Whistling Woods International, Mumbai

Promoted in 2006 by Bollywood movie mogul Subhash Ghai, WWI offers study programmes in film production and management, direction, cinematography, editing, screen-writing and sound recording to 250 full-time and 200 part-time students

Although contemporary India boasts the world’s largest popular cinema industry which churns out over 1,200 feature films in seven languages annually, and a huge and growing small screen (television) industry, it hosts a disproportionately small number of film and media training institutes. Prominent among the much-too-few film and television training and management schools are the (Central) government promoted Films and Television Institute of India, Pune (estb.1960), Ramanaidu Film School, Hyderabad (estb.2008) and Nallusami Institute of Cinematography and Studios, Chennai (estb.2006). The country’s burgeoning television medium is served by media institutes such as the Mass Communication Research Centre of the Jamia Millia Islamia (estb.1982); the Asian College of Journalism, Chennai and Xavier Institute of Communications, Mumbai.

It was this paradox of India being the hub of the fastest growing movie and television industries without adequately schooled and trained managers and technicians, which prompted Bollywood movie mogul Subhash Ghai to start Whistling Woods International (WWI), billed as Asia’s largest film, television, animation and media arts institute, in 2006. Promoted as a division of Ghai’s feature films production company Mukta Arts Ltd (revenue: Rs.89.81 crore in 2008-09), and spread over 20 acres in Mumbai’s Filmcity, Goregaon, it offers its 250 full-time and 200 part-time students technical and film-making training in state-of-the-art digital studios fitted with latest recording and editing equipment, a 250-seat digital surround sound cinema, and India’s first and only AATCe (Apple Authorised Training Centre for education).

Currently WWI, which has a faculty of 50 supplemented by dozens of media professionals, offers study programmes in film production and management, direction, cinematography, editing, screenwriting and sound recording. The duration of courses ranges from six-24 months with tuition fees ranging from Rs.2-15 lakh per course.

“As a veteran film producer and director — Mukta Arts has produced over 35 feature films since the company was promoted in 1982 — my father understands the need for adequately trained professionals and technicians and dreamed of creating an entryway for talent in the industry. This was the inspiration to promote WWI as a world-class institution that would provide trained talent for the cinema, film and television industries countrywide,” says Meghna Ghai Puri, an alumna of King’s College, London, who supervises WWI’s infrastructure, curriculum, marketing/branding and other affiliations with her team of over 150 administrators and full and part-time faculty. WWI was formally inaugurated on July 18, 2006.

Since then the institute has expanded its operations through a host of alliances and affiliations.  Together with Manipal University — India’s largest private professional education univer-sity (estb.1942) — WWI offers a 24-month MBA programme in media and entertainment under which students spend 12 months at Manipal University and the second year on the WWI campus in Mumbai, to acquire hands-on training and education.

WWI’s most recent alliance is with the Delhi-based Centum Learning Ltd, an education company promoted by telecom megacorp Bharti Airtel (annual revenue: Rs.37,400 crore in 2008-09). Under a memorandum of understanding signed between WWI and Centum, the latter will develop the syllabus/curriculum of a three-year undergraduate BBA degree and a one year post-graduate degree programme in media and entertainment, for which the content will be provided by WWI. “Under the collaboration terms, students will be taught on Centum campuses with their study programmes culminating in an intensive five-month hands-on final semester at WWI,” says Ghai Puri. “The institute has also signed up student exchange programmes and twinning agreements with renowned foreign institutions including Deakin and Griffith universities, Australia; Bradford College, UK; Syracuse University, USA and the NYU Tisch School of the Arts, Singapore,” she adds.

Admission into WWI’s 12 full-time and multiple part-time study progra-mmes is open to all students ranging from higher secondary (Plus Two) school leavers to film and media professionals signing up for short-term refresher and upgradation programmes. Study programmes begin as early as 6.30 a.m for pre-breakfast yoga. Foreign film screenings, plays and poetry reading programmes are staged throughout the year with typical evenings culminating with training at the gym or dance classes. For out-of-town students, WWI does not have an official hostel but arranges neighbourhood accomodation facilities by way of twin-sharing and single occupancy facilities at prices ranging from Rs.5,000-7,500 per month.

Over the past four years, WWI has morphed into a multi-school institute having spawned the WWI School of Broadcasting, School of Media Management, School of Animation and Actors’ Studio offering studies in film direction, editing, production, screen-writing and sound recording. Moreover come October, this Mumbai-based films and television institute will inaugurate its first international campus in Europe’s largest film city, Ciudad de la Luz (‘City of Lights’), in Alicante, Spain.

“Indian cinema and broadcast media have still not attained Western standards particularly in script-writing, acting and several technical aspects of film production. The objective behind the promotion and expansion of WWI is to develop a pool of talent which will revolutionise Indian cinema and enable Bollywood to rival and compete globally with Hollywood,” says Ghai Puri.

Nisha Khiani (Mumbai)