Investment has become the catchword. Far more clued into financial stability than the earlier generation of actors, they are investing their cash in other businesses, ranging from real estate to restaurant chains.
Only a handful choose to pump money exclusively into films, like Aamir Khan, whose three products Peepli Live, Dhobi Ghat and Delhi Belly under his banner, released in 2010. Determined to market these medium-budget films skilfully, Aamir had even announced that he would not be acting in any movie after 3 Idiots, for the next two years, unless, of course, a project takes his breath away. Reema Kagti’s cop thriller, tentatively titled Dhuan, obviously did.
Evidently, today’s actors have wised up. Of yesteryear’s stars, Pradeep Kumar, Bharat Bhushan, Ruby Myers, the dancing sensation Kuku who mentored Helen, Chitra who was Jane to the desi Tarzan in Zimbo, died unsung and in extenuating circumstances. Meena Kumari was in dire straits after separating from K. Amrohi. Ashok Kumar had to re-start his career from scratch on being duped by his secretary.
Now guided by their wealth managers and their own business instincts, B-town’s acting community is looking at means to make their earnings grow. Salman Khan, in particular, has started looking for property to invest in and build high-rises in Mumbai, where space is the most lucrative commodity going.
Recent reports say that he has sold his apartments in a swishy high-rise of Worli to invest in other properties. The actor’s father, Salim Khan, is known to be extremely business savvy. During his partnership with Javed Akhtar, it was Salim Khan who was the sharp negotiator with producers.
At one juncture, Shah Rukh Khan was spending more time handling his IPL cricket team Kolkata Knight Riders than on his film-related work, explaining the decline in his acting assignments over the last six years. If trade tattle is to be believed, he owns cushy pieces of property in London.
His wife, Gauri Khan, invests substantially in art and has an awesome collection of paintings by all the eminent artists of India. The art collection, however, is not meant as a business opportunity but only to satisfy Gauri’s artistic sensibilities. SRK diversified towards the production of TV programmes and serials not with earth-shaking results though, besides channelising funds into offices which house his editing and special-effects equipment.
“No, I don’t have a head for anything but films,” Anil Kapoor says, explaining the 24x7 buzz at his tastefully-appointed office in Juhu. On the other hand his wife, Sunita, was among the first to start a chain of gymnasiums, besides occasionally dabbling in the jewellery, art and antique trade.
Dimple Kapadia had a thriving business in designer candles, which were sold at all the high-end boutiques of India and London. She gave this up to look after her ailing sister Simple, who passed away two years ago of a terminal illness. Dimple returned to marketing candles, and in secret, is also learning to be a painter. Her canvases depict women in myriad moods but the actress is notoriously shy of exhibiting them.
Incidentally, Salman Khan’s paintings could guarantee him a lifelong cash balance. Sridevi is a painter, too, but has not made a splash yet, as her work is simplistic. Or is she hiding the canvases of some depth?
A health food shop in Bandra, initiated by Chunky and his wife Bhavna Panday, had to shut shop. Suniel Shetty’s dining place, Mischief, didn’t last either. Ameesha Patel’s bid to serve tandoor and spicy cuisine at an eatery called Fireplace, also backfired. Bobby Deol’s Some Place Else has vanished from the news, after being splashed all over the newspapers half a dozen years ago. Meanwhile his wife, Tanya, continues to look after a successful furniture business. Sussanne Hrithik Roshan specialises in the interior decoration of homes of well-heeled clients, a metier inherited from her mother Zarine Khan. Her store, Charcoal Project, attracts a well-heeled clientele.
Lap, the Arjun Rampal-partnered lounge bar in New Delhi, rocks on. Nana Patekar owns sprawling gardens in the rural stretches and supplies roses and marigolds to the city’s flower markets. Perizaad Zorabian, who occasionally shows up in offbeat films, manages a poultry farm.
John Abraham, since years, has aspired to start a media group or a magazine, besides establishing a company for event management. Bipasha Basu is into keep-your-body-fit videos, Shilpa Shetty sells yoga to the world much like Rekha in her heyday introduced the concept of aerobics to India.
The Bachchan family are keen investors in land and property but play their cards carefully since every breath Amitabh Bachchan takes seems to spark a controversy. Preity Zinta placed a sizeable amount of her money on the IPL cricket team, King’s XI Punjab. Meanwhile she is seeking to re-kick her acting career.
Obvious Bollywood actors have learnt that it is prudent today to drive carefully all the way to the bank. After all, a blockbuster or a flop may just be lurking around the corner, in a business that’s like the boardgame of snakes and ladders.