Best of Weekender: From an art director making it to Hollywood to a food delivery startup bringing home regional foods, and more

Although it may seem like good actors and gripping storylines make a film or TV show successful, the reality is quite different. From clothes to makeup, creative camera angles to intelligent editing – there are several other factors that complete a film. One such aspect that is often overlooked during credits is set design.

Minolae Jain, a Production Designer and Art Director from Bengaluru, who has worked in the art department of different shows, music videos, and commercials, says set designers bring a story to life.

In a chat with YSWeekender, Minolae speaks about choosing a career in production design, the recent projects she has worked on, the challenges she has faced in the profession, and more.

In the run-up to International Women’s Day, ‘women empowerment’ is somewhat reduced to being a mere buzzword, yet Sabira Merchant’s extraordinary life exemplifies this term. Her recently released memoir ‘A Full Life’, written in collaboration with Mitali Parekh and published by Jaico Publishing House, is the most apt celebration of it.

An actor and quiz master, Sabira is also a renowned etiquette trainer, who is known for having coached beauty queens like Priyanka Chopra and Lara Dutta.

In her memoir, A Full Life, she lays bare her interesting journey and her learnings along the way.

The best gifts – to loved ones or to oneself – are those that recreate special memories or invoke feelings reminiscent of a favoured time and place. This certainly isn’t an easy task yet through its curated offerings, Bengaluru-based INaMinute promises to do exactly that.

Founded in 2020 by Vineesh Chadha and Sanjay Agarwal, the food delivery startup provides an assortment of local and international products that are authentic in taste and iconic in feel.

An often unacknowledged yet important aspect of professional growth is the ability to network with the right people. Some would even say this is the bedrock of professional success. But in a world that is increasingly functioning online, can this age-old practice be sustained?

It certainly can by going digital.

California-based Lunchclub, launched in 2018 by Vladimir Novakovski, Hayley Leibson, and Scott Wu, is one of the premium platforms addressing this problem. The AI-enabled networking platform has made successful inroads into India as well through their office in Bengaluru.

You may have heard that stress impacts sleep, and you know deep within yourself that it’s true. We all do. But the truth is that we just do not give it the utmost focus as it needs.

Stress and sleep are deeply bidirectional. Lack of sleep is a stressor, which can impact your digestion and make any symptoms that you may have much worse. Stress prevents you from sleeping and staying in high stress will just not allow for deep sleep, which is critical for systems healing.

What do we need to know? Where do we need to begin? Read here to know more.