Forbes India W-Power 2024: Why actor-turned-entrepreneur Kriti Sanon feels she’s at the best stage of her career

Kriti Sanon, actor, Hyphen, The Tribe, co-founder of Blue Butterfly Films Photography: Mexy Xaveir; Wardrobe: Joanna Andraos; Jewelry: Notendas Jewelers Footwear: Christian Louboutin.Style: Aneesha Jain; Collaboration: Naviksha Jain, Muskan Jain
IDuring a normal weekday meeting, Kriti Sanon received a call from an unknown number from Delhi. As she answered, she heard a voice from the other side saying that Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur wanted to speak to her. He said to Sanon, “You won the National Award (Best Actress) for Mimi.” The actor couldn’t believe it. “I’ll never forget the pride I saw in their eyes when I told her parents. I think it was the best feeling ever,” she says.

rear Mimi (2021), Sanon has been looking for roles that challenge him as an artist in films such as; Vidya, Ganapas and Adipurush. Last year, she expanded her own horizons, winning her first National Award and launching her skin care brand ‘Hyphen’. This year, she already has a release lined up —teri burton main aisa urja ziya— with Shahid Kapoor, who did well at the box office. She also has two films in the pipeline. crewa thriller starring Tabu and Kareena Kapoor Khan. De PatieShe is co-producing it for Netflix and co-stars with Kajol.

From engineering to acting

Sanon grew up in a very academic atmosphere. Her mother was a professor and her father a certified public accountant. This meant that a lot of emphasis was placed on her education.

From an early age, she recalls: “I always wanted to give my 100 percent in everything I did…I wanted to be great at that, and I was worried that I wasn’t.” She studied at Jaypee University of Information Technology. Earned her B.A. However, during her sophomore year of college, she tried her hand at modeling. Soon, she started receiving offers to work in television commercials. “That was the first time I realized that I enjoyed acting and being in front of the camera,” she says. At that time, she was appearing in a commercial that was being directed by filmmaker Shoojit Sircar. “He told me to practice acting and try my hand at movies,” she recalls. That changed everything. “I decided I wanted to be an actor.”

Her parents were supportive but asked her to complete her BTech and have a plan B in case her acting career didn’t work out. “They were worried,” she says. “Nothing is safe in this profession. Even after you become a part of the industry, everything changes every Friday.” Sanon moved to Mumbai with a dream, but in his first days It was difficult. “I had multiple auditions and was just waiting to hear back. I was at a stage where I didn’t know if I was going to be successful and I was nervous,” she says.

After much struggle, she made her debut in the Telegu film. 1: Nenokkadin (2014) opposite Mahesh Babu.Soon she was signed to a Hindi action film heropanti (2014) Co-starred with Tiger Shroff. Sanon won the Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut and the IIFA Award for Star Debut of the Year (Female). heropanti. She then produced another box office blockbuster, Rohit Shetty’s action comedy. dilwale (2015), starring Varun Dhawan, Shah Rukh Khan, and Kajol.But it was only after bareilly ki barfi (2017), he said that he felt that he was “starting to be recognized as an actor.” Until then, I think I only had the image of a “gorgeous girl”. ”

Mimi But it was a game changer. She said, “I got this movie at a time when I wanted to do a scene where I could really shine and play a very layered character, wanting to reach more of my potential.” I’ll tell you. Unfortunately, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the film had to be released on her OTT. “It was heartbreaking and I didn’t know if the film would get the love it deserved,” she says. Ultimately, it was very well received by audiences and critics.

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Beyond acting

In addition to launching his production company, Blue Butterfly Films, Sanon also launched a new skincare brand, Hyphen, with the founding team of mCaffeine. “With so many skin care products out there, there’s a lot of confusion about how to layer these products,” says Sanon. So she thought, “What if she combined different ingredients into one product to target multiple concerns?”

In a year, Hyphen has 11 SKUs and aims to reach a turnover of Rs 100 crore by July. “Working closely with Kriti was incredibly inspiring. Having her skin in the game is truly remarkable as it reflects her commitment and passion for the brand. ” said Vaishali Gupta, co-founder and chief growth officer at Hyphen.

The actor-turned-entrepreneur feels she is at the best stage of her career. “I feel safe right now, but at the same time I feel restless pushing myself to the next level. I want to continue to grow and evolve,” she says. Sanon wants to inspire people to dream big. She said, “I hope the girl sitting in her Patparganj thinks, ‘If she can do it, then she can do it for me.”