We have seen actors pursuing businesses both inside and outside the industry, and here is yet another smart actress who is joining that reputed list. Vishakha Singh, who was last seen in the Tamil film Bayam Oru Payanam, has powered an Artificial Intelligence based chat-bot for the film Mersal, through her startup, IconicBOT. She is not new to business, as she has also been a part-time venture capitalist. But to be associated with film promotions in an innovative way, is quite new.

“We started in March this year, when I was shooting for my Hindi film, I couldn’t interact with my fans on my social media page. So, the co-founder of one of my startups suggested that we come up with a chat-bot to keep the fans engaged. We went to Vienna, which is like the capital for chat-bot companies. And thus IconicBOT was found,” Vishakha explains, adding, “It could really help production companies and celebrities, as it helps them stay connected with the fans in a personal, direct way.”

The IconicBOT server had crashed twice in just one day, but Vishakha is in fact delighted about it — “It is a great omen in this industry. We are getting over 1000 user messages every minute. People are giving us a great response, including some asking me to act in a film alongside Vijay sir, and also asking for audio launch passes from me. Not sure how I can help on that front!” (laughs)

Explaining how she balances films and business, Vishakha says, “I don’t work full-time as an actor, and that helps me concentrate on such business and keep myself updated with the social media trends too. Vishakha is currently producing a Marathi film and the Hindi Remake of Onaatah — a Khasi film she produced, that won a National Award.