“Bade se bada business…paise se nahi, ek bade idea se bada hota hai!” Shahid Kapoor delivered this powerful line about starting a business in his film, Badmaash Company. Remember? Hindi cinema boasts of several characters who inspired us with their entrepreneurial journey. While some turned out to be iconic, a few of them are cherished till date. We have picked some of the best Netflix film characters to take great business ideas from.
We have watched characters like Gurukant Desai from Guru, Lakshmikant Pad Man, and many more. If you wish to pursue entrepreneurship in your career, then this is surely for you.
5 top Netflix film characters that will help you start dreaming big:
1. Abhishek Bachchan from Guru
Directed by Mani Ratnam, Guru starred Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai in the lead roles. The film also starred Mithun Chakraborty in a crucial role. The 2007 drama movie was loosely based on the life of Reliance founder, late industrialist Dhirubhai Ambani. Abhishek played the role of Gurukant Desai in Ratnam’s directorial. Born and raised in Gujarat, Gurukant dreams of achieving big in life.
Abhishek as Gurukant continues to be an inspiration for many aspiring entrepreneurs out there. Since the beginning, Guru was focused on his goals and clear about his dreams. Aishwarya was cast as his wife, Sujata Desai.
2. Rajkummar Rao from Srikanth
Starring Rajkummar Rao and Alaya F, Srikanth was released earlier this year. The biographical film was based on the life of Srikanth Bolla, the founder of Bollant Industries. Rajkummar played the titular role of Srikanth who was born visually impaired in Seetharamapuram village in Machilipatnam, Andhra Pradesh. Srikanth Bolla gained recognition after establishing his firm, Bollant Industries in 2012 and providing employment to different-abled workers.
In the film, Srikanth is rejected from the Indian Institute of Technology and is later selected as the first international visually-impaired student to study at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, United States. Rajkummar as Srikanth aced his performance and inspired the audience to believe in themselves and start their entrepreneurship journey.
3. Ranbir Kapoor from Rocket Singh: Salesman of the Year
“Risk toh Spiderman ko bhi lena padta hai…main toh phir bhi salesman hoon!” That’s how Ranbir Kapoor motivated the audience to take risks in their lives. We are talking about Rocket Singh: Salesman of the Year. Directed by Shimit Amin, the 2009 film starred Ranbir as Harpreet Singh Bedi, a B.Com graduate who aspires to make a career in the sales industry. Harpreet finds a job as a salesman in a struggling corporate sales company.
Ranbir as Harpreet realizes that the traditional methods of sales aren’t doing any wonders, so he begins focusing on making customer relationships in real life. His unconventional approach makes him the star among his colleagues. Watch Rocket Singh: Salesman of the Year to know what happens next.
4. Akshay Kumar from Pad Man
Directed by R Balki, Pad Man starred Akshay Kumar in the lead role. In the film, Akshay was cast as Lakshmikant Chauhan, who makes sanitary pads for women in rural areas. His character was based on Arunachalam Muruganantham, an entrepreneur hailing from Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu who became famous for inventing low-cost sanitary pads.
Radhika Apte played his on-screen wife, Gayatri in the 2018 film. After his newly married wife, Gayatri struggles with menstruation, he goes on a mission to create sanitary pads that are easy on pockets. Defying all odds, Akshay’s character, Lakshmi advocates for female hygiene and fights against the social stigma that comes along with menstruation in India. His journey as a ‘Pad Man’ motivates generations to fight against the taboo of periods and inspires people to come up with business ideas for the welfare of women.
Pad Man also featured Sonam Kapoor in a crucial role. Co-produced by actress-turned-author Twinkle Khanna, the social-comedy drama was released in 2018. Khanna penned Arunachalam’s journey in her book, The Legend of Lakshmi Prasad, which featured a collection of four stories.
5. Pratibha Ranta from Laapataa Ladies
Directed by Kiran Rao, Laapataa Ladies starred Sparsh Shrivastava, Nitanshi Goel, and Pratibha Ranta in the lead roles. The 2023 film showcased the story of two brides who get exchanged while travelling on a train. Pratibha plays the role of Jaya Tripathi Singh who disguises herself as Pushpa Rani in it. Her character speaks volumes of how she was able to adapt to circumstances according to the situation.
Pratibha’s character Jaya aspires to do organic farming in Dehradun, however, her parents marry her off to an abusive husband. Her role is an inspiration to many rural women who wish to start their business in agriculture. Pratibha as Jaya is determined for her career and oozes self-reliance through her journey.
Are you looking for a start-up idea or planning to start a business, watch these aforementioned movies first. They are available on Netflix.
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