From Samantha to Deepika; list of business ventures owned by the leading ladies of the film industryGone are the times where only male actors have diverse financial portfolios. Today, the talented actresses in the Indian film industry are not only making their own way by taking up substantial female lead roles but are also ruling the roost with women-centric scripts and even financing good content films and web series. Their entrepreneurial spirit is not just restricted to the cinema, they’re foraying into the real business world as well. Here are some of the leading ladies who are literally changing the game and leveraging their fame to carve a niche in Indian and International commerce too.1. Samantha Ruth PrabhuFew years into the industry, the popular actress has upped her fashion game by experimenting with her sense of style and soon established her identity as a fashionista. In 2020, she turned her love for fashion into a business idea with Saaki – a fashion label and women’s wear brand that everyone can have access to. Then in 2022, Samantha contributed seed round capital for an exclusive e-commerce marketplace for sustainable products, called SustainKart. Intending to build a community of self-taught children, Samantha even co-founded a pre-school and early learning centre called Ekam, with a vision to make it prominent in the sphere of pre-primary education. 2. NayantharaThe ‘Lady Superstar’ has launched her own lip care brand called The Lip Balm Company (TLBC) in partnership with dermatologist Dr. Renita Rajan in December 2021. With over 100 variants of lip balms, it claims to have the world's largest lip balm collection. In addition to TLBC, Nayanthara has also invested in a native beverage brand in Quick Service Restaurants (QSR) industry, named Chai Waale. Earlier in 2022, there were reports of the actress making a huge investment in a UAE-based firm that deals in the crude oil business, but nothing concrete came out since then. If it turns out to be true, then Nayanthara will probably make her place in the list of emerging business women.3. Rashmika Mandanna The ‘National Crush’ made an undisclosed investment in the D2C vegan startup called Plum, which is based in Maharashtra. Additionally, Mandanna joined the firm as its brand ambassador as part of the agreement.4. Tamannaah BhatiaThe Baahubali actress entered the world of entrepreneurship by investing in SUGAR Cosmetics and becoming an equity partner in the cosmetic company. She was also seen in the brand’s advertisement along with Bollywood superstar Ranveer Singh and the company’s founder and Shark Tank India’s judge Vineeta Singh.Tamannaah, who also has a penchant for unique jewellery, along with her father Santhosh Bhatia, has unveiled a jewellery brand called Wite & Gold in 2015. She has turned a designer for her family-owned business venture.5. Rakul Preet Singh Working across multiple industries and juggling between her professions, both as an actor and a businessman, Rakul Preet Singh is busier than a bee. She invested in and launched an app called Starring You, to support and provide a platform for aspiring artists to find opportunities. Comparing the app to LinkedIn, but only for the film industry, she said, “Things would have been different if there was an app like this during my debut. Possibly, we didn't have to stand in queues to audition. We would know what the requirements were… We thought ‘well, the world is digitising and why can we not make it accessible for everyone to actually access the film industry?’ and that's how the whole idea began.” The actress-turned-entrepreneur has previously invested in various wellness and health startups and owns a chain of functional training gyms in Hyderabad called F45. Recently, she also invested in Wellbeing Nutrition, to encourage more people to adopt a nutrition-focused lifestyle.6. Kajal AggarwalHolding a Bachelor’s degree in Mass Media with a specialisation in marketing & advertising, Kajal Aggarwal dreamed of becoming a businesswoman long before she turned an actress. She is the first investor in the Series A funding round of the direct-to-consumer ayurveda brand, The Ayurveda Company.The actress also invested in a sustainable, baby and mother care brand called Kare & Karess along with her husband Gautam Kitchlu, in partnership with fashion designer Shilpa Reddy and entrepreneur Kanthi Dutt. Besides, Kajal also started a home decor business named Kitched along with her husband; owns a jewellery brand named Marsala, which she co-founded along with her sister Nisha Aggarwal, and bought a 15% stake in a gaming platform called Okie Gaming, which is a subsidiary of Okie Ventures.7. Alia Bhatt The 29-year-old actress is a novice entrepreneur but has made some remarkable business choices. She launched a sustainable clothing brand for kids called Ed-a-Mamma in October 2020 and has expanded it by introducing maternity wear. In the same year, the actress also invested an undisclosed amount in the e-commerce website for beauty, wellness & fashion, and the first Indian unicorn startup – Nykaa. Alia also picked up a stake in the fashion startup StyleCracker founded by her personal stylist Archana Walavalkar, and has backed Phool.co, a D2C company that collects floral wastes and recycles them into incense products. Talking about her investment choices, the famously known ‘humanpreneur’ said, “I invest in people. I am a storyteller. I feel if your story is good and told the right way, the consumer or the audience will buy. I invest in a story, and if the story is right, the numbers will follow.”8. Deepika PadukoneOne of the highest-paid actresses in the Indian film industry, Deepika has made a mark not just with her acting prowess, but the fashion icon’s aspiration to become a player in the domain of Indian start-ups is just inspirational. Besides her own newly launched skincare brand 82°E, in 2022, the actress also owns KA Enterprises, along with her father and ace badminton player Prakash Padukone. Through KA Enterprises, she has invested in a bunch of start-ups including Epigamia (FMCG), FrontRow (Ed-tech), BluSmart (Electric Taxis), Super Tails (For Pets), Bellatrix Aerospace (Space Tech), an online furniture rental platform Furlenco, and a beauty products marketplace Purplle.When asked about why she chose to become an investor, she said, “The risk, the excitement, the opportunity to bring out some sort of positive impact and to be a part of something that I’ll be proud of.”9. Kriti SanonThe Adipurush actress forayed into the business world by floating a fitness startup and a wellness brand called The Tribe, which she co-founded along with the trainers and entrepreneurs Anushka Nandani, Karan Sawhney and Robin Behl. Kriti Sanon shared that her fitness journey began after her film Mimi, and she had to lose 15 kilograms for the movie and that inspired her to invest in the venture. The Tribe provides in-studio and online, group and personal training sessions, wellness workshops, customised diet plans and more.10. Shraddha KapoorThe Saaho actress has equity in 4 big brands across various categories. Shraddha has invested in the beauty and cosmetics brand – MyGlamm; the luxury furnishing brand – Bella Casa; the healthy beverages brand Shunya, which is a flagship of Naturedge Beverages Pvt Ltd, and the healthcare brand Power Gummies.All these ‘Angels’ turning into ‘Investors’ once again reassures that the film industry is a ‘haven’ for people to realise their big dreams. When actresses, especially, thrive and succeed not just in show business, but also in improving the lives of people in the real world, it gives wings to every little girl harbouring ‘impossible’ dreams to think that everything is possible if one chooses to work hard for it.