Manoj Punjabi leads one of the biggest production houses in Indonesia, MD Entertainment. The company’s portfolio of star-studded box-office hits like Ayat-Ayat Cinta (Verses of Love) (2008) and Habibie & Ainun (2012) has made them a significant cultural force.

Punjabi’s understanding of the local market and business instinct allow him to identify market trends to help frame their products. As a young boy, he always loved films and dreamed of working in the entertainment industry.

MD Entertainment has prospered for more than a decade, and under its belt are awards and recognition for popular soap operas and movies. Just recently, Chinese tech company Tencent Holdings acquired 14.62 per cent of MD Pictures.