Veteran filmmaker Subhash Ghai turned 73 today (January 24) and from acting in films to sitting in the director’s chair, Ghai has given some of the most memorable films to the industry in career spanning almost five decades.

Ghai was born in Nagpur in 1945. Hailing from a non-filmy family, the filmmaker completed his graduation in Commerce from Rohtak, Haryana. Ghai shifted his focus to films and moved to Pune, Maharashtra to join Film and Television Institute of India (FTII).

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The filmmaker didn’t start his innings in Bollywood as a director or producer but ventured into acting with supporting roles in films like Tagdeer and Aradhana.

Ghai is considered as one of the most prolific directors of the Hindi film industry with helming some of the most critical and commercially successful films.

His directorial debut came with Shatrughan Sinha’s recommendation in the film Kaalicharan in 1976.

Ghai rose to prominence in the 1980s and 1990s with his collaborations with actors like Dilip Kumar, Jackie Shroff Anil Kapoor and Sanjay Dutt. He won universal acclaim and honours for his films Karma, Saudagar, Hero, Meri Jung, Ram Lakhan, Khalnayak and Taal.

Ghai didn’t just stop at directing films but he also turned as a producer for many films and some of his films went on to become huge success at the box office. His films like Pardes, Taal, Aitraaz, 36 China Town and Hero (2015) are among some of the most successful films of their respective years.

After a brief hiatus from directing, Ghai made a comeback by donning the director’s hat for Kaanchi: The Unbreakable. The filmmaker also turned music director for the film by composing one song’s music of the film.

In a career spanning more than 40 years Ghai has won numerous awards including Filmfare and National Film awards. In 2015, he received IIFA award for outstanding contributions to Indian cinema.

On the occasion of his 73rd birthday, we wish the ace filmmaker a happy birthday.