Looking at a new dawn
Filmmaker Subhash Ghai’s Whistling Woods International (WWI), India’s premier institute of film, communication, creative and performing arts, was founded in 2006 and has been successful in delivering world-class education in all creative, technical & business management aspects of the media and entertainment industry. At 80+, Ghai still remains involved with the institution and is on campus 3-4 times a week, teaching and mentoring students of all verticals. His daughter Meghna Ghai Puri, president, a Business Management graduate (King’s College, London), has returned after a stint in London to fulfil her father’s vision of establishing the world’s best film & creative arts institute, which she is in the process of accomplishing.
Meghna Puri is definitely her father’s daughter. Growing up in the midst of filmmaking, her education was aimed at learning competence and proficiency in the marketing & business aspects of the industry. She returned to work with her dad (Mukta Arts) in marketing & distribution of films like Pardes and Taal. Having armed herself with some knowledge of the industry, she was still hesitant about her future. But, being asked by the showman himself to run the institution, it came as the perfect opportunity for someone like her. Armed with education, she realised she could make a change, large enough to make a difference in the existing landscape. That was her goal: to educate and empower talent in the next generation of India’s M&E industry, consistently and for decades to come. Meghna was awarded a prestigious Honorary Fellowship by Bradford College, UK (2013), in recognition of her contribution to media education. Further, for her consistent hard work, Meghna was invited to join the International Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (2025), which presents the Emmy Awards.
A robust academic body
Meghna’s husband, Rahul Puri is MD, Mukta Arts and director of academics, Whistling Woods International. In addition to his role at Mukta Arts, Puri has played a crucial role in the success of Whistling Woods International (WWI) in various ways. Puri has built and continues to run a robust academic body. He has both enhanced and expanded the institution’s academic offerings, including launching India’s first MBA in media & entertainment, as well as India’s first ‘applied arts’ degree programmes in film-making and music production and composition. Together, he and Meghna, as visionary leaders in M&E education, have taken WWI to world-class standing.
The third in this triumvirate is Chaitanya Chinchlikar, vice-president & business head, who also serves as the institute’s Chief Technology Officer and heads the Emerging Media Lab. Chaitanya has had a multifaceted career in the media and entertainment industry for over 20 years, following his stint in Chartered Accountancy at Arthur Andersen. Over the past two decades, he has pioneered WWI’s efforts in working with numerous emerging technologies, including virtual production, virtual reality, AI and, previously, digital cinematography and content for digital platforms. As the world evolves, somebody must ensure crucial technological progress in M&E education for future generations to come, and he is fulfilling that role at Whistling Woods. He has established several technology development labs and partnerships with global media and entertainment technology giants. Syncing his technological progressiveness with his business acumen has been key to securing some of WWI’s most essential partnerships – with tech giants like Sony, Apple and Intel, as well as with institutions like the TISS (Tata Institute of Social Sciences) and IIM Mumbai.
Chaitanya served on the global board of governors, SMPTE (Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers), during 2021-24. He has also been the first Indian educator to receive the SMPTE’s much-coveted Excellence in Education Medal (in 2024). He now serves (and has served in the past) on multiple public policy task forces related to M&E and education for the government of India and various state governments. Chaitanya, in 2025, became India’s first film educator to be invited to join The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences – the body behind the Oscar Awards.
Today, run by this triumvirate under the guidance of the showman-filmmaker Subhash Ghai, WWI’s Executive Director and Dean Ravi Gupta, a stellar board of directors and a supportive and engaged governing council & advisory board, WWI has become one of the premier institutions offering everything related to M&E education all under one roof. In 2010, WWI was accepted as a full member of CILECT (Centre International de Liaison des Ecoles de Cinéma et de Télévision) – a global association of film schools. In 2018, Whistling Woods International hosted the CILECT World Congress of Film Schools, marking the first time India had ever hosted such a prestigious event. WWI has student & faculty exchanges with many of the world’s best film schools & creative arts institutions, including international student co-productions and study-abroad programmes.
