Anushka Sharma: An Instinctive Entrepreneur

Anushka Sharma is among the most popular and most highly paid actors in India. She has received several awards, including a Filmfare Award. Some reports peg her annual income at over Rs 26 crore and her net worth at over Rs 220 crore, but that is not the only reason why she finds her way into BW Businessworld’s list of the Most Influential Women. Apart from being a brand ambassador for many products and supporting various charities and causes, including those for gender equality and animal rights, Sharma is also, as she says, “an instinctive entrepreneur”. 

Sharma made her acting debut opposite Shah Rukh Khan in the highly successful romantic film Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi (2008) and rose to prominence with Yash Raj Films romances, like Band Baaja Baarat (2010) and Jab Tak Hai Jaan (2012). Sharma is married to Indian cricket team captain Virat Kohli. 

Clean Slate Films
Anushka Sharma and her brother and producer,  Karnesh Sharma, co-founded the production company Clean Slate Films in 2014. The venture produces and distributes cinema and introduces new talent and fresh content to Indian audiences. “As a producer, I wanted Clean Slate Films to stand out with every project even while thoroughly entertaining and engaging audiences. I have always looked to push the envelope as a producer and I feel I have managed to do that because I have also been an artist who has closely seen the changing landscape of Indian cinema,” recalls Sharma. 

At the age of 25, when actresses are considered to be in their prime, Sharma took a leap of faith despite being cautioned by several people. She was told actresses begin venturing into other areas like production only later on in their careers when roles start drying up. But she went ahead to create her own production house and it is a successful venture.

“ I was 25, I had no knowledge of producing films and I didn’t know what I was getting into, but I knew that I had to do it because I wanted to give audiences cinema that Bollywood was not making. I tried to make the stereotyped non-mainstream cinema, mainstream cinema and today when I see the content that is being produced in India now, I feel validated by my decision,” she says, looking back. 

Clean Slate Films creates feature films, Web series and television serials. It has produced three films, including NH10. “I was told by practically everyone that I shouldn’t be getting into production and that an actress should focus on cementing her place in the big league than have distractions like this,” says Sharma. 

“I had always been a secure actor and these comments didn’t bother me. In fact, these comments only made my resolve stronger that I had to take down many ceilings and we owe it to audiences to give them creative choices to choose from. I’m proud of what Clean Slate Films has achieved so far and the journey has only begun,” says Sharma.  

Restless Entrepreneur
Anushka Sharma also owns the apparel line, Nush, that creates stylish clothes for women. NUSH is a reflection of Sharma’s personal style, which is comfortable and high on the fashion quotient. NUSH adapts high street styles to create outfits that woman can wear everyday – be it for a coffee with friends, a cocktail party, to office or to college, utilising fabrics like cottons, crepes, georgettes, denims, and knits. 

“My decision to start NUSH was also equally instinctive. I have closely followed how fashion forward India’s youth have become over the years and I wanted to cater to their evolving style preferences by giving them a brand that speaks to their aesthetics,” says Sharma. “I wanted to build a brand that effortlessly connects with them and understands their style choices. NUSH has been evolving over the years,” Sharma says, adding, “it’s growing with India’s changing fashion palette and I’m proud of the brand’s journey so far.”

Sharma has always been attracted to the idea of doing something on her own, whether it’s modelling, acting, supporting a cause or being a producer. “I have been a restless and an instinctive entrepreneur. I have only done things that have appealed to my core and have made me want to disrupt the status quo,” she says. 

Sharma, who completed a decade in the Hindi film industry in 2018, calls herself an “accidental actor”. The star of blockbuster films like PK and Sultan says she had never planned to become an actor, let alone start producing films. And now she juggles her acting career, brand endorsements, production house and fashion label.  

“I have been a restless and an instinctive entrepreneur. I have only done things that have appealed to my core and has made me want to disrupt the status quo,” says Anushka Sharma.