It was a day of hope, enthusiasm and excitement at the Rangsharda Auditorium as Whistling Woods International (WWI), India’s largest Film, Television, Animation and Media Arts institute, hosted their 7^th Annual convocation. The atmosphere was vibrant and electric as 200 students geared up for their big day and were handed their degrees by the Maestros and founder Subhash Ghai along with Meghna Ghai Puri, President, WWI. In continuing tradition, Whistling Woods International presented three lifetime achievement awards, titled the Whistling Woods Maestro Awards to legends of Indian Cinema, Actor-Filmmaker, Kamal Haasan and ace screenwriter Javed Siddiqui.

Speaking at the occasion, legendary actor Kamal Haasan said, “It’s my pleasure to witness the future of film industry today. I am grateful to Subhash ji for building a platform that will enhance the skills of actors, filmmakers, screenplay writers and more. There is a huge amount of scope in film making so I wish all the luck to the graduating batch that will now bear the burden of taking the industry to newer heights.”  

Founded by Subhash Ghai, WWI was recently awarded as SkillTree Great Place to Study 2014-16 for following quality practices in education domain and ranks as one of the top 10 Film Schools in the world by Hollywood Reporter.

Expressing his excitement Mr. Subhash Ghai said, "After 10 batches of students moving into the industry and making their mark, it’s time for a fresh batch to step towards achieving their dreams. I feel fortunate that WWI has had the unstinted support and encouragement of national and international filmmakers and stars alike that provide students, immense inspiration. I wish all the students a very good luck and am grateful to my friends’ Kamal ji, and Javed Saab for motivating the students. We are fortunate to be able to give this opportunity to our students to hear from legends of such stature.”

The convocation witnessed students from various streams such as Direction, Cinematography, Sound Design, Editing, Producing, Screenwriting, Acting, Animation, and MBA/PG in Media and Communication receive their graduation certificate.

Expressing her excitement, Mrinalini Tiwari, one of the students of WWI said, "This is an extremely special day for all us students. It is a culmination of all our learnings with which we will step into the industry. The degree we have received today is very important as it sets us apart from our counterparts. It symbolizes the world-class training and education we have received at Whistling Woods International.”

Since its inception, Whistling Woods International (WWI) has added more than a 1000 media and entertainment professionals to the industry. In the recent past, the alumni of the institute have been associated with prominent films like Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania, Hasee Toh Phasee, and Queen, amongst a list of several prestigious projects and organizations. Whistling Woods alumni are today seen in enviable positions at Yash Raj Films, Dream Works Animation, Fox Films, Adlabs Media, Viacom, Dharma Productions, Aamir Khan Productions, Mirchi Movies, Mukta Arts, BIG Animation, Optimystix, Red Chillies, Endemol, Balaji, and Network 18 amongst several others.

Meghna Ghai Puri, President Whistling Woods International said "It is heartening to see the support of our industry and their recognition of the value that Whistling Woods adds to the industry. We will continue our dedication to provide world-class education and add value to the industry in the years to come. I look forward to these newly trained professionals achieving their dreams in the Industry and making us proud."

To honour their contribution to the Indian film industry, Whistling Woods International presented the lifetime achievement awards to Kamal Hassan and ace screenwriter Javed Siddiqui. This felicitation was a part of WWI’s annual Maestro Awards at the Convocation held at Rang Sharda Auditorium on July 18.

Meghna Ghai Puri, President, Whistling Woods International said “It is our honour that legends like Kamal ji and Javed saab have accepted these awards. The thought behind starting Maestro awards was to give our students a chance to interact with role models to look up to. These industry stalwarts have contributed a lifetime to the entertainment industry and we are truly blessed to be able to acknowledge the same through these awards.”

Last year, Amitabh Bachchan and the ace duo Pt. Shivkumar Sharma and Pt. Hariprasad Chaurasiya accepted the Whistling Woods Maestro Awards. The Maestro Award is constituted by Whistling Woods International and conferred on an artist for sheer respect for his/her work for his or her contribution to Entertainment & Media. The awards were initiated to felicitate those who've had a highly successful and long career in any artistic or technical field in entertainment and media and have raised the bar on quality and performance on regular occasions throughout their careers.

Former legends who have received this award include Veteran Actress Waheeda Rehman, Cinematographer Ashok Mehta, Filmmaker Yash Chopra, and Music composer Khayyam for their extraordinary contribution to the Indian film industry.

Whistling Woods International started the tradition of honouring industry legends with these awards back in 2007. The first Maestro award was given away to Mr. Dilip Kumar. He has done all kinds of films and balanced a wide variety of roles in films like Andaz, Aan, Devdas, Azaad, Mughal E Azam and Ganga Jamuna to name a few. Even towards the latter stage of his career the powerhouse performer gave some memorable performances in films such as Shakti, Karma & Saudagar. The second award was given away to V.K. Murthy, who is worshipped by renowned film makers across the generations for his work that has created unparalleled history in the field of cinematography. He is responsible for some of Indian cinema's most breathtaking visuals and has put forth some of his most celebrated work in films like Kaagaz ke phool, Pyaasa and Sahib Bibi aur gulaam, Chaudhvi ka Chand and Pakeeza.