Bollywood celebrities foray into new ventures

Star value of Bollywood celebrities adds to the appeal of marketing campaigns. But when the celebrity himself is the promoter, it becomes more than just marketing. 

A bunch of Hindi film actors such as Lara Dutta, Neha Dhupia, Ajay Devgn, Sanjay Dutt, Shilpa Shetty and Bipasha Basu is taking fancy to offbeat and alternative business ventures ranging from lingerie line to real estate and investing in solar power project.

Lara Dutta plans to launch designer shoe collection

The latest celebrity to join the race is former Miss Universe, Lara Dutta. She has charted plans to launch her designer shoe collection next year. The venture would offer high-end, limited edition products, ladies' casual to formal wear including stilettos, sandals and sports shoes. "I have a fetish for shoes and have about 1,000 pairs of sandals and shoes. We are in talk with a reputed international footwear brand and will launch it early next year," said Dutta, refusing to share more details on the tieup. She already has couple of fitness DVD 'Heal with Lara' in association with Reliance Home Video to her credit. Globosport, a company run by her husband, will help in marketing the shoe brand in India. Lara is not alone.

Neha Dhupia takes e-commerce route

Neha Dhupia has taken the e-commerce route launching herstyle.in, a portal dedicated to women lingerie. "I have always felt that shoppers are extremely shy when it comes to buying lingerie," said Dhupia, who will soon launch a portal for designer shoes. Dhupia, who has a huge collection of designer shoes, mostly picked up from abroad, is personally involved in selecting the designs and products that are showcased online. Akshay Kumar plans to launch a chain of restaurants Filmstar Akshay Kumar plans to launch a chain of restaurants in and around Toronto, Canada. Kumar has a huge fan following among the Punjabi people and as everyone knows, there is a sizeable number of Punjabis in Toronto," said a person, having direct knowledge of the development. Kumar could not be reached for comment. Brand consultant says these initiatives helps to increase the shelf life of celebrities. "The success or failure of the product will depend on the success of celebrities' career and how they associate themselves with the brands. Having a celebrity involved in a business creates instant buzz, but the brands need to be an extension of the celebrity's personality," said Prathish Nair, brand consultant at Bangalore-based Transcend Consulting.

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