Bollywood celebs who funded their acting aspirations

In an era of cross-functionality, not many Bollywood celebs have been spared by the acting bug. Filmmakers have often moved on to the other side of the camera while musicians rest their vocal chords to put their acting talent to test. While for some, the crossover has been rather sudden, a few others, who are quite well known in their respective fields, made a conscious effort to make the switch. The latter category includes several celebs who do not mind funding their acting aspirations.

Take for example Himesh Reshammiya. The musician-turned-actor will be seen in two of his upcoming productions Heeriye and Guns N Roses. The latter will roll this August in Greece. Known for his hit compositions and nasal voice, Himesh faced the camera for the first time in 2007 with Aap Kaa Suroor. Till now, he has starred in eight films, of which he produced two - The Xpose and Damadamm. In case of the former, he had invested somewhere around R20-25 crore and the latter cost him Rs 7-8 crore. Overall, he managed to recover Rs 20 crore for both films. He had also co-produced Khiladi 789 in which he was seen alongside Akshay Kumar and Asin.

hitlist points out a few Bollywood celebs who not only invested in projects but also starred in them, and met with moderate to meagre success…

Himesh Reshammiya

Money invested: Rs 27-33crore
Overall, he managed to recover only R20 crore for both films

Ameesha Patel

After a dream debut opposite Hrithik Roshan in Kaho Na… Pyaar Hai (2000), the actress has featured in close to three dozen films. She turned producer last year with Desi Magic, in which she had a double role.
Money invested: Rs 15crore
As co-producer of the film, she expended R15 crore, say sources, adding that she couldn't succeed in winning back even 30 per cent of it.

Sachiin Joshi

The entrepreneur made his acting debut in 2011 with Aazaan and then went on to produce one more film, Jackpot, in which he was cast opposite Sunny Leone.
Money invested: Rs 50crore
The actor has put in approximately Rs 50 crore on his films till now, but has hardly been able to recover Rs 10 crore.

Kunal Kohli

He has hit films like Fanaa and Hum Tum to his credit and will make his acting debut with his upcoming production, Phir Se.
Money invested: Rs 2-3crore
He has spent nearly Rs 2-3 crore on the project, and if one includes the publicity campaign, it will come to around Rs 10 crore.

Kamaal R Khan

He made the forgettable Deshdrohi in 2008 on a small budget. He is said to be still working on a sequel which for which Vivek Oberoi was being considered to replace KRK.
Money invested: Rs 3-4crore
The monetary recovery was negligible and what he really earned was criticism.

Anuj Saxena

Having acted in more than 10 television serials, he produced and acted in Chase (2010) and Paranthe Wali Gali (2014).
Money invested: Rs 30crore
After putting in Rs 20 crore for Chase (shot in foreign locations), he halved the stake for Paranthe. But he has recovered only Rs 5 crore for both films combined.

Mika Singh

The maverick singer crossed over to acting with Loot (2011) and was again seen in Balwinder Singh Famous Ho Gaya last year, which he himself produced.
Money invested: Rs 10-11crore
Mika is said to have invested a total of R10-11 crore for the film, but barely got anything back.

Lara Dutta

The former beauty queen got her acting break with Andaaz (2003) and featured in 33 other films. She was seen in her maiden production venture, Chalo Dilli, which starred the likes of Vinay Pathak and Akshay Kumar and did average business at the box office. She is likely to feature in the sequel to the movie tentatively titled Chalo China.
Money invested: Rs 10crore
Lara was able to recover 70 to 80 per cent of the total Rs 10 crore that she spent on the film.