Best of Weekender: A tête-à-tête with film director Vishal Punjabi, a movie on startups on Netflix, and sushi by the sea in Tokyo

Whether it is the band-baaja and shor sharaba or the sumptuous spread of rich Indian food, the big fat Indian wedding is a study in flamboyance and colour, says our writer, who has just interacted with Ghanaian-Indian director and producer Vishal Punjabi. But there is no use spending vast sums of money on your wedding day if you are unable to document every moment of the ceremonies and celebrations, she adds.

This is where Vishal’s company, The Wedding Filmer, comes in, which captures, edits, post-produces, and finally delivers your wedding-moments-on-film in the most beautiful way possible.

Vishal has shot the weddings of A-list Bollywood couples like Anushka Sharma and Virat Kohli, Bipasha Basu and Karan Singh Grover, and Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh. He has also created some of the most elegant wedding sequences on screen in films like Yeh Jawani Hai Deewani and recent web series Made in Heaven.

Ask him how it all began and he says it started with a phone call from iconic superstar Shah Rukh Khan himself.

Read all about his entrepreneurship journey in our exclusive interview with this brilliant lensman and entrepreneur.

You have heard of Uber, but have you heard of ‘Dawaiyon ka Uber’, a medicine delivery startup? Find out all about this unusual venture, when you watch Upstarts, a movie made on startups by young filmmaker Udai Singh Pawar, which releases this week.

Udai is an IIT alumnus who began by working for Microsoft Research in Bengaluru but soon, decided to follow his passion for the movies. He assisted film director, Sudhir Mishra in his films for some years and later, worked with Akshay Kumar in the film Airlift.

Now he is all set to launch his first directorial venture, a story about a bunch of youngsters who decide to launch a startup, and realise that the ups and downs of entrepreneurship can either scar you or make you soar.

Don’t miss the interview with the young director.

Let’s face it. We all love social media. But did you know that social media usually offers a distorted mirror image of how people live? It is usually a careful curation of the lives we want others to see us living. There’s pressure to come up with the most “likeable” content while we anxiously compare our social media clout basis the number of followers we have.

Our guest writer, Malini Agarwal, who is a famous digital influencer herself, tells us how to improve our social media identity. According to her, if we change the way we use social media, by being more thoughtful and reflective, the ripples we create might make a positive change in the world for years to come.

Read her piece here.

If you are planning a holiday next year, why choose the regular tourist destinations? Take some tips and suggestions from Airbnb that were collated from their booking data. Right from the post-industrial culture hubs like Milwaukee and Guadalajara or emerging destinations that promote in sustainable tourism or cities like Maastricht and Malindi, this year’s list is full of surprise travel destinations.

The top trending locales are cities and regions that are preparing for big events like the 2020 Mars Exploration Program launching from Cape Canaveral and the many surf competitions happening in Ubatuba, Brazil.

Fascinated? Don’t miss reading this report on 20 destinations for 2020.

If you have been planning to take up Pilates as part of your fitness regimen, you need to know all your facts. Classical Pilates is basically a disciplined movement practice that was created in the early 20th Century by German Anatomist Joseph Pilates. The method involves an intensive understanding of the human musculoskeletal system in order to achieve a full body and mind workout without strain or injury. 

But there are many myths surrounding Pilates that need to be dispelled. It is not, for instance, an exercise programme, created only for women. Famous male athletes like Tiger Woods, Kobe Bryant, Cristiano Ronaldo, and LeBron James do Pilates regularly to stay injury-free.

Check out the myths surrounding this excellent exercise regimen and decide whether you want to take it up to get fit and healthy.

Is your idea of perfect happiness all about leading a life that is low on debt and high on health? Is Batman your ultimate superhero? Are you inspired the most by American business magnate Howard Hughes? If yes, you will find a soulmate in Praveshh Gaur, management professional and entrepreneur, who is driven by a passion for fitness.

Gaur established Srauta Wellness in 2018 with the aim of giving people a complete wellness package, by bringing everything from a gym to naturopathy treatments under one roof.

His motto, ‘Do one thing each day that scares you’, is the perfect and most exciting way to enjoy many new and wonderful adventures in this journey called life.

Read all about his loves, regrets, hopes and dreams in his responses to our Proust questionnaire.

(Edited by Evelyn Ratnakumar)

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