Gujarat has a lot of talent: Ghai

AHMEDABAD: With his dream project, the Whistling Woods International (WWI), a film, television and media arts institute, all set to start from July 15, 2006, Subhash Ghai is giving special attention to Gujarat as "the state has tremendous talent". Ghai says, "I have seen many good writers, theatre artists and budding actors here."
WWI dean Kurt Inderbitzin, a producer-director himself from Los Angeles, is starting his country-wide tour from Ahmedabad."I am planning a grassroots campaign to get in touch with colleges of the state and communicate with the students about the WWI,"Kurt says of Gujarat, one of the richest state in the country and hence a green pasture for the industry.
Ghai says, "In my 27 years of production and direction, I saw there is so much unprofessionalism and technicians who have half knowledge of their work."This inspired him to set up an institute of international standards.
To maintain the standards, the faculty has to go through a three-month orientation course before the batches start. Ghai is focusing entirely on the institute and will get back to film-making only in 2007.
"Moreover, media is booming in India like crazy and needs more and more people with sophisticated skills," says Inderbitzin.
He says though he felt great to become the first dean "of an institute which would not only be the best in Asia but would also compete with any international film institute," he was also scared to shift 12,500 miles away to a entirely different country, with family. When it comes to placement, the dean says that no one can beat WWI, as it is not just under the auspices of Mukta Arts Ltd.
which makes around 20 films a year, its location in the heart of Film City also makes it an enviable recruitment place. Talking about the fee-- which comes to a whopping Rs 12 lakh each for acting, cinematography, direction,-- Inderbitzin says, "It is definitely not supposed to become an elite institute. We will be looking at students, not their assets. Doesn't matter if a talented candidate is able to pay only half the fees, or nothing at all."