Gujarat is synonymous with dhando. The business-mindedness is etched into each citizen in Gujarat. A local vendor in Gujarat understands dhando as much as a multi-million dollar business tycoon. Interestingly, even the highest paid Gujarati celebrities like Team India all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja or actor Malhar Thakar can’t keep themselves away from dhando. In this comprehensive Gujpreneur article, we look at the famous Gujarati celebrities who have turned to entrepreneurship.
Geet Sethi
Indian snooker legend Geet Sethi has championed the world of entrepreneurship. He joined hands with India’s first-ever All England Open Badminton Championship winner Prakash Padukone to build the Olympic Gold Quest (OGQ) in 2001. The OGQ is a non-profit organization built to support Indian Olympians and Paralympians resourcefully.
With the formation of OGQ, the Ahmedabad-native brought a ray of hope for the athletes competing at the highest level. The OGQ continues to be an impactful brand for the athletes by supporting them with equipment, coaching, training, and medical assistance. Overall, thanks to the vision of Sethi and Padukone, the OGQ has supported more than 400 athletes so far across 10 Olympic and 8 Paralympic Games. Interestingly, 13 Olympians in the last four Summer Games and 35 Paralympic Games were supported by OGQ.
Sethi pursued his MBA from the B.K. School of Business Management, Gujarat University. Besides the OGQ, Sethi also runs billiards competitions. He also has a travel agency in Ahmedabad and Mumbai named Raag Travels.
Anand Gandhi
Anand Gandhi is a multi-faceted Indian filmmaker. The Ship Of Theseus director has also donned the hats of innovator, media producer, filmmaker, and entrepreneur. Each of the hats he has donned supports the others’ needs. He took a plunge into entrepreneurship by building the Mumbai-based Memesys Culture Lab. This Mumbai-based studio and innovative lab crafts its products on the outline of science, philosophy, and culture.
Under the Memesys Culture Lab, ElseVR was launched in 2015. The ElseVR is a helpful tool for filmmakers as it tells stories in VR format along with long-form journalism. 2016 Indian socio-political documentary ‘The Insignificant Man’ was produced at the studio. The startup also crowdfunded to launch SHASN, a political board game, which won the Social Impact Award at IndieCade Europe. The startup updated its last financial returns in 2021, reporting a -38.90% downturn. Since then, there has been no financial update on Anand Gandhi’s startup.
Ravindra Jadeja
Premier India all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja replaced Mohammad Kaif and Yuvraj Singh as the best fielder of the current generation. The 36-year-old has also been a handful with his spin and fielding prowess for Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the Indian Premier League (IPL).
Off the field, Jadeja is trying to leave a mark by venturing into the restaurant and hospitality business. He established ‘Jaddu’s Food Field‘ in his hometown, Rajkot, on December 12, 2012, coinciding with his birthday. His startup offers several cuisines, such as Indian, Thai, Italian, and Mexican, serving a number of delicacies. Jaddu’s Food Field is situated in Ambedkar Nagar, Nana Mava. It is one of the liveliest areas, making it one of the best spots to hang out.
However, Jadeja’s startup has not set the right example. In 2017, the restaurant was raided by the health department of Rajkot Municipal Corporation (RMC). In its raid, the RMC found a breach in the Food And Safety Standards.
“We found that they had stored the stale food on which fungus had grown in the freezer. Some vegetable were also found rotten, and the raw food items were not stored as per standards mandated by the Food Safety and Standards Act. Therefore, we destroyed some items on the spot,” Pankaj Rathod had told The Indian Express.
Jadeja’s startup has not shared its financial progress since its inception.
Hardik Pandya
In a bid to improve his brand identity, premier India all-rounder Hardik Pandya launched a performance wear collection. Named ‘Hardik Pandya’, the premium performance wear collection was introduced in July 2024. The brand reflects the 2025 Champions Trophy winner’s aura in its large range of apparel, such as shorts, vests, T-shirts, track pants, jackets, and polos.
The brand has collaborated with the FanCode Shop. Its products are priced from INR 990 to INR 2,999, making them accessible to everyone. Its revenue figures are still undisclosed, which is a common trait in such collaborations.
Malhar Thakar
Chello Divas fame, Malhar Thakar, is no stranger to the Gujarati film industry. He is among the highest-paid actors in the industry. Thakar ventured into his dhando in 2018 when he founded ‘Ticket Window Entertainment‘, a production house. 2019 movie Saheb, and 2024 productions Locha Laapsi and Unn Sawali were produced under the ‘Ticket Window Entertainment’ label. Although the revenue of this production is still not known, Thakar’s net worth stands at around $5 million.
