International Women’s Day 2024: Richa Chadha to Sonakshi Sinha, actors who turned entrepreneurs | Exclusive 

Richa Chadha, Sonakshi Sinha, Sunny Leone Pic/Instagram

Women across the world have come a long way when it comes to running successful businesses. Some call our kind boss ladies while others patronise, and say we're "difficult to work with." Women as entrepreneurs have overcome challenges at workplaces that are even more complex than a 16-course meal. You don't get to ask them what they're bringing to the table, because boy, they've bought that table! Take for instance actors who have ventured beyond glitz and glamour. They exclusively speak to mid-day.com on achieving this feat.

Richa Chadha - Pushing Buttons Studios

We haven't really opened a production house but a small creator studio under which we hope to make interesting films, series, documentaries, and shows. But the primary driving motivation was to be more involved in the whole process of the creation of art, stories, and projects than just being an actor. We've been lucky our first film won two brilliant awards at Sundance, so we are very thankful that it's worked out. Both Ali (Fazal) and I have been acting in the Hindi film industry, and Ali also in the West for a long time, and we are just putting the lessons we've learned to good use in this manner. It is challenging any day to mount an independent film because of the way the distribution models exist in India, especially now when it's harder to make a smaller film as compared to a big-budget film with big stars. First, we want to break the bank then we will break barriers. In any case, if a film is successful or it's not a loss that in itself is a huge achievement and we are at that point where we will start looking at films to be financially viable first.

Sunny Leone - Star Struck

I wanted to endorse a cosmetic company, and the brand didn't allow that due to the complexity of my image. We decided to open one, to learn the business of cosmetics, and because it was a space that I enjoyed and understood, we invested time to learn everything about it, and continue to learn even today. Five years later, it's been an amazing journey. It is a massive segment and there's a lot of competition. So, for us, building a brand that can sustain but also concentrate on product quality and formulation quality is the key point. There's lots of ups and downs. I think women can achieve anything, they're good or better than any man. It is about your capabilities, it is about your hustle. It is about your desire to learn and achieve, and I thoroughly believe that. A woman is capable of anything, and there is no such thing as a barrier.

Sonakshi Sinha - Soezi

When my partner Srishti Raai approached me with the idea of press on nails, I was instantly drawn to it because beauty and grooming are such a big part of my career as an actor. Nails have always been a pain point for me while completing any look so when I experienced the ease that press on nails offered, I knew this was something I wanted other women to feel as well. We identified a gap in the market and the fact that there were no mainstream players in the Indian market specialising in press on nails, we jumped in. At the start, the biggest challenges are to find the right people, set the right systems in place, and balance so many different threads. It's also switching to a different gear with daily business and decisions. I think we are breaking many barriers outside of just gender, being an actor and entrepreneur, not being a full-time entrepreneur, and also having fun growing a business (not just doing it for the business of it). I want to show that women can start, grow and scale successful ventures, which, we are starting to see more of now. I also want to show how businesses are run and that creativity, empathy, and passion are superpowers.

Gabriella Demetriades - Deme

I felt there was a gap for premium women's wear, especially cocktail and party wear. Internationally there are many successful brands in this category and I wanted to make that available in India and be a premium women's fashion brand to emerge from India on a global scale. It takes years to get the right people on board. I also feel like production that is not mass is not easy. Also having the gumption to stick with bad days and months is something not everyone can do. I've been brought up to be as equal as any man so I don't see any difference between men and women in business. I know there are some misconceptions about women in business which are just preconceived notions and I think women are breaking those daily.

Simple Kaul - 1BHK, Que Sera Sera, Sorozai, Baoji Asian Home, The Homemade Cafe & Bar

I'm blessed to have partners like Aditi Malik, Vatsala Rajeev Raj, Ankit Anand, and Suraj Shetty. Aditi, Vatsala, and I have always been friends, so women entrepreneurs doing it together is a different experience. Hello, we are running a bar right now and people think women can't do that because you have to go at night and you have to look into a lot of technical things. I think a woman can do anything and everything if she puts her heart and soul into it. I want to break that stereotypical type of thinking.