Whether it’s the hustle of building a business from scratch or navigating the grey areas of ambition, these films showcase what it takes to dream big, take risks, and disrupt the system. Here are five films that captured the essence of entrepreneurship and the startup spirit in their own unique ways:
1. Rocket Singh: Salesman of the Year
Starring:Ranbir Kapoor
This cult classic follows Harpreet Singh Bedi, a fresh graduate who turns his ethical values and people-first approach into a profitable startup right under the nose of his employer. Rocket Singh celebrates moral entrepreneurship, showing that integrity can be a business strategy in itself. Trust, transparency, and treating employees as partners can be the ultimate growth hack.
2. Band Baaja Baaraat
Starring:Anushka Sharma, Ranveer Singh
From college project to a booming wedding planning venture, Band Baaja Baaraat dives into what happens when co-founders mix business with emotions. The film explores the challenges of scaling a business, handling creative differences, and maintaining professionalism.
Clear boundaries, complementary skill sets, and mutual respect are key to co-founder chemistry.
3. Aamar Boss:
Starring: Shiboprosad Mukherjee, Rakhee Gulzar
Rakhee Gulzar and Shiboprasad Mukherjee’s Aamar Boss offers a slice-of-life portrayal of a female-led startup navigating personal and professional pressures. The film subtly highlights the loneliness at the top and the invisible sacrifices founders make behind the glam of entrepreneurship.
Mental health, emotional intelligence, and work-life balance matter just as much as profit and pitch decks.
4. Guru:
Starring: Abhishek Bachchan, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan
Inspired by the life of Dhirubhai Ambani, Guru traces the journey of an ambitious villager who becomes a business magnate. The film examines the blurred lines between ambition and ethics, spotlighting what it takes to disrupt traditional markets and gain power.
5. The Big Bull:
Starring: Abhishek Bachchan, Ileana D’Cruz
Loosely based on the life of stockbroker Harshad Mehta, this film reveals how unchecked ambition and manipulation of the financial system can create (and crash) empires. While not a conventional startup story, it highlights the hunger for quick success in a booming market.
Greed can be a powerful motivator but transparency and accountability are essential for sustainability.
These films reflect different shades of entrepreneurship from passion-driven ventures to ethically grey hustles. They inspire, caution, and offer a cinematic lens into the world of startups, where the stakes are high and the dreams even higher.
