In the lobby of Mumbai's Grand Hyatt hotel is a fantastic display of known faces -- faces we see on the big screen and ones we can't help but browse through.

These are the works of one person, Geraldine Langlois from Brussels, who shares her work with us at an exhibition titled The Essence of Indian Cinema, which was inaugurated by filmmakers Yash Chopra, Subhash Ghai and actor Ritiesh Deshmukh on Thursday.

Geraldine was born in 1966 in Brussels where she lives and works.

A graduate of Brussels City School of Photography, she has always had a love of images. Her true moment of revelation came during her first trip to India in 1992.

Since then, she has travelled tirelessly in order to encounter 'others'. As we can clearly see from her true and beautiful images, her goal is to capture what is different about the human face.

While some of the distinct forms are familiar to us, others are both identical and different at the same time, hence the fascination.

Hers is a new perspective of Bollywood -- we see the fascination, curiousity and amazement. And yet these pictures are extremely human at the same time.

Image: Aishwarya Rai, 2003

Photograph courtsey: Geraldine Langlois

The artist presents the Bollywood industry, with its financial power and glamour, alongside the more realistic and authentic "parallel" cinema.

Image: Nandita Das, 2003

Photograph courtsey: Geraldine Langlois

Portraits of actors, actresses, directors and producers are photographed on film sets, at gala evenings or in relaxed settings somewhere between Mumbai, Chennai, New Delhi and Kolkata.

Image: Genelia D'Souza and Ritiesh Deshmukh, 2003

Photograph courtsey: Geraldine Langlois

In these black-and-white photographs of studied simplicity, the eyes seem darker, the light harsher, the shadows more intense.

Geraldine Langlois' photographs dwell on the human face. They reveal the greatness and the strength within, as well as the sorrows and fissures that crack it.

All these life fragments are revealing in their vulnerability. They tell the story of the photographer's ability to focus and interact, as well as her generosity.

Image: Kareena Kapoor on the sets of Aitraaz, 2003

Photograph Courtsey: Geraldine Langlois

Through her pictures she maintains despite time and distance a surprising affectionate relationship with her subjects.

This series of portraits of some of the most celebrated Bollywood artists and art house films show true empathy between photographer and subject.

Image: From left: Ritesh Deshmukh Shubhash Ghai and Yash Chopra congratulate Geraldine

Photograph: Rajesh Karkera