< Previous80 MASALA! Creatives MOST INFLUENTIAL Talent Powerhouse MALLIKA SINGH @feteeventsdubai FOUNDER, FÊTE EVENTS AND MUSICIAN Mallika Singh creates avant-garde events that raise the bar of creativity, sets new trends and induce jaw- dropping reactions from guests. Think of a party that has no boundaries; an ‘upside down’ bash where, defying the laws of gravity, the ceiling becomes the dance floor! From planning a 12-course molecular gastronomic dinner experience on a private runway to a futuristic themed event with servers wearing bionic spines and serving drinks floating on levitating devices, Mallika and her team push the boundaries, creating memorable, incredible experiences for clients and their guests. While she is now a very popular event designer, Mallika began her career in music and entertainment. Influenced by Indian classical music from childhood, her vocals won her fame in Dubai and LA. Soon she was working with Grammy-winning producer Scott Storch and Grammy- nominated producer Erik Griggs for her album. Music was definitely her calling until her talent for the creative arts expanded to encompass fashion and event design. The result is Fête Events. Be it a wedding or a corporate do, an awards night or a gala dinner, the attention to detail and artistic flair is evident in every element. Mallika is a fashionista and her vivacious, dynamic personality lends a stylish personal touch to whatever she takes up. WORDS: LEKHA MENON; PICTURE: SUPPLLIED Creatives MOST INFLUENTIAL The Power of Zero NABILA - @nabila_salon CELEBRITY HAIR & MAKEUP ARTISTE; FOUNDER, ZERO MAKEUP Ever since she started her first salon in 1986, Nabila – a style maven herself with her signature huge glasses and super cool attitude – has been redefining fashion, style and imagery in Pakistan. Today, she is a global influencer, taking the Pakistani beauty industry to international levels with her products and services. Apart from her chain of salons, her big revolutionary product is Zero Makeup – an all-inclusive palette with five different beauty essentials that gives flawless results in less than a minute. Launched with much fanfare in Dubai, it created quite a flutter among stylistas. Nabila spent years researching, perfecting and packaging the product in labs abroad though her target audience was essentially the Asian woman – an equal rights advocate, Zero Makeup was her gift to South Asian women to empower them with an accessible and easy- to-use beauty application. In 2013, the Nabila empire launched N-Gents, a state-of-the- art salon and grooming service for gentlemen that enjoys a clientele from sartorialists to society movers and shakers. In 2018, her brand achieved yet another milestone when it was chosen to be the official hair and makeup partner for IIFA at Bangkok. After working her magic backstage on hair and makeup for local fashion weeks and award ceremonies in Pakistan for years, this was Nabila’s big foray into Bollywood. Her next step: To take Zero Makeup to more countries and launch more products. - WORDS:LEKHA MENON: PICTURE: SUPPLIEDCreatives MOST INFLUENTIAL Gourmet Trip VIBHA DANIA-DHAWAN @voyageurchic & @invskitchen LUXURY TRAVEL AND FOOD CONSULTANT She loves food and is passionate about travelling. A former fashion and beauty editor, Vibha Dania- Dhawan combined all her passions to launch Voyageur Chic in 2015. Her website www.voyageurchic.com and Instagram feed is a chronicle of the exotic, exciting journeys she has undertaken, not just as a traveller but as an explorer and story-teller. Thus far, Vibha has travelled 65 countries including unique destinations such as remote Greenland, Svalbard, The Faroe Islands and Patagonia. Some of the fun things she has done: snowmobiling and dog sledding in Greenland’s wilderness, dinner under a glacier in Svalbard, visiting the North Korean border and seeing pink dolphins on a cruise in the Amazon river. Taking her passion further, Vibha started designing bespoke holidays and small group travel experiences (she also accompanies the group) . The focus: food and grape experiences, arctic adventures and remote destination travel. Vibha also launched V’s Kichen, as an extension of Voyageur Chic. These are beautifully curated culinary classes where she recreates the dishes she enjoyed on her trips for a select audience. Over the years, Vibha has interacted and cooked with some world renowned chefs at their addresses including Rasmus Kofoed of three Michelin-starred Geranium in Copenhagen, Chef Björn Frantzén of three Michelin-starred Frantzén in Stockholm, Chef Juan Mari Arzak of three Michelin-starred Arzak and Virgilio Martínez Véliz of Centrale in Lima, Peru to name just a few. Future plans: She is currently teaching a Pan-Asian menu series in V’s Kitchen and will soon start other cuisines and an exciting supper club experience in January 2020. MAKE-UP: ALEX AT INGLOT; HAIR: HELEN AT PROJECT BEAUTY; WORDS: LEKHA MENON; PICTURE: AASIYA JAGADEESHCreatives MOST INFLUENTIAL Voice of Kerala NYLA USHA @nyla_usha PRESENTER, HIT 96.7 FM AND ACTRESS Her voice wakes up all of Dubai! As morning presenter on Arabian Radio Network’s Hit 96.7 FM for the last 15 years, Nyla Usha has made an indelible mark in the hearts of Malayalam radio fans in the UAE. Her tryst with TV started at a young age but life changed for this communicative English student when she got an