4 MASALA! Contents 8 Bollywood The most talked-about actors of the year. 12 Events Christmas and New Year’s Events in Dubai you cannot miss. 16 Special Interview Philanthropist Meera Gandhi on making a difference. Year Ender December 20 Global Achievers 20 Manish Malhotra 21 Ananya Birla 22 Ashi Dua 23 Sania Mirza 24 Frieha Altaf 25 Sheheryar Munawar 26 Momina Duraid 27 Mushk Kaleem 28 Jasmin Walia 29 Vikas Khanna 30 Yasmin Karachiwala 31 Vineet Bhatia 33 Lal Chand 34 Trendsetters 34 Raza Baig and Ally Raza Baig 36 Dipesh Depala 37 Minna Apostolovic 38 Uma Ghosh 39 Malini Menon 40 Rue Kothari 41 Spandana Palaypu 42 Chirag Suri 43 Leena Gauba 44 Entrepreneurs 44 Rohini Iyer 45 Nina Ubhi 46 Dhananjay Datar 48 Natasha Mudhar 49 Anjili Radia 50 Harmeek Singh 52 Zain Shahzad 53 Amreen Iqbal 54 Saira Ahmed 55 Shamira Mitha 56 Ayeshah and Rabi 57 Konkona Bakshi Most Influential 58 Malini Gulrajani 59 Tania Lodhi 60 Kiran Chhabria 61 Ariq Husain and Syed Salman Masud 62 Trailblazers 62 Manu Sawhney 64 Aloki Batra 65 Saliha Afridi 66 Zanubia Shams 67 Aditya Rajaram 68 Gaurav Tandon 70 Sanjay Raina 71 Chanda Surana 72 Arva Ahmed 73 Chimoo Acharya 74 Creatives 74 Vimi Joshi 75 Varoin Marwah 76 Payal Shah 77 Niki Mukhi 78 Salma Khan 80 Malika Singh 81 Nabila 82 Vibha Dania Dhawan 83 Nyla Usha 84 Ali Rez 85 Rumana Nazim 86 Gauri Chadha 87 Nada Raza 88 Sharmila Kamte 89 Umer Butt 90 Social Media Stars 90 Naomi D’Souza 91 Rosemin Manji 92 Rhea Jacobs 93 Anika Morjaria 94 Jumana Khan 95 Jannat Miranda 96 Reya Sajnani 98 Your Take 6 MASALA! Editor’s Note Wow, it’s the last month of the year! And the most special one. It’s time to reflect, pause, look back and also the time to look ahead, make plans and dream bigger dreams. I just love December, not just because it is the festive season but also because it signifies so much - the promise of a better tomorrow! This December, we have decided to celebrate in a way that we haven’t done before. By raising a toast to inspiration and influence. How does one define influence? Is it money? Power? Success? The ability to set new trends? It’s actually a combination of all of the above. And our issue is dedicated to individuals who embody each and perhaps all of the afore-mentioned qualities. The most definitive issue of the year is here! The MASALA! MOST INFLUENTIAL List is not just a recognition of Asian success but also a tribute to the spirit and passion of these inspiring people from varied realms of life. Leaf through the pages and you will be amazed at the incredible men and women who have defied the odds, made their own rules, challenged conventions and emerged on top. Moreover, this is a global list as we have gone beyond the borders of the UAE to select some very special South Asians from India, Pakistan, Hong Kong, the UK and the US who have made a mark in their respective fields. Choosing this list, as one can imagine, was a tough task. There were shoots to be arranged (and re-arranged), interviews sought, profiles to be researched and ideas to be generated. Arguments on who should make it and who should be left out ensued and it included a lot of late nights and bleary eyes as well! But it’s all worth it as each of the achievers featured have a story worth repeating and emulating. The celebrations don’t just end with the edition. We are also organising a party, hosted by the fabulous global philanthropist Meera Gandhi that will see the who’s who of Dubai come together. So here’s to welcoming the new year in style! See you in 2020! LEKHA MENON, EDITOR MasalaMagazine@MasalaUAE@MasalaMagazineMASALA! 31ST DECEMBER, 2019 | 9:30PM ONWARDS *GET A FRONT ROW SEAT TO DUBAI'S FAMOUS FIREWORKS DISPLAY *FUNKY RETRO MUSIC FROM THE 70s & 80s *AWARD-WINNING CUISINE FROM 8 RESTAURANTS *PRICES FROM AED 399 INCLUSIVE OF UNLIMITED FOOD & BEVERAGES CALL 04 205 7033/44 / EMAIL booking.diningdubaicreek@radissonblu.com *All prices above are inclusive of 10% service charge, 7% municipality fees and 5% VAT. Radisson Blu Hotel Dubai Deira Creek / @RadissonBluDXB8 MASALA! WORDS: LEKHA MENON; PICTURES: SUPPLLIED Newsmakers 2019 They dominated much of the entertainment headlines in an eventful year. Presenting the most influential and talked-about actors of the year gone by VICKY KAUSHAL He had a magical year. If 2018’s Sanju catapulted him into the big league, 2019’s Uri: The Surgical Strike cemented his position. And the National Award took him to further glory. What a breakout year for Vicky Kaushal! AYUSHMANN KHURRANA The man with the golden touch. Ayushmann Khurrana was in top form yet again and with this year’s record, his name will be etched in the annals of cinema. Continuing with Andhadhun and Badhaai Ho in 2018, this year he had the brilliant Article 15, the easy-breezy Dream Girl and the quirky Bala. The box-office gods and critical gurus were once again impressed. SHAH RUKH KHAN SHOBITA DHULIPALA He had no films? No problem! Shah Rukh Khan will forever remain influential for his fans. This was the year when the Burj Khalifa celebrated his birthday, splashing his name across the world’s tallest building. Then there was Mr David Letterman who was awed by Mr Khan’s stardom and he was also one of the subjects of Fatima Bhutto’s book. Never was there so much interest and speculation about a star who hadn’t signed a film in one year. Once a king, always a king. The wide-eyed gorgeous and lissom girl is definitely the star of OTT this year. Her act in Made in Heaven, made by the wonderful Zoya Akhtar gave us a new star to drool over. There is something about Shobita that makes everyone fall in love with her. MASALA! 9 Year-End Special – Bollywood RADHIKA APTE Netflix has declared they can’t do without her. And Radhika continued her top class performances. Carving a special niche for herself, this indie and OTT platform queen reached the history books by being the first ever Emmy nominated Indian actress for Lust Stories. Plus, her Sacred Games too made it to the coveted Emmys. Double Whammy! RANVEER SINGH We loved him when he played Khilji in Padmaavat. We loved him when he dressed up in outlandish clothes. We love him when he married Deepika Padukone. But we loved him the most in 2019 when he rapped in Gully Boy. What. A. Performance. DEEPIKA PADUKONE Deepika Padukone didn’t need a movie to remain in the news. Just being herself, lending her name to causes, taking forward the conversation around mental health and releasing a poster of her next film Chhapaak where she plays an acid victim is enough. ZOYA AKHTAR A talent powerhouse, Zoya has been going from strength to strength since her debut directorial Luck by Chance. In 2019 however, she hit the ball out of the park. Gully Boy warmed the hearts of anyone who watched it and was India’s official entry to the Oscars. Then came the outstanding Made in Heaven on Amazon Prime. “The Zoya Factor” was one of the best aspects of entertainment this year.Next >