own acting education. He realized there were no opportunities for those who had no connections in the film industry.

It was a promise he made to himself back then, five decades ago, that whenever he would succeed in his own career and have enough money, he would give back by creating a platform where talented youngsters could come together and find a way in the film industry. Over the years, he continued to make, direct and write films and became one of the finest filmmakers in the country. But he never forgot the promise he made to himself at the beginning.

It was during the making of the film “Taal” that he launched an IPO for Mukta Arts and told shareholders that he would be using some of the funds for a film institute. That was the start of my own journey. I was in the United Kingdom at that time studying and working there.

He asked me if I remembered his dream of having a film school. I replied: “Yes, I do but I know that a creative person like you can’t remain away from filmmaking for a long time.” And my father said, “That’s why I want you to look after the entire operations of the institute.”

To be honest, I wasn’t even sure about it. I was very young and didn’t know if I could add any value to the institute. But I knew how much this school meant to my father, how much this country meant to him. I knew how much giving back to youngsters meant to him. Hence, I thought I must do it as a sign of gratitude to my parents.

That’s how the journey of this school started. It took a very long time to see the institute in its current shape. I myself learnt many things such as architecture, landscaping, technology, legal, business and marketing - things just like any other start-up.

What were your major challenges in the beginning?

The biggest challenge was that there was no institute like the one that we wanted to establish, apart from FTII and other reputed government-run institutes. We wanted to have something very different – an institution that is run by the industry, for the industry and in the industry. One that really caters to industry needs, making the course a more practical one. We visited many institutes abroad and realized that there were no institutes that filled the gap between the industry and the students, barring a few in Los Angeles and New York.

There were hardly any schools that ensured students learnt filmmaking while studying or doing jobs. So, we wanted the right balance in our institute. My father knew the struggles of a new filmmaker being a filmmaker. He understood the business and the commercial side of filmmaking. He also is well-versed in the technical and artistic aspects of the craft. So, the whole pedagogy about the institute was to bring three things together - art, technology and business.

Another big challenge was to find the faculty. Since there were very few film institutes, finding trained teachers who could fulfil our vision was quite difficult.

My biggest achievement was that I created a beautiful bond with people. I had a one-to-one connection with each person who was part of the institute like those who prepared the curriculum or were teaching students. That bond is stronger today and has made me a richer person as well.

Challenges make you stronger. There were financial challenges as well. It was not a government-funded institution. Our parent company was funding us and so we wanted to get back on our feet at the earliest. We had already spent a lot on technology and the campus.

Finding students in 2006 was also a challenge. We built the campus for 1,200 students but our first batch was of only 75 students. This continued for many years. It took almost 10 years to fill our seats fully.

How has film, media and fashion training evolved over the years?

People always see the glamour part but this industry requires a lot of hard work because of its dynamism. One has to keep the pace whether it is storytelling, content or performance in the film.

Since we deal with all the dynamic fields like cinema, fashion and acting, we have to be ahead of the time. Four years ago, we ventured into VR much ahead of other institutes.

How has the pandemic changed your approach?

It brought tremendous change in every aspect. We had to quickly go online. Our fashion students completed their entire course online and presented beautiful garments working remotely. The challenges of the pandemic taught us how to work in chaos. The years 2020 and 2021 have prepared all of us better to deal with the challenges in future. Having said that, we are happy to have students back on campus now. At Whistling Woods, it is always about one-to-one mentorship. That works only when you meet the person and work along with them.

Do you have any plans for expansion?

Our goal since the beginning has been to ensure quality. The industry is in Mumbai and the faculty are also in this city. We have recently launched a school of events, school of sports and esports. So, we are constantly introducing new programmes so that we can grow in terms of giving students an opportunity to learn what they love.

We are expanding slowly. Earlier, we were just a film school, then we started a media school, expanding further into fashion, music and other specialisations. We are now offering degrees to our students that many other institutes can’t.

At present, we are focusing on our virtual academy and offer many courses online. This gives a lot of flexibility to many students who are stuck with branches of study that are not really of their choice. This helps us to span all over the world.

Do you have any plans to start an institute in Uttar Pradesh as the state government plans to establish a film industry in Noida?

We will explore every opportunity equally after ensuring that we are able to sustain or give our students the best. If that is possible, and we can source the faculty, then why not? 

What are the necessary skills to be a successful leader?

The biggest skill to be a successful leader is empathy. Women leaders and entrepreneurs are successful because women generally are more empathetic. I should not be making such statements because men can also be empathetic but among women, it's kind of intrinsic. Whether you are a man or woman, being empathetic is most important for leadership.

If you are empathetic, you can lead the team with respect and then it becomes mutual respect and you are able to empower them. This keeps people motivated in an organization.

Since I had worked in a start-up and had gone through that experience, I wanted people in my own organization to have a sense of ownership. They feel that the institute is theirs, not Meghna’s or Subhash Ghai’s. That personal ownership of the organization keeps people motivated.

With empathy and empowerment, you can create love, respect and loyalty at the organization which also leads to better productivity.