Dating apps to luxury water: Bollywood’s wildest business bets

Hyderabad: Bollywood celebrities know how to sell dreams on screen, but some of their real-life businesses are even more dramatic than their films. From dating apps and luxury water to NFTs, vegan meat and teleshopping, these ventures show that fame can create attention, but not always big profits.

What Is Karan Johar’s Dating App Elevn?

Karan Johar, one of Bollywood’s most famous romantic filmmakers, entered the dating business with Elevn. The app was promoted as a women-led dating platform, where women have more control in the matchmaking process.

The idea sounded interesting because Karan Johar has built his film career around love stories. But the business side caught more attention after startup data screenshots claimed that Elevn’s annual revenue was only Rs. 52,600 as on March 31, 2025. Another report said online dating platforms in India have attracted 21 million USD in funding to date, but the sector peaked in 2015 and slowed down later.

Bhumi Pednekar’s Rs. 200 Water Bottle

Bhumi Pednekar and her sister Samiksha launched Backbay, a premium mineral water brand. The brand became a talking point because a 750 ml bottle was priced at Rs. 200. When many people questioned the pricing, Bhumi called it accessible, which made the internet react even more.

Anushka Sharma’s NUSH Controversy

Anushka Sharma

launched her clothing brand NUSH with a lot of excitement. She spoke about being involved in the design process, but soon after launch, some designs were accused of looking similar to products from Chinese websites. Later, the manufacturing partner took responsibility and said Anushka was not involved in that part.

Amitabh Bachchan’s NFT Business

Amitabh Bachchan also joined the NFT trend. His digital collectibles reportedly earned crores, but later he also faced a tax notice related to the sale.

Celebrity Businesses That Worked Better

Some ideas were more practical. Riteish Deshmukh and Genelia D’Souza launched Imagine Meats, a plant-based meat brand with Indian flavours like kebab and biryani. Priyanka Chopra’s Anomaly also gained attention for its recycled plastic packaging and global haircare positioning.

Best Deal TV And Legal Trouble

Best Deal TV was promoted as India’s first celebrity teleshopping channel. It had big names linked to it, including Shilpa Shetty, Raj Kundra and Akshay Kumar during its launch phase. Later, Shilpa and Raj faced a cheating case linked to the company, though they denied the allegations.

In the end, Bollywood businesses are entertaining because sometimes the idea is smart, sometimes it becomes a meme, and sometimes the real drama starts after the launch.