Home / Guests

One of India’s most prominent designers, Anamika Khanna’s exclusive collections are worn by Bollywood A-listers including Kareena Kapoor and our very own Vidya Balan. She was one of the first two designers invited to show at Paris Fashion Week and the following year Sonam Kapoor made her catwalk debut for Khanna at India’s Couture Week. A Kingfisher Award winner for the Fashion Designer of the Year, she is also an Associate Design member of the Fashion Design Council of India.

One of the busiest actors and producers in India, Anil Kapoor has won most of the awards going since his screen debut in 1979. He is also one of India’s most recognisable actors on the global stage having starred in Slumdog Millionaire, Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol and the eighth season of 24. We are celebrating this powerhouse with screenings of his latest release, Dil Dhadakne Do, and his classics 1942 A Love Story and Mr India.

Kannada filmmaker BS Lingadevaru is a successful TV and film director from Tipatur in Southern India. His award winning movies include Mouni and Kaada Beladingalu and his latest, Naanu Avanalla…Avalu, has won plaudits for depicting the challenges faced by India’s transgender community. Shot in real locations and featuring nearly 150 transgender cast members, the film won leading man Sanchari Vijay the Best Actor award at the 62nd National Film Awards.

Her career reads like the script of a Bollywood movie and the unstoppable Elahe Hiptola is just getting going. In 1999 she set up the first designer fashion store in her home city of Hyderabad and now, as a producer, her creations include Iqbal, Dor, Lakshmi and the only Indian film accepted to this year’s Berlin film festival, the award winning Dhanak.

A red carpet favourite of the stars, Gaurav Gupta is one of India's most renowned couturiers. An alumnus of London's Central Saint Martin’s, he made his breakthrough early on at shows throughout Europe, Japan, Russia and India for his signature style; bridging the contradictory 'beauty with military, structure with fluid, fantasy with concrete.’ He opened his first Mumbai store last year.

His screen debut in 2008's Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na won him the Filmfare Award for Best Male Debut and Aamir Khan’s dashing nephew has barely stopped since. As well as starring in hits such as I Hate Luv Storys, Delhi Belly, Mere Brother Ki Dulhan and Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu, Imran Khan is a committed social activist and a columnist for The Hindustan Times. Catch him next opposite Kangana Ranaut in Katti Batti.

The fearless Kangana Ranaut faced the wrath of her parents when she ditched medicine for acting. However her determination paid off when, at just 17 years old, she won the Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut. Since then her irresistible combination of outer charm and inner strength has seen her become a very modern screen hero to millions, not only for breaking female stereotypes on screen in roles like Queen but also for taking a stand on a range of social issues, such as skin-lightening products, off screen.

With a film and television career spanning almost fifteen years, actor and comedian Kiku Sharda has become a household name thanks to his outrageous character creations. A breakout star on TV’s hugely popular Comedy Nights With Kapil, he has also appeared on Nach Baliye 6 alongside his wife Priyanka Sharda and Jhalak Dikhla Jaa (Dancing with the Stars) which showcases his own seriously impressive moves.

A director, producer, screenwriter and actor, Nagesh Kukunoor has earned worldwide acclaim by mining his Hyderabadi background and culture. His debut film Hyderabad Blues (1998) won awards abroad and since then his films, including 3 Deewarein (2003), Iqbal (2005) Lakshmi (2013) and this year’s Dhanak have won international festival and Filmfare awards for tackling India’s social issues.

Aside from being the award winning producer, director and screenwriter behind such hits as Kal Ho Na Ho, Salaam E Ishq and D-Day, Nikhil Advani is also the co-founder of burgeoning motion picture production company Emmay Entertainment. Next up, the eagerly awaiting Katti Battii starring Kangana Ranaut and Imran Khan, a co-production with Disney UTV which he has also directed.

As one of India's most prominent and respected film critics, CNN-IBN’s Rajeev Masand is one of India’s go-to guys when the stars want to be interviewed, even Hollywood players including Martin Scorsese and Leonardo Di Caprio. He joined The Times of India at only 16 years of age and his undying passion for film has seen him win Best Entertainment Critic at the National Television Awards in 2008, 2010 and 2011.

Known throughout India as the ‘lady in white', the timeless Simi Garewal has been a media powerhouse for over 50 years now. As an actress she worked for legendary directors Satyajit Ray and Yash Chopra before finding even greater fame as a hugely respected producer and presenter. Not only did her groundbreaking talk shows change the face of Indian television she also founded an award winning production company and headed the jury of the Indian TV Academy Awards.

Filmmaker started directing at UCLA in California. Since graduating from UCLA, filmmaker Shonali Bose has seen her work screened at festivals around the world, from her first short narrative films The Gendarme Is Here and Undocumented to the feature-length doco Lifting the Veil and her debut dramatic feature, Amu. Winner of the FIPRESCI Critics Award and a National Film Award, her latest film is Margarita, With a Straw which won the Best Script award at Sundance’s Writer’s lab and premiered at Toronto.

Behind the winning smile, her celebrated sense of style and comparisons to Anne Hathaway and Julia Roberts, the beautiful daughter of Anil Kapoor is gently helping to redefine the way young Indian women are portrayed on screen. Whether it’s the spirited and outspoken physio of Khoobsurat, the con-bride of Dolly ki Doli or playing a real life heroine in the biopic Neerja, Sonam Kapoor mixes grit with glamour to explosive effect. No wonder major brands are lining up for her to endorse their products.

A former economist, actor-screenwriter-director Srijit Mukherji is now one of India's most acclaimed filmmakers. He made his directorial debut Autograph in 2010, the same year he made his acting debut in Rituparno Ghosh's TV opus Gaaner Opare. In the short time since this prolific force of nature has already received India's oldest film award, the BFJA, for his remarkable contribution to Bengali cinema and won many awards including Best Director and Best Original Screenplay at the National Film Awards for Chotushkone.

This industrious and versatile director has been working throughout the industry for over a decade now. From his start on TV cooking and travel shows he helmed commercials for brands including Nestle, over eighty music videos, produced serials such as Zooni and eventually broke into Bollywood features with the hit Jayantabhai Ki Luv Story. His next release is the upcoming Punjabi action film Zorawar.