Indian filmmakers and writers make for some of the finest storytellers on the global stage. The former have for years drawn from the ideas of the latter and transformed the pages of their novels into fine scripts that finally make it to the matinee screens. Today we don’t see a Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay or Vijay Anand taking up the onus of making a movie out of a contemporary novel or piece of literature.

For Swati Pasari, her canvas is a means to spread happiness, positivity and all things beautiful. An optimist at heart and believer in the divine, she uses her masterstrokes as a tool to brush off the negatives. Through the use of bright colours, dancing figures and fluid strokes the artist wishes to transport you to a peaceful-happy abode in her latest exhibition, The Dance of Life.

She likes her spoons on the right side of the plate and forks on the left. She appreciates a firm handshake and polite greetings but an indecorous gesture might make her squirm a little before she goes back to flashing her radiant smile again.

She is feisty, bold and not afraid of speaking her mind. British-Asian actor Sofia Hayat calls a spade a spade.

She is a singer, actor, composer and lyricist, but Sophie Choudry loves it when you describe her as a performer. “I love to be the face and soul of my music. Which is why I don’t stop at just one thing,” says Sophie who has lent her voice to a song in Ishkq In Paris. While a huge chunk of the song is sung in Hindi by singer Sunidhi Chauhan, Sophie has hummed the French bits. Besides, she has penned them too.

A globetrotter and wine connoisseur, Shagun Gupta’s penchant for a life of luxury and indulgence is unapologetic. “I love luxury products and I love to surround myself with beautiful things,” says the director of Grape To Glass, a company that distributes some of the finest quality wine accessories around the globe.

Born and brought up in an affluent family in South Mumbai, Pavan inherited his taste for luxury. As a founder and creative director of a successful jewellery brand, Pavan Anand’s penchant for all things beautiful is as striking as his work. A qualified architect, he turned his eye to jewellery designing at the age of 24.

Whether it’s designing a delicate sculpture, flamboyant textiles or a larger than life edifice, Gayatri Ruia has been there, done that. A true art lover, her success is a testimony to her undying love for design. “At a younger age I considered taking up Fine Arts but soon realised that my passion lay in design and not art as a means of self expression.

Weddings are magical. And given India’s appetite for grandeur, especially when it comes to the big day, it’s not surprising if the affair, as a run up to the fairytale wedding, takes the role of an Indian circus. But not when Candice Pereira, the creative head of Marry Me, is in charge. A successful wedding planner, she sprinkles the right amount of magic and fairy dust to make sure that the big day goes by without a glitch.

Classy, confident and committed, Kavita Bhupati-Chadda’s enthusiasm and zeal for work travels right through the phone line when we speak to her. Sister of ace tennis star Mahesh Bhupati and CEO of sports and entertainment marketing management agency, Globosport, her passion for what she does is contagious.