Bollywood's 10 hottest star-entrepreneurs

New Delhi: A-list celebs are taking the business world by storm with their lucrative ventures, endorsements and product lines. So in addition to acting and singing, many have turned into successful entrepreneurs.Here is a list of top ten of them: 10. Shilpa ShettyBorn in a traditional close knit Mangalorean family, Shilpa Shetty is the eldest daughter of Surendra and Sunanda Shetty. From Bollywood actress to entrepreneur and mom, it's been a rewarding journey for Shilpa Shetty. Shilpa's big ticket to stardom came in the form of UK reality show ‘Big Brother' in 2007. Shilpa entered as one the Indian celebrity inmates in the house and was initially a victim of racism. Shilpa emerged as a winner of that season and garnered instant international fame. She is known to make all the right moves – by launching a perfume and a fitness DVD and is also a partner of the IOSIS chain of spas in Mumbai. The actress, who had once dated actor Akshay Kumar, married London based entrepreneur, Raj Kundra in November 2009. The couple have approximately 11.7% stake in Rajasthan Royals cricket team in the Indian Premier League. 9. Lara Dutta Bollywood actress Lara Dutta Bhupathi has turned into an entrepreneur. The actress recently started her own production company, Bheegi Basanti, and has also launched her ‘sari' collection in association with Chabbra 555. She also has brought out a fitness DVD in her name. Lara, who gave birth to her first child, daughter Saira, says she has attempted to make the collection affordable and appealing to the middle class segment. 8. Ronit Roy Roy ruled the TV screens for a decade and gave several hits such as Kasautii Zindagii Kay and Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi. His success as a TV star has landed him many acting roles in films. His role of a disturbed father in Udaan gave him the Best Supporting Actor award at the 56th Filmfare Awards. Besides doing acting, Roy also runs a security agency, Ace, which offers personal protection to Shah Rukh Khan and Salman Khan, Aamir Khan and Mithun Chakraborty. 7. Arjun Rampal Actor and entrepreneur, Arjun Rampal said that you have to constantly reinvent yourself to succeed. “My ambitions changed from wanting to join the army like my grandfather to taking up merchant navy as a career to running for India and finally, investment banking while I was a student of economics honour. But during my college days I began to get offers for modelling,” he says. He has launched 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, designer Tarun Tahiliani and Rohit Bahl. Arjun also has his own event management firm called Chasing Ganesha. 6. Dipannita Sharma The model-turned-actress Dipannita Sharma delved into the unique business of renting out yachts for private parties for a lazy afternoon in the sea. Her luxurious yacht called 'Shazma' is fully equipped to host corporate gatherings, social dos and private parties. Ask her if turning business woman was a conscious decision and Sharma answers in the negative. “My only connect to business is that my husband is a businessman. And I think that I was able to pull this off only because of his encouragement,” she says. 5. Ajay Devgan Last year Ramakant J. Tibrewala of the Roha Group, Mr. Ajay Devgn and Mr. Kumar Mangat announced the completion of a 25MW Solar Plant. The Charanaka Solar Project was installed and started operating on December 31, 2011, in a record period of eight months. The state-of-the-art plant is unique in its own way and has been built using the most advanced technologies. 4. Sushmita Sen This former Miss Universe owns a jewellery retail store in Dubai, which is managed by her mother. She is also mulling opening a chain of hotels and spas under her company Sensazione. Sush has also launched her production company called Tantra Entertainment. 3. Sunil Shetty Make no mistake, Sunil Shetty is a solid entrepreneur. He admits that acting gave him the recognition and a base for his business. The 'He-Man' of Bollywood started his career with the film BALWAAN in 1992. The actor also won a Filmfare Award for Best Villain in 2001 for his film Dhadkan. The actor has produced films like Khel - no ordinary game, Rakht: what if you can see the future, Bhagam bhag and others under the banner of his production company, Popcorn Motion Pictures Ltd. A fitness freak himself, Suniel runs a number of gyms in India. He discovered his entrepreneurial side with Mischief – a series of boutiques spread across Mumbai. Shetty also runs a few restaurants in the city. 2. John Abraham Bollywood actor-producer John Abraham, whose debut production Vicky Donor won accolades at the National Film Awards, received the Creative Entrepreneur of the Year title at the seventh edition of NDTV Profit's Business Leadership Awards. John, a well-known fitness freak may soon 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. 1. Shahrukh Khan Undoubtedly, Shah Rukh Khan is boardroom Badhshah. Over the years he has self funded a business group that covers films, sports and entertainment. 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 per cent in the India franchise, but also promises to provide his creative input to the venture.

Bollywood's 10 hottest star-entrepreneurs

New Delhi: A-list celebs are taking the business world by storm with their lucrative ventures, endorsements and product lines. So in addition to acting and singing, many have turned into successful entrepreneurs.Here is a list

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