Back to its origin
Ghai’s dream project, WWI, was to be built in Panvel in Mumbai, as they had already identified land in that area. He started Whistling Woods with the intention of giving back what he had learned after working 40 years in the industry. “As talented as we Indians are, we lack an organised education in developing skills and craftsmanship in the World of Cinema,” Ghai felt. Having introduced many a rising star, he realised that he should be the one to open an institute rather than a studio. Because Mumbai had never seen the likes of it in the past 100 years, he decided to put his life’s earnings/savings (WWI had invested nearly Rs150 crore) into this dream project. Keeping in mind the methodology and the superior quality of education, he wanted to ensure that people from outside the film industry, with no film background, could come and study here. It was this passion that led him to share whatever he had learned in the industry with the next generation. Since Ghai was a former student of FTII Pune, he understands what it entails to remain a student for life.
After learning about it from the media, Ramakrishna More, minister for culture, government of Maharashtra, insisted that Ghai start the institute in Mumbai inside Filmcity, as there was so much free land to work with (over 500 acres). Ghai knew that there was a possibility of problems in working with governments. However, he considered all the pros and cons and was convinced that Filmcity would work better than Panvel, as the location would provide better access for working professionals to attend classes and masterclasses at Whistling Woods. After negotiations with the government, the final structure was arrived at, where 20 acres of land would be provided to WWI for use only (not sold or leased) in lieu of 15 per cent equity for the government of Maharashtra. All the cash needed for the set-up (estimated at Rs17 crore initial investment and additional funding based on expansion plans) would be invested by Ghai/Mukta Arts.
This agreement has been a source of problems for Whistling Woods for a large part of its existence. Finally, the Bombay High Court settled the matter in Whistling Woods’ favour in 2014, thus ending the problematic situation the institute found itself in. This was further strengthened when the Maharashtra government, under Devendra Fadnavis, took the necessary decisions in the cabinet to ensure WWI’s continued operations, albeit in a smaller land footprint of 5.5 acres. Listening intently, Meghna was guarded and wonderfully politically correct when she pointed out: “Whenever one is running a business, any business, one does have challenges to deal with, with people out there or the government or, you know, any kind of authority. And how do you ensure that you continue running your business with the same integrity that you started it with? So, I think that’s been a great learning experience for me.”
Going back to 2000, once the Filmcity location was in place, Ghai actually travelled (for about two years) to dozens of film and art schools around the world, understanding how they worked and learning from their successes and their mistakes. He understood that to keep the industry’s business from fading, students had to be taught specific skills that would train them to sustain careers, rather than relying on luck and other factors. When he named it Whistling Woods International, he wanted to bring Indian stories to the rest of the world, keeping creativity and Indian storytelling at the forefront. He wanted the next generation to be able to reach the world through this magical medium and have a dialogue with the World through their thoughts.
Anand Mahindra and Shyam Benegal were among the first calls for Ghai, as he went on to create the Whistling Woods Governing Council & Advisory Board, including greats from various fields – film, education, business and the arts – all of whom knew how to build great institutions. So, with a governing council of Anand Mahindra (director, Mahindra group), Anil Harish (founder, DM Harish & Co), Ashok Mishra (former director, IIT Powai), Kiran Karnik (former president, Nasscom), Pradip Shah (chairman, IndAsia), Purnendu Chatterjee (founder-chairman, The Chatterjee Group) and Shekhar Kapur (actor/film-maker), the school moved on.
Not to forget the illustrious names on the advisory board: Chris Bobtis (director, Immersive Adobe), Daniel Dubeicki (founder/CEO, The Allegiance Theater), Derek Wyatt (former member of Parliament, the UK), Deepak Chopra (author/founder, the Chopra Foundation), Raj Kanodia (Health Care professional), Joan Vogelesang (management consultant), Kanwal Rekhi (MD, Inventus Capital Partners), Lewis Smithington, EVP, Strategic Industries), Bhiku Parekh (political theorist & Labour Member, House of Lords, the UK), Parminder Vir (co-founder/board director, The African Fund), Sandy Climan (American film producer), Sunil Thankamany (game director, Magical I Am), Martin Sorrell (co-founder, S4S Ventures), Trevor Griffith (dramatist/photographer), Graham Sack (film maker/actor) and David Puttnam (Academy Award-winning producer).
