Page 26 - DP Vol 22 No 1

SPECIAL FEATURE

WHAT THEY DO WHEN THEY AREN’T
MORE PRACTICING DENTISTRY

THAN With a packed work schedule, you may feel teaching full time or running a private
dental practice would leave little time for other pursuits. But the professionals
featured here have managed to create a good and a very important balance
A HOBBY between their profession and passion. More than a hobby, all have a soul-fulfilling,
passionate project along with a very busy and successful professional life.
Read on and prepare to be inspired.

DR. GIBRAN NOORANI

My favourite hobby has always been never mattered. Story did.
watching movies. Whether it’s an OTT Storytelling slowly became more than a hobby. In college, I began
series, a film, or a television show — writing plays and shows. That passion didn’t stop after graduation. Over
stories have always fascinated me. I grew the years, I’ve written four films, twelve OTT series, and six television
up in the 90s. My childhood heroes were shows. Today, I’ve created more than 150 reels on dentistry across my
Sunny Deol and Aamir Khan. From social media platforms — and each one tells a story. People often notice
Sunny Deol, I absorbed the larger-than- the “filminess” in my content. That’s because I grew up on 90s cinema,
life machismo. From Aamir Khan, I early 2000s television, and that unapologetically dramatic, entertaining
learned the power of layered storytelling. style of storytelling.
That blend of intensity and emotion Even in my dental clinic, storytelling plays a role. When I treat a
shaped my love for cinema. patient, I often narrate a story to calm them down. It helps ease anxiety
I studied in Bijapur, Karnataka. and builds connection. For me, hobby, passion, and profession don’t
Back then, we had only three theatres in town — and each of them exist separately. Cinema shaped my imagination. Storytelling shaped my
screened films in different languages: Hindi, English, Kannada, Telugu, voice. Dentistry gave me a platform to apply both.
Malayalam. I would watch almost every film, sometimes twice. Language My life is where movies, medicine, and meaning intersect. n

26 Dental Practice I January-February 2026 I Vol 22 No 1