Taking about his memoir, Subhash Ghai said, “In this journey, I feel I am not extraordinary; I am just a human.”

Imtiaz Ali asked the prolific director about how Krishna and Radha were integral in Ghai’s film. The director said, “India’s timeless hero is Krishna, and the sacrificing director is Ram. As a child, I read Mahabharata and Ramayana, where I realised that Krishna is a romantic, philosopher, scientist, warrior. He is the most versatile and iconic character.”

After thundering applause, an audio-visual took the audience down the memory lane of the making of India’s “ultimate showman”, Subhash Ghai. The auditorium was filled with cheers and whistles as writer and director, Imtiaz Ali, Subhash Ghai’s daughter Meghna Ghai Puri, President of Whistling Woods, India’s revered poet Gulzar, and HarperCollins India’s Udayan Mitra revealed Karma’s Child: The Story Of India’s Ultimate Showman.

Subhash Ghai, one of the celebrated cinema icons of India, narrated his story of taking control of his life’s steering and directing a magnum opus that is his life during The Greatest Showman session with Imtiaz Ali. The duo began by recollecting how they were introduced to each other’s world of cinema, and the intricacies of their craft. This was followed by Ghai speaking about how he started penning his life story with Suveen Sinha for his memoir. He also narrated how Anand Bakshi wrote the lyrics of the title track of Saudagar, referring to how the lyrics, “Saudagar sauda kar dil lele dil dekar’ came about during Bakshi’s daughter’s marriage in Delhi.

The director also reminisced about the times with his mother and her influence on his life. She made him understand the art of explanation, an important trait for a director. Taking ahead this thought, he argued how the internalisation of films is significant in making the medium timeless. For Subhash Ghai, Dilip Kumar was not only one of his favourite collaborators but a gem of a human too. Talking about him, he said, “Dilip Kumar was my favourite actor. We worked with him on Vidhata, Karma, and Saudagar. He was second after my mother who imparted values and principles and showed the depth of the craft. He was my second mother.”

This was followed by a witty Q&A session in which Mr Ghai replied with charm and affability.

The Literature Live! The Mumbai LitFest, presented by Godrej Industries Group, in association with NCPA and powered by Kotak, returned for its 15th edition this year at the NCPA. The much-loved festival is a celebration of literary excellence, recognised as one of the most iconic arts festivals in India.