Best of Weekender: From Gul Panag's latest psychological thriller to a power bank rental startup, and more

“How do people react when their best-laid plans go awry? What do they do when something unexpected happens?” were the questions actor Gul Panag asked herself when COVID-19 struck the world.

Over months of lockdown and digital divides in work and personal lives, this little idea germinated into something much bigger, till she felt compelled to have it play out on screen. Manoranjan, a short film presented by Royal Stag Barrel Select Large Short Films, is the result of this.

This short feature, released on February 3, 2022, on the YouTube channel of Large Short Films, is an interesting take on a psychological thriller – even loosely falling in the category of comedy-horror.

Choosing a career path that combines one’s passion with vocation is a tough task, but with access to the right mentors, the journey becomes significantly easier. This is the focus of Mumbai-based Insciple – a one-on-one career advice platform.

Founded by Neeraj Agarwal in 2021, Insciple is a career guidance platform that connects students, newly-minted graduates, as well as mid-career professionals to industry experts for career advice.

Manu Jain, Sameer Papneja, and Sahil Gupta launched A3Charge in October 2020 to eliminate low-battery troubles faced by most of us.

The Delhi-based startup provides power bank rental service that allows you to charge your devices through a rental portable charger, which can be returned after use by paying a minimal subscription fee.

"Since we spend a lot of time on our phones, tablets, iPads, and use earphones, AirPods, and headphones all day long, the batteries can get low very quickly. As an alternative to carrying multiple chargers and power banks around, we introduced A3Charge,” explain the founders while chatting with YSWeekender.

In this day and age, the world is a social media influencer’s oyster. No one knows this better than Archana Dhankar, Founder and Chief Editor of Fashion for Royals, which is her Instagram page and blog.

Boasting 95.4K followers on the ‘gram and a dedicated readership on her website, Archana has forged her own entrepreneurial path as a luxury fashion, makeup and lifestyle content creator. Currently based in London, she has a base in Delhi and both cities inspire her content.

When you are struggling with mental health symptoms, it can be very hard to start exercising. However, understanding how it will benefit you, as it gently holds your hand and walks you back towards balance, can be very helpful. You can just begin wherever you can, even if it just means walking for ten minutes around your own home.

If you are not struggling with mental health symptoms, making exercise a non-negotiable part of daily life can be excellent for your overall mental health, improving focus, mood, and motivation!