Whistling Woods commenced operations in 2006 with its first batch of 79 students, studying across one programme in eight specialisations. Today, it hosts over 1,100 students on its campus.
What it offers
Whistling Woods’ curriculum & teaching methodology have been built with industry & global standards in mind. In many cases, this method of teaching would not fit into the (then) straight-jacketed guidelines of the UGC. Hence, Whistling Woods took the critical decision to stay out of the ‘degree’ ecosystem and offer its own diploma certification. In 2013, when the national education structure underwent changes and universities were granted autonomy, the NAAC rating system enabled the WWI method of teaching to be integrated into a degree-granting framework. WWI partnered with the Tata Institute of Social Sciences to offer UG & PG degrees for all of its programmes, with the first batch of degree programmes commencing in 2015.
Over the past two decades, the 10 graduate and postgraduate programmes, covering the entire range of media and entertainment education, all accredited by the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), have been overseen. Today, Whistling Woods is recognised globally and has been ranked among the Ten Best Film Schools in the World by The Hollywood Reporter several times, and listed as one of the World’s leading institutions by Forbes.
Within Mumbai’s Film City complex, WWI offers programmes ranging from one to four years, catering to all the primary specialisations of the media and entertainment industry. It offers undergraduate, postgraduate and diploma programmes in cinematography, direction, editing, production, production design, screen-writing, sound recording & design, visual effects, animation, game design, fashion design, visual communication design, acting, music production, composition & performance, advertising, journalism, PR, event management and sports & e-sports management.
The curriculum at WWI is a unique blend of theoretical and practical elements. The teaching methodology is designed to ensure that students’ learning is collaborative and industry-oriented. In addition to education, WWI also has interests in research & development in emerging technologies. The full-time faculty of WWI is a body of academicians and renowned industry professionals.
Some of the alumnae described their WWI experience thus: “It completely opened up a new perspective for me, and many of my team I carried forward from my days as a student film-maker,” says Arati Kadav, director/writer, who emerged from WWI in 2009. “The collaborations are constant. The first two years were the best, as the exposure was so wholesome, it enabled me to find my voice as a film-maker and has held me in good standing for all my projects ahead.” Today, Kadav, a visionary Indian filmmaker, is known for her innovative approach to cinema. She has always written her own scripts, even before she transitioned to short films. She went on to make two feature films and gained recognition for her sci-fi Indie gem Cargo (2019, Netflix) and her latest Film, Mrs. (a completely different genre). People in the industry talk of family in the industry when they succeed. “In my case, WWI is my family and the home I come from,” says Kadav.
A foundation batch student of 2006, Abhishek Jain (39) is today a director of repute. “Honestly, in those days, I can easily say I was from Ahmedabad (then an obscure town and now, of course, a big city) and was unexposed to any brand of film making; so, WWI opened up a whole new world for people like us, not only in film-making but even how to actually lead life,” admits Jain. “We were so pampered and well-looked after that we all felt as if we were the children of the founder, Subhashji.” He endorses WWI as a place to study for an all-around view of cinema. Jain’s first film was in Gujarati (2012), which garnered a lot of attention, as it was the first Gujarati film to get a release in multiplexes. The second one worth mentioning is Wrong Side Raju, which won a National Award. Of late, Jain was on the jury for the national film awards (the jury that selected Homebound).
An award-winning teacher from the CILECT (2019), Anjum Rajabhali (67) is a professional Indian film screen-writer faculty and a veteran leader of the Trade Union of Screen Writers Association, as also founder/chairperson, Copyright Society of Screenwriters. He has been with WWI from inception (2016), putting together a team with whom he worked in his FTII days. Coaxed into it by Ghai, who didn’t want to start the department without him, he has never looked back in the 17 years of his active participation in the institute. He has a whole bag of gratitude for Subhash Ghai, who has taken it on himself selflessly for the film industry that he was a part of just so that he could give something back to it, says Rajabali. He has the opportunity to run his department with full accountability and autonomy. He remembers that Ghai’s whole ideology and motives had always imparted a certain momentum to the institute. However, what was missing was the example of how, in the West, alumnae actually give back to the institute from which they come (as seen with George Lucas’s $1 million donation), allowing them to progress from there.
