Leading Bollywood Ladies Turn Film Producers, as they Face the Harsh Realities of Working in the Film Business

Film industry can be a cruel place, especially when the tide turns against you. And for most women actors, that eventually happens as they grow older. With fewer film offers on hand, there are many (who see it coming) turn producers, so that they can battle the slow-down that would eventually happen to most female stars (for established male actors, the peak time usually run longer).

Also Read: In Bollywood, older heroines head to the graveyard (almost)

However, in recent years, several younger actors have also been donning the producers role. Some do it to prove that, besides acting, they have other skills too, some do it because they naturally have the knack for doing business, while some are just planning for the future (call insecure).

Kareena Kapoor Khan, Sonam Kapoor, Sonakshi Sinha and Sunny Leone are some of the leading ladies who have turned producers and will be lending their names to films.

• Of late, Kareena has been facing stiff competition from the younger lot, and is no longer the numero uno that she used to be at one point of time.
• Sonam Kapoor & Sonakshi Sinha have strong filmi background, with solid background in film production.
• Sunny Leone has been producing films for a long time (her husband takes care of most of it)
• Anushka Sharma has already produced a film, and probably is planning for the future
• Actress Dia Mirza moved away from the limelight long back, and is also producing few movies.

Trade analyst’s say that one of the reasons that actors take to production is because having their name as the producer increases the saleability of the film.

Either these actors sell the film to an external studio (who takes care of the funds) or they will enter a joint venture with a studio. The budget of the film includes the cost of production and the actor’s fee. There is also profit sharing once the film is released.

Another benefit of being the producer is that the actors get to keep the profit to themselves, which is only possible if they produce the film.