One of the key differences between the film industry of today and that of yore, is the savvy business sense which actors have incorporated over the years. With the entrepreneurship boom in India, celebrities have been one of the most active participants. Suniel Shetty seems to be investing and associating himself with start-ups at a dizzying pace.
The other Shetty, Shilpa, seems to be the go-to choice for D2C brands. Sanjay Dutt’s alcobev brand The Glenwalk is having a solid run all over India, and they’re expanding overseas too. John Abraham, whose film Vedaa is in the theatres, has his own production house called JA Entertainment, that has produced films such as Vicky Donor and Madras Cafe and he also has stakes in sports teams such as NorthEast United FC.
Hrithik Roshan owns HRX, the famous sport clothing brand, Juhi Chawla is the co-owner of Kolkata Knight Riders, while Mithun Chakr aborty owns the Monarch Hotel in Ooty. Then ofcourse there’s Katrina Kaif, Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Bipasha Basu, Suzanne Khan and several others. On World Entrepreneurs’ Day, we put together some of the most prolific Bollywood entrepreneurs, and by no means is this the complete list, as the number of actors becoming involved in businesses keep increasing by the day.
What also needs to be noted are the innumerable brand endorsements that each of the actors have. Deepika Padukone -Private clothing label, All About You -2E, a skincare brand -Backed Epigamia, the Greek yoghurt brand; Drums Food International; Electric vehicles startup BluSmart; beauty products brand Purplle; spacetech startup Bellatrix Aerospace; edtech platform FrontRow; digital pet care platform Supertails.com; Blue Tokai, coffee brand -Founder, Live, Love, Laugh foundation, mental health organisation Shah Rukh Khan | Shah Rukh Khan -Co-owner of Red Chillies Entertainment -Co-owner of Kolkata Knight Riders -Stake in KidZania's Indian franchise -Stake in a real estate development in Dubai called SRK Boulevard Sunny Leone | Sunny Leone -Star Struck, cruelty-free cosmetics brand -I Am Animal, vegan athleisure brand -Lust and Affetto (deodorants, perfumes and body mists) -Leicester Galactos, stake in the UK-based IPL soccer team -NFTs, first Indian actress mint her own NFTs (non-fungible tokens) in 202 Twinkle Khanna -Co-owns The White Window, a candle and interior designing business with her mother, Dimple Kapadia.
-Film producer, Grazing Goat Pictures -Founder of Tweak India, a digital media company Alia Bhatt | Alia Bhatt -Clothing line, Ed-a-Mamma -Undisclosed investments in SuperBottoms, sustainable baby and mom care brand Kriti Sanon | Kriti Sanon Co-founder, The Tribe, fitness brand Sonu Sood | Sonu Sood -Co-founder, Explurger app (social app meant for connecting, sharing and making friends) -Sood Charity Foundation (philanthrophic endeavour) Abhishek Bachchan -Owner of Jaipur Pink Panthers, a team in the Pro Kabaddi League -Undisclosed investment in Ziddu.com, a cloud service platform offering free file hosting services -Co-owning the Indian Super League (ISL) football team, Chennaiyin FC Dino Morea -UBO Ridez Electric carriage service -Fresh Press Juices -DM fitness workout stations -Cool Maal, a merchandising company -Sama Life Sciences Suniel Shetty | Suniel Shetty -Started at age 16 working for his father’s restaurant -Popcorn Entertainment (Mission Istanbul, Khel, Rakht, Loot, EMI etc) -Owner of Mischief, boutique chain -Investor in Regrip, The Biohacker, Klassroom Edutech, Vieroots Wellness, Sbooch (kombucha drink), Waayu (food delivery app) Salman Khan -Salman Khan Films -Being Human -FRSH Malaika Arora | Malaika Arora -Malaika Arora Ventures -The Label Life, an 'elevated essentials brand -Diva Yoga (chain of yoga studios).
