Weekends are all about downtime. After a week full of work to meet deadlines, everybody needs some breather to relax and recuperate. From watching a favourite web series to planning a vacation, weekends are designated as family and me time. Manisha Kapoor, CEO and secretary general, ASCI, talks to BrandWagon Online about his weekends, favourite vacation destination and more.
What is the one thing you like to do when not working?
With so many options available today, one can easily spend a considerable amount of time indulging in quality content on OTT. Besides that, I look forward to connecting with my parents and friends over the weekend. It’s always a pleasure to reconnect with people and spend time together.
How do you spend your weekends?
Mostly, I spend my time catching up with family and friends. The weekday schedule is such that there’s little opportunity and time to connect and catch up. Other than that, I tend to run errands and do grocery shopping on weekends, as that’s when I have the free time available. I love visiting fruit and vegetable markets myself if I can.
What are your favourite gadgets?
My favourite gadgets would, of course, include my phone. It’s highly convenient, with everything available at the click of a button. Additionally, I would choose a music system, as music is something I deeply love. So, these two would be my favourites.
Given an option to choose another career, what would it be?
If I were to choose another career, I would probably become a surgeon or an interior designer. These two fields genuinely interest me, and I feel I have the aptitude that could have helped me excel in them.
Which is your favourite vacation spot?
My favourite vacation spots would have to be Salzburg, Istanbul, Jodhpur and good old Goa! Other places I’ve thoroughly enjoyed are Vienna and Scotland. If I were to name a place I wish to visit, my bucket list is never-ending. However, if I had to choose, it would be Africa. I’m eager to experience the wildlife safaris, the landscapes, and much more.
A TV show, a movie, and an ad campaign you highly recommend watching.
Favourite TV show tends to change depending on what I’ve watched most recently. However, a series like Grey’s Anatomy and Friends are timeless and can be revisited at any time. Recently, I watched Defending Jacob on Apple TV, which I found to be a extremely interesting.
A film I’ve recently enjoyed is The Young Woman and the Sea, which tells the story of the first woman to cross the English Channel. She beat the record by over two hours. She had to overcome not just the sea, but a swell of prejudices and biases. Another film that has stayed with me is Nothing to Hide, a French movie about a close-knit group. The premise is that whenever one receives a message or notification, they must share it with everyone at the table. It’s a fascinating film with the underlying idea that, today, much of our lives are contained within our phones. Each notification is like opening our lives to others, revealing how private our digital lives are—even from those closest to us, such as family and friends. These are films I highly recommend watching.
Advertising campaigns I love are the absolute classics: Fevicol and Happydent. I’m sure most of us have seen these, but they truly represent the finest creativity in India. They are like a masterclass in advertising, something one can come back to at any time. At the heart of these campaigns are deep human ideas, and the executions are world-class.