We turn the lens on the leading minds who craft and enable entertainment in all its forms, the creatives who put interesting food on our tables, write comedy sets that leave everyone in splits and imagine experiences worth remembering a lifetime.
Photographed by Appurva Shah
Styled by Aishwarya Ray
AD Singh
Restaurateur
The sharply detailed and carefully conceptualised restaurants of AD Singh have long since been the talk of the town. His brainchild, Olive Bar and Kitchen in New Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore shifted perceptions and challenged how India engaged with concept restaurants. AD Singh is credited with many ‘firsts’ in the Indian restaurant scene. Bombay’s first floating bar – Suzy Wong, India’s first gastropub – Monkey Bar, Olive – the country’s first truly standalone restaurant, and Guppy – one of India’s first Japanese restaurants. “The increasing exposure and sophistication of the Indian Diner are very exciting for me,” says AD Singh. “That enables restaurateurs to push the envelope and create fresher and more
international concepts.”
Sarah Todd
Chef
Suit by Parnika
Earrings by Diosa
Former personal trainer and model Sarah Todd stumbled upon her love for food when she started cooking healthy meals with the freshest produce for her son Phoenix. When her interest in the culinary world sparked, she enrolled in the critically acclaimed Le Cordon Bleu for the Diplôme de Cuisine program, where she trained to become a chef. Today, the former Masterchef Australia contestant runs Antares in Goa and The Wine Rack in Mumbai. “In all honesty, the instant results while running a restaurant feels very rewarding. Every day, I can witness how people enjoy and experience my food,” says Sarah. “Through my work, I can inspire young
girls to explore and find their passion. I can actually make a difference with what I do, and that’s huge!”
Nitinn R Miranni
Stand-up Comedian & Host
Outfit by Dhruv Vaish
Dubai-based Nitinn R Miranni spent a few years juggling careers in real estate, banking and event management until he discovered his simple love for making people laugh. With his increasingly growing popularity as one of the most exciting funnymans to watch out for, last year he bagged the Comedian of the Year award at Esquire Middle East. “Having been an introvert for most of my life, I found a different me on stage. Initially, it was just a sense of being accepted, but then I also realized that I genuinely enjoyed making people laugh and being on stage was therapeutic for me. That day, I just knew that I’m not selling jokes, I’m buying laughter,” he says.
Asad Lalljee
Curator, Royal Opera House & CEO, Avid Learning
As the CEO of Avid Learning, Asad has collaborated with events at some of India’s largest cultural platforms including Jaipur Literature Festival, The Serendipity Arts Festival and The Kala Ghoda Arts Festival. In 2016, Asad was appointed as the curator of the Royal Opera House. With a robust programme, he breathed new life into the newly restored landmark and re-established it as a performance space of international quality. Since Asad took the reins when it re-opened after 25 years, the Royal Opera House has also opened up its space for performances by international bands and musicians like Cigarettes After Sex and Kamasi Washington, amongst many others. “When we reopened Opera House, I had to address a huge gathering and I still remember being on the stage, feeling nervous and excited about how things would be,” he remembers. “It’s been a wonderful journey ever since and we’ve never looked back.” This could only have been possible because of the support and patronage of The Royal Family of Gondal and Ashish Doshi, the honorary director.
Manasi Scott
Singer, Songwriter & Actor
Suit by Parnika
Earrings by D’oro
Assisted by Simran Malhotra
Hair and Make-up by Pallavi Jain
Manasi Scott’s affair with music began with Dark Water Fixation, a rock band based in Pune. Since then, she’s taken the stage at various events as a singer, performer and master of ceremonies. While pursuing projects as a television show host and theatre actor, she also released two alternative albums in Australia, called East Light and Temple Tree. The stage,
however, always remained close to her heart. “Getting pregnant with my son Zephan and composing and writing my first solo album while pregnant left a deep impact on my creative practice,” says Manasi. “His birth changed how I sang, how I experienced music and how I performed on stage.”
