Meet the women managers behind Bollywood stars
2:32 PM
Posted by Fenil Seta

From SRK to Akshay Kumar, Sonakshi Sinha to Shilpa Shetty Kundra — these women manage the stars, their schedules and everything in between
Text by Rishabh Suri (HINDUSTAN TIMES; March 8, 2025)
MALVIKA PANJABI: SONAKSHI SINHA’S MANAGER
I started working with Sonakshi in 2016. It started off as an artiste and manager relationship that turned into a friendship. Being a manager, the work never stops, pretty much everything is urgent. There are no specific weekend offs and you might end up working on a holiday. But working with her makes everything easier. The most challenging professional moment has to be around July-August of 2019 when we were shooting two films and had two releases and a reality show, all to be done in a period of two months.
ZENOBIA KOHLA: AKSHAY KUMAR’S MANAGER
I’ve been fortunate to work for the busiest man in the industry for 19 years now. The best part about my job, apart from having the best boss, is how challenging it is. Sir pushes me to be better, and I push him to do everything we can possibly do in one day, then it’s on to the next. Also, he is so disciplined in his personal and professional life, it filters down to everyone who works with him. And most importantly, he cannot work without having masti. So, we have a lot of fun while working.
KARUNA BADWAL: SHAH RUKH KHAN’S BUSINESS MANAGER AND PRODUCER AT RED CHILLIES
I will complete 19 years of working with SRK this July. From pioneering marketing strategies for Ra.One (2011) to co-producing films such as Chennai Express (2013), Happy New Year (2014), and setting up Jawan (2023), I’ve driven key business ventures and films. I played a crucial role in establishing the commercial side of Kolkata Knight Riders initially. All the initiatives were supported and mentored by him.
ANISHI SHARMA: SHILPA SHETTY KUNDRA’S MANAGER
I have been working with Shilpa for 16 years and it’s been a blessing. She was my first individual artiste as a manager. Earlier, I would have to go through her PA, but gradually there was the trust where she could call me directly. I would not call it a ‘job’ because I love doing this. Also, she has an all-women team. Both of us are mothers and she has always been supportive and understanding of my responsibilities as a mother. It is round the clock. We look out for each other. Also, it goes beyond professional.

This entry was posted on October 4, 2009 at 12:14 pm, and is filed under
Akshay Kumar,
Anishi Sharma,
Bollywood News,
Karuna Badwal,
Malvika Panjabi,
Shah Rukh Khan,
Shilpa Shetty,
Sonakshi Sinha,
Zenobia Kohla
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