opportunity to become a presenter on Hit 96.7 FM in the mid-2000s. In retrospect, she says, packing her bags to come to Dubai was one of her best decisions. As an RJ, Nyla has interviewed several film stars but one interaction changed her life again. Malayalam superstar Mammootty recommended her to director Salim Ahamed for the female lead in Kunjananthante Kada and RJ Nyla became Nyla, the actress. The movie was critically acclaimed and Nyla was praised for her performance. She later did Punyaalan Agarbathis, Gangster, Fireman, Diwanjimoola GrandPrix, Lucifer and the insanely popular Porinju Mariyam Jose. The last was special as it gave her a strong character to portray with some whistle-worthy dialogues that are part of Malayalam street lingo now! Nyla has won quite a few awards for her work including the AsiaVision award for best debut actor and multiple honours for her radio show. She was also the best Radio Presenter at Masala! Awards in 2012. The stunning actress and media personality admits to living the dream, enjoying the love and adulation of her fans. But she is not a planner and prefers to take life as it comes – movies, radio shows, travel and trying new things – never say never for Nyla! WORDS: LEKHA MENON; PICTURE: SUPPLIEDCreatives MOST INFLUENTIAL Creatively Yours ALI REZ @amrez REGIONAL EXECUTIVE CREATIVE DIRECTOR , IMPACT BBDO Ranked amongst the top 15 creative directors and top 10 art directors in the world by The Directory, and named the 2018 South Asia Creative Person of the Year by Campaign magazine, Ali Rez is one of the region’s most awarded advertising professionals, with more than 350 international awards in a long career of more than 19 years. Ali was a physics student, before ending up in advertising in San Francisco, where – when not involved in mountain biking accidents – he spent more than a decade working on brands such as Adobe, 7UP, ChevronTexaco and HP. In a quest for adventure, Ali moved to the Middle East, managing advertising campaigns for global brands such as the PepsiCo portfolio, P&G, MasterCard, Mars, Lipton and Nestlé across the Middle East, Africa and South Asia. He lead BBDO to be named Campaign Brief Asia Agency of the Year three years in a row and named Agency of the Year 2018 at AdStars. He has contributed to the esteemed Cannes Lions ‘Network of the Year’ award for the agency. Ali has also been part of prestigious jury panels across some of the world’s most revered award shows. His international experience and outlook adds to the global appeal of his campaigns. Rez has lived and worked in several cities – including Beijing, San Francisco, New York, London, Lahore and Dubai. He has also lectured at Oxford University, exhibited at major museums such as Tate UK, spoken at Tedx, captained a cricket team in California and - being a firm believer that curiosity leads to creativity - has travelled to 125 countries and still counting. WORDS: FORAM DIVRANIA; PICTURE: AASIYA JAGADEESH MASALA! 85 Creatives MOST INFLUENTIAL In the Legal Eye RUMANA NAZIM @theeditdubai FOUNDER AND CEO, THE EDIT She was trained to be a lawyer. But fate had other plans. Rumana Nazim studied law in London (at SOAS and BPP College of Law) and worked as an in-house lawyer for an FMCG company until August 2018. However, the calling of the world of fashion was too strong to ignore. Through her travels and observing the fast-paced, exciting and ever-changing retail landscape all over the world, Rumana found a gap in the Dubai market for a lifestyle space that would efficiently deliver an interactive yet relaxing environment. Thus was born The Edit, an effort to offer modern women a one-stop shop with curated options ranging from art, fashion and even specialty coffee! Available are sustainable fashion brands, décor and gift items, bags and accessories you won’t find elsewhere. The objective of creating a space like The Edit was to offer customers a unique shopping experience where they could browse interesting pieces, enjoy a cup of coffee and also visit an art gallery and workshop, under one roof. Rumana put her legal dreams on hold to pursue her entrepreneurial vision, which finally resulted in the swish store at Al Wasl Road. Her own touch is evident in every corner of the store, all of which offer an insight into the lawyer-turned-entrepreneur’s personal style and dreams. WORDS: MASALA!; PICTURE: SUPPLIED Creatives MOST INFLUENTIAL Chasing Frames GAURI CHADHA @gaurichadha FILM MAKER, EVENT PLANNER, THEATRE PERSON Straddling Hollywood and Bollywood, Gauri’s resume includes helming the film fest circuit- sensation Gawah, and working on more mainstream projects such as Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol, Gandhi of the Month, David and Ishk Actually. Filmmaker, event planner and an active presence in Dubai’s theatre community in both scripted and improv theatre, Gauri is an alumnus of the University of Miami and the Met Film School, London. An avid traveller, who has lived in Scotland, Switzerland and Mumbai, she brings her global sensibilities to the fore, while working on various commercials in the Arab region for boldface brands such as Google, Philips and Shukran. Currently, she is artistic director of The Big Night Event Management, a bespoke event management company she co-founded with husband, Kunal Rupani. With a strong focus on creating high concept, experiential, storytelling events with a cinematic and theatrical touch, they are focused on the luxury sector. A creative nomad, working in India and the US, narrating stories on stage and events, Gauri seeks every opportunity to try and push artistic boundaries. WORDS: SHALAKA PARADKAR; PICTURE: SUPPLIED MASALA! 