Shilpa Shetty
She is the smartest star-entrepreneur we have ever seen. The moment she gauged that nothing could catapult her sinking Bollywood career, she said yes to reality TV show Bigg Brother, which she managed to win. Making all the right moves, Shilpa launched a perfume, a fitness DVD and is also a partner of the IOSIS chain of spas in Mumbai. The baap of all business ventures came Shilpa’s way when she married business tycoon Raj Kundra and bought an IPL team.
Sunil Shetty
When brain meets brawn, you get business-smart Suniel Shetty. A fitness freak himself, Suniel runs a number of gyms in India, as well as a production house called Popcorn Entertainment. He discovered his entrepreneurial side with Mischief – a series of boutiques spread across Mumbai. Shetty also runs a few restaurants in the city.
Lara Dutta
The former beauty queen believes that you cannot face the camera all your life. So, to prepare herself well for the future, the actress has not only started her own production company, Bheegi Basanti, but has also launched her ‘sari’ collection in association with Chabbra 555. The leggy lass, who is now a mommy too, has a fitness DVD in her name.
Ronit Roy
He might be having a gala time on the silver screen right now, playing a villain in Akshay Kumar-starrer Boss while similar roles are coming his way. But things were not always so good for Ronit. In fact, he was written off after his hit Bollywood debut years ago. Remember Jaan Tere Naam? So in the bad times, it was Ronit’s business venture Ace Security and Protection that saw him through. It is one of the security agencies that Bollywood stars prefer and Ace provides services to celebs like Salman Khan, Shah Rukh Khan, Aamir Khan and Mithun Chakraborty.
next slide will load in 15 secondsSkip AdSkip AdArjun Rampal
If there is one thing that Arjun Rampal loves as much as acting, it's hosting guests in the world of luxury, foodie delights and mind-blowing music. So he decided to launch his very own lounge-bar-restaurant LAP in Delhi. Spread over 17,000 sq. ft., LAP houses furniture designed by none other than Gauri Khan (SRK’s wife), designer Tarun Tahiliani and Rohit Bahl. But that's not where Arjun's business plans end. He also owns an event management firm called Chasing Ganesha.
Dipannita Sharma
Want to rent out a yacht for your private party? You know who to contact! The model-turned-actress Dipannita Sharma started this unique yacht chartering business back in 2011. Her luxurious yacht called 'Shazma' is fully equipped to host corporate gatherings, social dos and private parties.
John Abraham
His expressions might be woody but John Abraham’s brain definitely gives him meaty ideas for minting money. First, it was his production house, which gave us the very entertaining Vicky Donor. John, a well-known fitness freak (yes, we have seen those abs and that bum too!), is now all set to join hands with British boxing legend David Haye and kick-start a fitness franchise in the country that will focus on the art of boxing.
Ajay Devgan
With loads of Rs 100 crore flicks under his belt, it was not money but the fear of the tax axe that prompted the ‘Singham’ of Bollywood to invest in the Charanaka solar project in Gujarat. Devgan joined hands with Mumbai-based Roha Group to put his money in this 25 MW plant worth Rs 400 crore. However, he is not the only star to invest in power projects. Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Aamir Khan have already invested in wind farms in Jaisalmer and Satara.
Sushmita Sen
This former Miss Universe is one of the first few Bollywood star-entrepreneurs. She owns a jewellery retail store in Dubai, which is managed by her mother. She also aspires to open a chain of hotels and spas under her company Sensazione. And to pamper her love for movies, ‘Sush’ has launched a production company called Tantra Entertainment. Until recently, she headed ‘I Am She,’ the Miss Universe franchise, which has been taken over by Femina.
next slide will load in 15 secondsSkip AdSkip AdShahrukh Khan
King Khan once said he could not do anything else but movies. But then, the actor has cracked the code for minting moolah even from a film like Chennai Express! He might claim that movies don't mean business to him but that he is a smart businessman is not a negation. He runs a production house called Red Chillies Pvt Ltd, and owns an IPL team, Kolkata Knight Riders, along with Juhi Chawla and Jay Mehta. Recently, SRK bought stake in KidZania, an international chain of family entertainment centres. He has not only picked up 26% in the India franchise, but also promises to provide his creative input to the venture.
Karishma Kapoor
She is the latest star-entrepreneur on the block. A mommy of two, ‘Lolo’ understands a new mother’s requirements and understandably invested in a popular e-commerce portal that sells baby care and mother care products. She is the single largest investor in the business, but Karishma’s stake in the company has not been disclosed yet.