Adani visits Subhash Ghai’s Whistling Woods, interacts with students
India’s top industrialist Gautam Adani visited Subhash Ghai’s Whistling Woods International at Goregaon in Bombay on 10th October and interacted and motivated students there. This was the first time ever that Adani attended a film institute. He was the guest of honour on the third and last day of Celebrate Cinema 2025 Festival organised by Whistling Woods. Besides Ghai, others present were Rajkumar Hirani, Jackie Shroff, Kartik Aaryan and producer Mahaveer Jain.
Adani spoke about the soft power of cinema at the film school. He also dwelt upon how AI would change filmmaking. After the speech, Kartik Aaryan was felicitated for his performance in Chandu Champion. Rajkumar Hirani was felicitated for his immense contribution to cinema. In his address, Kartik said that Gautam Adani’s speech was one of the best he had ever heard. Rajkumar Hirani called Gautam Adani’s speech “the Sholay of speeches”! He thanked Adani for reminding the film people about the soft power of cinema. Said Hirani, “It (Adani’s speech) also made us realise that sometimes, we forget the soft power of our cinema. There’s muscle power and there’s political power. But soft power is dil ka power, according to me. What we say through cinema touches the hearts of people. Thank you for reminding us of it.”
Top students of the institute were also felicitated on the occasion.
Jackie Shroff stole the show when, in response to a student touching his (Jackie’s) feet, he, too, touched the student’s feet.
Gautam Adani later tweeted, “Always energising to be among the youth of our nation. And when that youth comes from @whistling_woods, the energy turns electric. Thank you, @subhashghai1, for giving our country a powerhouse of creativity and passion — every corner of your institute radiates inspiration. Sharing the stage with icons @rajkumarhirani, @bindasbhidu, @theaaryankartik and Mahaveer Jain made the evening even more special! To the students — you are the gems of Bharat. Let your Bharatiyata light the path to India’s greatness.”
Earlier, on the first two days of the festival, celebrities like Gulzar, Mohit Suri and Ranbir Kapoor attended and paid their tributes to Raj Kapoor and Guru Dutt on the occasion of their centenaries.
Gautam Adani explained, “When America promotes a global blockbuster movie like Top Gun, it is not just selling cinema. It is projecting power. Behind the dogfight and heroism lies brilliantly crafted narratives; one that showcases the might of the US military, drives national pride and exports an image of American courage to every corner of the world. These films don't just tell stories. They serve as strategic instruments designed to shape perceptions, project US strength and define US identity. The list is endless - Independence Day, Black Hawk Down, American Sniper, Rocky, Apollo 13, Rambo, etc. Each film was a global super hit. It not just projected America's might but also its moral authority, proving that while soldiers may conquer lands, the storytellers conquer mindset.”
He remarked, “For too long, India's voice has been firm within our own borders but failed beyond them. That silence has led to the projection of Bharat through their lenses, painted by bias. Nothing reveals this bias more than the British film Slumdog Millionaire, a spectacle that showed Dharavi's poverty for Western applause. It turned our pain into foreign award-winning ceremonies.”
At the end of the speech, Gautam Adani insisted that we should own our stories. He said, “Never again will the story of any Indian Mahatma be written through the lens of a foreigner. Never again will the sorrow of our slums be sold as a spectacle to foreign markets!”
As expected, there was a thunderous applause and a standing ovation after his speech was concluded. Even in between, students and other attendees clapped to show their appreciation for the inspiring speech. Subhash Ghai asked students to take a copy of this speech and go through it again and again. During the felicitation, Mahaveer Jain was the first one to be called on stage by the Showman, followed by Kartik Aaryan, Rajkumar Hirani and Jackie Shroff.
Source : Filminformation.com
Adani spoke about the soft power of cinema at the film school. He also dwelt upon how AI would change filmmaking. After the speech, Kartik Aaryan was felicitated for his performance in Chandu Champion. Rajkumar Hirani was felicitated for his immense contribution to cinema. In his address, Kartik said that Gautam Adani’s speech was one of the best he had ever heard. Rajkumar Hirani called Gautam Adani’s speech “the Sholay of speeches”! He thanked Adani for reminding the film people about the soft power of cinema. Said Hirani, “It (Adani’s speech) also made us realise that sometimes, we forget the soft power of our cinema. There’s muscle power and there’s political power. But soft power is dil ka power, according to me. What we say through cinema touches the hearts of people. Thank you for reminding us of it.”
Top students of the institute were also felicitated on the occasion.
Jackie Shroff stole the show when, in response to a student touching his (Jackie’s) feet, he, too, touched the student’s feet.
Gautam Adani later tweeted, “Always energising to be among the youth of our nation. And when that youth comes from @whistling_woods, the energy turns electric. Thank you, @subhashghai1, for giving our country a powerhouse of creativity and passion — every corner of your institute radiates inspiration. Sharing the stage with icons @rajkumarhirani, @bindasbhidu, @theaaryankartik and Mahaveer Jain made the evening even more special! To the students — you are the gems of Bharat. Let your Bharatiyata light the path to India’s greatness.”
Earlier, on the first two days of the festival, celebrities like Gulzar, Mohit Suri and Ranbir Kapoor attended and paid their tributes to Raj Kapoor and Guru Dutt on the occasion of their centenaries.
Gautam Adani explained, “When America promotes a global blockbuster movie like Top Gun, it is not just selling cinema. It is projecting power. Behind the dogfight and heroism lies brilliantly crafted narratives; one that showcases the might of the US military, drives national pride and exports an image of American courage to every corner of the world. These films don't just tell stories. They serve as strategic instruments designed to shape perceptions, project US strength and define US identity. The list is endless - Independence Day, Black Hawk Down, American Sniper, Rocky, Apollo 13, Rambo, etc. Each film was a global super hit. It not just projected America's might but also its moral authority, proving that while soldiers may conquer lands, the storytellers conquer mindset.”
He remarked, “For too long, India's voice has been firm within our own borders but failed beyond them. That silence has led to the projection of Bharat through their lenses, painted by bias. Nothing reveals this bias more than the British film Slumdog Millionaire, a spectacle that showed Dharavi's poverty for Western applause. It turned our pain into foreign award-winning ceremonies.”
At the end of the speech, Gautam Adani insisted that we should own our stories. He said, “Never again will the story of any Indian Mahatma be written through the lens of a foreigner. Never again will the sorrow of our slums be sold as a spectacle to foreign markets!”
As expected, there was a thunderous applause and a standing ovation after his speech was concluded. Even in between, students and other attendees clapped to show their appreciation for the inspiring speech. Subhash Ghai asked students to take a copy of this speech and go through it again and again. During the felicitation, Mahaveer Jain was the first one to be called on stage by the Showman, followed by Kartik Aaryan, Rajkumar Hirani and Jackie Shroff.
Source : Filminformation.com