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Bollywood's young hot-shot producers

Last updated on: August 4, 2010 14:20 IST

Image: Rhea Kapoor

The very word Producer brings to mind an image of an overweight man counting bagfuls of money.

But things are changing in Bollywood. Not just are all the top actors and actresses turning producer, but more and more youngsters are also entering the field -- a lot of them young women.

Here's a look at some young talents poised to make a mark as producers:

Rhea Kapoor

Anil Kapoor's daughter Rhea might be a star-kid, but the striking 23-year-old has absolutely no inclination in becoming an actor.

She turns producer soon with her upcoming Aisha, and Rhea's been brave enough to make her debut with a first-time director Rajshree Ojha.

Based on Jane Austen's Emma, the film stars Rhea's elder sister Sonam opposite Abhay Deol, and the music by Amit Trivedi is already making waves.

 

 

 

Soundarya Rajnikanth

Image: Soundarya Rajnikanth

The Superstar's daughter is an accomplished graphic designer, and while just 26, has already worked on many Tamil films, most famously Anbe Aaruyire.

 

Currently, she's directing Sultan: The Warrior, a heavily anticipated animated film starring her legendary father in the lead, but that's not all.

 

Her first production was the successful January release Goa, directed by Venkat Prabhu and co-produced by none other than Warner Brothers.

 

Clearly this young woman knows what she wants, and has her sights impressively set on the big prize.

Ambika Hinduja

Image: Ambika Hinduja

Daughter of industrialist Ashok Hinduja, the youngest of the four Hinduja brothers, Ambika branched away from the family business and into film production.

 

After studying at the London Film School, Hinduja assisted on Subhash Ghai's Yaadein and worked on Farhan Akhtar's Lakshya before launching her own production house, Serendipity Films.

 

Her banner backed the offbeat Being Cyrus and Teen Patti, and now she has reportedly bagged the Hindi remake rights for Telugu superhit Yemaya Chesave.

Pooja Shetty Deora

Image: Pooja Shetty Deora
Photographs: Pradeep Bandekar

Producer Manmohan Shetty's daughter -- and Milind Deora's wife -- Pooja has just had her first Hindi release, and what a success it is.

 

Walkwater Films' Tere Bin Laden is the multiplex success of the season, a mid-budget starless film playing to packed houses across the metros and reveling in great reviews throughout.

 

Pooja's first production was a Marathi film, Rita, in 2009, and the young producer now plans to take some out to focus on the next script that really appeals to her.

 

There is a novel she plans to adapt, but has wisely refused to divulge details of the project till things fall into place.

Amita Mangat

Image: Amita Mangat

Daughter of the self-made Kumar Mangat, producer of films like Omkara, You, Me Aur Hum and No Smoking, Amita started out as an actress.

 

She made her debut in Haal-E-Dil, opposite Shekhar Suman's son Adhyayan, and while she didn't sign any films immediately afterward, she followed in her father's footsteps and turned producer.

 

Her first production Atithi Tum Kub Jaoge was one of the year's first hits. Now the illustrious youngster says she will continue both producing and acting, and will next be seen acting in Priyadarshan's Garam Hawa, alongside Ajay Devgn and Bipasha Basu.

Madhu Mantena Varma

Image: Madhu Mantena Varma

A relative of filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma, Madhu Mantena chose not to start his production career with any of Ramu's films. Instead, his first production was the monumentally successful Aamir Khan starrer, Ghajini.

 

His next release was Ramu's film on the media, Rann, and while that might not have done well, his next projects look potentially interesting.

 

There's Abbas Tyrewala's 1800-Love, starring John Abraham, and a film called Autograph currently doing the rounds of the festival circuit.

 

His latest film Mausam, Pankaj Kapur's directorial debut featuring son Shahid alongside Sonam Kapoor, currently being shot in Scotland.

Elahe Hiptoola

Image: Elahe Hiptoola

Nagesh Kukunoor's exotically named partner is a frequent collaborator on his projects. And she does a lot of things aboard the Kukunoor express, to be sure.

 

Elahe designed costumes for Iqbal, was an assistant director on Teen Deewarein, both films in which she had a small acting role -- just like she's had in Hyderabad Blues, Bollywood Calling and Hyderabad Blues 2.

 

It is as a producer, however, that Elahe is most vital, playing that part in numerous Nagesh projects right from 1999s Rockford to 2009s 8x10 Tasveer.

Ritesh Sidhwani

Image: Ritesh Sidhwani

An old friend of Farhan Akhtar, Ritesh made his production debut with Akhtar's directorial debut -- with the groundbreaking Dil Chahta Hai.

 

The film was a sensation, one that changed the look of Hindi cinema, and the duo haven't looked back since.

 

After DCH, Ritesh has produced Lakshya, Don and AIDS short Positive for Farhan, while also producing Honeymoon Travels Pvt Ltd, Rock On, Luck By Chance and Karthik Calling Karthik under his increasingly successful banner, Excel Entertainment.

 

Coming up is Zoya Akhtar's multistarrer, Zindagi Milegi Na Dobara, starring Katrina Kaif, Kalki Koechlin, Hrithik Roshan and Farhan.