Mr Box Office
If you're looking for a recluse who is Mr Box Office, the chances are your search will end with Sooraj Barjatya. In the time of techno-aping and martial arts sweeps, he is the one who has plugged away at recreating the idealised family on screen. Here, joint families rule, there's little blood and everybody lives happily ever after. "I don't think I have anything worthy to be written about," he says. The purist might agree. But when it comes to the box office, the Rajshri Films scion has rewritten the books.

His first movie, Maine Pyar Kiya, was a hit. His next, Hum Aapke Hain Kaun, is India's highest grosser. His third, Hum Saath Saath Hain, will scour the syrupy Diwali market for its take. He plans incessantly and meticulously. It isn't unknown for him to meet 50 times with his music director while working on a script. "He is a filmmaker whose only interest is filmmaking," actor Anupam Kher said of him. "Before shooting he has the film in his mind, complete with background music and close-ups." Planned success.