Despite all the challenges, Meghna never made the faculty feel that the battle was in any way theirs, says Rajabali. The solidarity from the faculty and everything just egged them forward. Rajabali was always given mutuality in every given decision, almost as good as the stakeholders. “Students are encouraged not only to develop their own set of talents and skills but also to cultivate a certain level of self-sufficiency,” Rajabali adds. “In the end, it is the practical application of all the knowledge and theory that they gather from the institution that enables them to unleash their creativity. Additionally, maintaining human relationships is also crucial, as everything is a collaborative effort”. The realisation and acknowledgement from the film industry come when the training is done on point; one is not born with anything. It is essential to learn a craft, and according to Rajabali, film schools are crucial and should be implemented in every state.
For an institution that graduated its first students in 2008, WWI is proud to say that over 4,000 students have graduated to date, and almost all of them are gainfully employed or self-employed with several leading organisations in the Indian & global media and entertainment industries. Currently, WWI runs several Technology R&D Labs on campus, in association with some of the world’s leading tech giants. Some worthy of mention are Sony Media Technology (2011-present), REDucation lab (2015-present), YouTube Space (2015-19), Foxconn Media Lab (2016-present), WWI Jio VR Lab (2018-present) and the WWI Emerging Lab (2019-present).
Assisting the government
An organisation like WWI must work with the government so that everybody benefits from the association. There have been many such initiatives in the fray, which WWI has undertaken, making key public policy contributions to several central and state government initiatives. For instance, WWI management & faculty have provided inputs for the National Education Policy 2020. Subhash Ghai has also served as the chairman, Media & Entertainment Skill Council (MESC) of India, under the ministry for skill development, for four years till 2022. Additionally, since 2022, WWI has been operating the Film, Acting & Media (FAM) vertical within the Schools of Specialised Excellence (SOSE) initiative established by the Delhi Board of Secondary Education, in collaboration with the Delhi state government.
How its CSR works
WWI takes its corporate social responsibility seriously, providing scholarships and free education to less-privileged students, some of whom even receive a complete fee waiver. They have great scholarship programmes. They work closely with many NGOs and encourage them to send their students to workshops. After many workshops with them, they then select a few students who their faculty evaluates and thinks could have the potential to become editors, cinematographers, fashion designers, animators and even VFX artists. Then, an interview round is conducted after the TISS exam to prepare them for the degree programme. Some who come from underprivileged backgrounds and are unable to cross the English barrier are offered customised courses in areas such as lighting, etc, so that they can at least move in the direction of earning a living of sorts. Over the past 20 years, WWI has provided scholarships and complimentary education amounting to over R20 crore to hundreds of students.
What the future holds
WWI’s expansion plans include the addition of new programmes, as well as an expansion of existing ones. WWI has just announced a new partnership with IIM Mumbai to offer a joint IIM-WWI MBA in media & entertainment, being delivered jointly by both institutions and is a pioneering first-ever attempt for both the M&E industry and the IIMs.
“We are ambitious about having a larger footprint for Whistling Woods,” says Meghna, commenting on WWI’s campus expansion plans. “Now that the Mumbai campus is well-established, WWI is strongly considering expansion in both programme verticals and campuses. We have launched our hybrid education platform, WWI Extension. We would like to move into more global partnerships.” WWI is also at various stages of talks to establish additional campuses both within India and outside, in collaboration with governments and like-minded organisations.
Ghai, still sprightly and articulate, is totally positive about his dream project. The vision, of course, is more important than a dream, because a dream has no limitations, while the vision has many; one has to face so many obstacles and risks and wade through the storms to reach one’s destination, so to speak. “We are looking at a new dawn after 20 years,” affirms the octogenarian, delighted with new ideas. “We are preparing and upgrading our teaching methodology, integrating AI into our education, among other enhancements. Today, knowledge is essential, but even more so is learning and how to apply it. We are going to help these students develop more than just skills, to keep them smarter than AI, what will be called human development skills, to think for themselves, with human Intelligence, particularly in the Arts, since crafts are available everywhere. We are constructing Whistling Woods 2.0, to be unveiled in 2026 as an institution of the future, for the future.”