When entrepreneur Karan Bhangay was working to launch an art-based project, he didn't imagine that Bollywood icon Hema Malini would support his idea.

Hand Painted Stories is a newly launched web enterprise that works with artists from around the world to create portraits based on photographs. The artists specialise in acrylic, watercolour and oil painting. One of the first paintings Bhangay's delivered is a portrait of Malini with actor-husband Dharmendra, which took two months to create. The artist, Tharun Prabhakar, deftly managed to change the original busy background of the photograph. Bhangay also commissioned an acrylic painting for the star couple.