87 Creatives MOST INFLUENTIAL Breaking Boundaries NADA RAZA @nada_raza CURATOR, CULTURE PRODUCER, ARTS RESEARCHER Through her work, Nada shines a light on contemporary South Asian art. Born in the UK, Nada began curating in the early 2000s when she lived in the UAE. In 2012 she was hired by Tate Modern as a curator with a focus on South Asian art – the first time the UK museum had a curator devoted to that area. At Tate Modern, Nada brought key South Asian works into the collection. She co-curated Bhupen Khakhar: You Can’t Please All in 2016, awarded Exhibition of the Year 2016 at the India Today awards in New Delhi and at Eastern Eye’s Arts Culture & Theatre Awards in London. While on a tour with the Tate Modern in Dubai, she met collector and patron Smita Prabhakar and renewed her ties with the city, assisting her to establish the Ishara Art Foundation, a non-profit space for South Asian art. At Ishara Foundation’s gallery space in Alserkal Avenue, Nada curated Altered Inheritance: Home is a Foreign Place with Shilpa Gupta and Zarina Hashmi and Body Building, a group show of 16 lens-based practices. Nada began her curatorial career in Dubai in 2005, bringing artists from Pakistan to The Third Line. She returned for a further collaboration in 2010, bringing the exhibition Lines of Control to the gallery. Alongside collection building, supervising research and producing public events, Nada organised displays of work by renowned international artists. She holds an MA in curating from the Chelsea College of Art and Design and is currently working on her PhD in art history at the Courtauld Institute of Art. WORDS: SHALAKA PARADKAR; PICTURE: AUGUSTINE PARADES AT SEEING THINGS Creatives MOST INFLUENTIAL Dancing Queen SHARMILA KAMTE @sharmila.kamte DIRECTOR, SHARMILA DANCE CENTRE Originally from Delhi, Sharmila moved to Dubai more than two decades ago and founded the city’s best-known dance school. Since then, she has taught hundreds of students, some of whom have gone on to win international acclaim. Sharmila has been passionate about dance since she was a child and was enrolled at the Anna Pavlova Dance school at the Russian Cultural Centre, Delhi. Growing up, she was close to her older brother Ashok Kamte, the braveheart police commissioner, who was martyred in the 2008 terrorist attacks in Mumbai. Ashok was a champion athlete who instilled in Sharmila, a love of sports. She went to the renowned The Legat School of Classical Ballet in England, to train intensively as a dancer and then took the teacher training advanced exam in classical ballet, contemporary dance, singing and choreography . Eventually she based herself in Dubai, teaching street jazz, hip hop and ballet and holds workshops with international choreographers every year. Over the years, Sharmila has been a dance instructor, model, dancer, choreographer and director. She has worked in numerous countries around the world including the UK, India, France, Australia, Greece, Bahrain, Oman, Egypt, Morocco and Lebanon. Sharmila moved her classes to the Dubai Community Theatre and Arts Centre (Ductac) where hundreds of students learned to love dance with her guidance. When Ductac decided to move its premises, Sharmila decided to open her very own dance centre with three state-of-the-art studios just around the corner in Al Barsha 1. She has certainly danced her way into Dubaiites’ hearts. WORDS: SHALAKA PARADKAR; PICTURE: SUPPLIED MASALA! 89 Creatives MOST INFLUENTIAL Arty Concepts UMER BUTT @greynoisedxb FOUNDER AND DIRECTOR, GREY NOISE Spearheading a programme that promotes conceptual art, Umer Butt first opened Grey Noise in Pakistan in 2008 in the basement of the home of his former teacher, the late artist Lala Rukh. He moved to Dubai in 2012 in order to expand the gallery’s vision as well as to take into its fold, a more international line-up of Middle Eastern and European artists, all the while remaining true to the original concept. When Grey Noise turned 10, instead of celebrating, Umer unveiled a contemplative event, Loser’s Club , marking the gallery’s commercial failure. He switched around the exhibition space with the administrative office, closed the gallery to regular exhibitions for five months and then invited colleagues, artists and visitors to experience the empty rooms. Grey Noise represents art practices that pivot towards the contemporary with an emphasis on distinct, often experimental content. Not limiting itself to geographical representation, the gallery exhibits both, emerging and established artists with a defined conceptual premise in their oeuvre. Umer is a regular speaker on international art platforms such as Art Basel Salon, Hong Kong in 2015 and 2016; Art Basel Salon, Basel in 2015 and Asian Contemporary Art Week, New York in 2014. The 40-year-old is a graduate of Chelsea College of Art and Design, University of Arts, London, UK prior to which he received a degree in Fine Art with a major in Printmaking at th e National College of Arts, Lahore, Pakistan. WORDS: SHALAKA PARADKAR; PICTURE: SUPPLIED Next >