“Bade se bada business…paise se nahi, I 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 appreciated till date. We have selected some of the best Netflix movie characters to take great business ideas from.
We have seen characters like Gurukant Desai from Guru, Lakshmikant Pad Man and many more. If you want to pursue entrepreneurship in your career, then this is definitely for you.
5 top Netflix movie characters to help you start dreaming big:
1. Abhishek Bachchan from Guru
Directed by Mani Ratnam, Guru starred Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai. The film also starred Mithun Chakraborty in a pivotal role. The 2007 drama film was loosely based on the life of Reliance’s founder, the late industrialist Dhirubhai Ambani. Abhishek played the role of Gurukant Desai in Ratnam’s directorial. Born and raised in Gujarat, Gurukant dreams of achieving great things in life.
Abhishek as Gurukant continues to be an inspiration to many aspiring entrepreneurs out there. Since the beginning, Guru was focused on his goals and aware of 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 starred as Srikanth, who was born visually impaired in Seetharamapuram village in Machilipatnam, Andhra Pradesh. Srikanth Bolla gained recognition after establishing his company Bollant Industries in 2012 and providing employment to differently-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, USA. Rajkummar as Srikanth delivered his performance and inspired the audience to believe in themselves and start their entrepreneurial journey.
3. Ranbir Kapoor from Rocket Singh: Salesman of the Year
“Risk of Spiderman ko bhi lena padta hai…main toh phir bhi sell hoon!” This is how Ranbir Kapoor motivated the audience to take risks in their lives. We’re talking about Rocket Singh: Salesman of the Year. The 2009 film, directed by Shimit Amin, 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 salesperson in a struggling sales company.
Ranbir as Harpreet realizes that the traditional sales methods aren’t working wonders, so he starts focusing on creating real-life customer relationships. 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
Pad Man directed by R Balki starring Akshay Kumar. In the film, Akshay was cast as Lakshmikant Chauhan, who makes sanitary napkins for rural women. His character was based on Arunachalam Muruganantham, an entrepreneur from Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, who became famous for inventing low-cost sanitary napkins.
Radhika Apte played his on-screen wife Gayatri in the 2018 film. After his newlywed wife Gayatri struggles with periods, he goes on a mission to create pocket-friendly sanitary napkins. Akshay’s character defies all odds and Lakshmi advocates for female hygiene and fights against the social stigma attached to menstruation in India. His journey as ‘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 had Sonam Kapoor in a pivotal role. Co-produced by actress-turned-writer Twinkle Khanna, the social comedy-drama was released in 2018. Khanna chronicled Arunachalam’s journey in her book, The Legend of Lakshmi Prasad, which contained a collection of four stories.
5. Pratibha Ranta of Laapataa Ladies
Directed by Kiran Rao, Laapataa Ladies starred Sparsh Shrivastava, Nitanshi Goel and Pratibha Ranta. The 2023 film showed the story of two brides who are exchanged while traveling on a train. Pratibha plays the role of Jaya Tripathi Singh who disguises herself as Pushpa Rani in it. Her character speaks volumes about how she was able to adapt to circumstances according to the situation.
Pratibha’s character Jaya aspires to do organic farming in Dehradun, but her parents marry her off to an abusive man. Her role is an inspiration to many rural women who want to start their business in agriculture. Pratibha as Jaya is determined in her career and oozes confidence throughout her journey.
If you are looking for a start-up idea or planning to start a business, watch these aforementioned films first. They are available on Netflix.
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