"I am here to congratulate Subhash Ghai and his entire team of 'Kaanchi'," said Ali, who Thursday attended the trailer launch of "Kaanchi".
"I don't think there is any director as successful as him. I have seen 'Hero' 25 times. You can see influence of Subhash Ghai's films in my films. Subhash Ghai contributed a lot to my growth and movie-making," added the director of hits like "Jab We Met", "Love Aaj Kal" and "Highway".