Actor Sanjay Dutt who recently launched an alcoholic beverage brand called Glenwalk said that it is always better to expand beyond films.
The Bollywood star had earlier this year invested in a sneaker brand called DawnTown and has now started a new venture called Cartel that owns the brand Glenwalk.
"It is always good to expand beyond films. It’s always good to invest in startup companies and give them a chance to grow. It’s very important I think. And that’s what we have done. Have backed the sneaker company and now Cartel. Similarly, I can look at backing a clothing brand or software and education. There are so many categories," Dutt told Moneycontrol.
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On the growing startup space, Dutt said that the kids these kids are innovative but lack funds. "If we can fund them, then their companies will grow."
While he said that he is not an entrepreneur and it is his wife and his partners that look at money matters, the actor pointed out that he would be ready to back a business if it has an interesting approach. He also added that before investing in a new venture he looks at whether the company caters to the masses.
The actor said that for Glenwalk it was the price point that caught his attention. At Rs 1,550, he said that there is no imported scotch available in the market and through Cartel they wanted to bring a blend of scotch whisky at reasonable pricing.
Along with Dutt who is a partner at Cartel and Bros, the company has four other partners including Manesh Sani and Mokksh Sani of Living Liquidz which is a liquor retail chain in India; Jittin Merani of Drinq bar academy; and Rohan Nihalani, the owner of Morgan Beverages.
"Scotch is consumed only on occasions so we focused on making it more affordable. We will maintain this price," said Manesh Sani.
Starting with Mumbai, Glenwalk will further be distributed in Pune and rest of Maharashtra. "We will expand our footprint to north, starting with Delhi and Haryana; South with probably Karnataka and Telangana and slowly the other markets. We are trying to enter as many markets in the next five months. In Karnataka, Goa and Hyderabad, we have started the process but registration takes time,” said Rohan Nihalani.
The company is targeting selling 60,000 cases annually in Maharashtra. It is also looking at expanding into newer variants. "There are many single malt whisky in India we are in the research and development phase for Scottish single grain and look to bring the product in India in 6-9 months," said Jittin Merani.
Nihalani added that in the next six to 12 months the company will launch one variant under the Glenwalk brand. "Next year, we will target to launch three to four variants," he said.
Sanjay Dutt also said that they will focus on expanding under Cartel. "The company started with mineral water and then with soda water and ginger ale. We will try and expand more," he said.
On the film front, he said that he is doing more South Indian films. "I am doing Leo and a film called KD- The Devil. I am also doing a film which is my own production which is not named yet. So, I am doing a couple of films more in the south and less here (Hindi films)."
On the health of box office business post-Covid, Dutt said that OTTs (over-the-top platforms) can’t be blamed. "People are not going to the theatres and I feel for this we got to get the right kind of films for the masses to come in theatres."
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