With Gully Boy (2019) showing how a Dharavi boy can rise above his hardships to become a rap star, the Zoya Akhtar film spoke to the hustler within us, urging us to chase our dreams. Little did the filmmaker know that the message of the Ranveer Singh-starrer will stay with Bengaluru-based entrepreneur Nirmit Parikh, prompting him to launch an app that will solve network issue gaps for blue- and grey-collar workers. While Parikh had launched Apna — inspired by the movie’s song, Apna time aayega — in December 2019, the start-up soared in the past few months, reportedly raising USD 70 million in a new financing round. Amid the pandemic, the app has helped workers across cities in India upskill themselves, find communities and land jobs.

Akhtar is moved that her underdog story inspired the Apple alum to create a platform to ensure opportunities for everyone. “Each artiste wants their work to touch the audience in a positive way.