At just 16, Gulati knew she wanted more than a single job title to define her. Today, that conviction has shaped a career that spans multiple worlds. She is an actor, entrepreneur, and influencer—wearing all three hats with equal confidence.
In an exclusive interaction with Financial Express Digital, Gulati reflects on her entrepreneurial journey, the evolution of her personal brand, and the mindset that helped her build a career beyond conventional boundaries.
In today’s economy, where creators are increasingly becoming entrepreneurs and businesses are being built on personal influence, the lines between professions are rapidly blurring. According to a Kofluence report, India’s creator economy is projected to reach $9.2 billion before 2030, highlighting how digital-first careers are reshaping the future of work. Whether as an actor, startup founder, content creator, or investor, professionals today are proving that identity can extend far beyond a single designation.
For many, Gulati is best known for her appearance on Shark Tank India, where she represented her hair-extension brand, Nish Hair. It was there that the term “malkin” became closely associated with her.
A Dream Realised
There have been several ‘you-can’t-do-it-all’ moments in her life, starting with a memorable exchange in second grade that Gulati still recalls.
“It was during the second grade, on the very first day of school. Our class teacher posed the question, ‘What would you like to become?’ Each student responded one by one. I expressed my desire: In the morning, I want to be a doctor; in the afternoon, I want to be a teacher; and in the evening, I want to be an actor,” she told Financial Express Digital while walking down memory lane.
But the answer had left her teacher puzzled, and Gulati was told that she simply could not be three things at once.
“Why not?” came the prompt rejoinder.
This is the foundation of her early years, when she was an actor before a screen test and earned her first paycheck. And it was a ‘gig’ as she would call it many years later.
Gulati told financialexpress.com, “I remember my first-ever paycheck was just Rs 500. I had dubbed for Prasar Bharati when I was really young. They were looking for a child’s voice for a radio programme, and that’s how I earned my first paycheck. I was so excited that I opened a bank account after that.”Only years later, “I began my journey as an actor, often working evening shifts and morning shifts. My roles varied widely: at times, I portrayed a daughter, at others, a daughter aspiring to be a doctor, a teacher, or a wife.,” she explained, only to discover it was a ‘dream realised’.
However, the discovery was accidental; Gulati was spotted on social media and then came her big move to Mumbai. At 17, she got her first role on screen, alongside Yami Gautam in ‘Yeh Pyar Na Hoga Kam’ (2010). From there, she transitioned to regional cinema, starring in her first lead role in Burraahh (2012), a Punjabi film.
But before India witnessed the everlasting world of OTT and webseries, Gulati peaked and gave memorable performances in ‘Girls Hostel’, POW: Bandhi Yudh Ke, Haq Se, and others.
The Birth of an Entrepreneur
But years ago, when she dropped out of the second year in college to pursue acting, she hardly thought she would be an entrepreneur.
Parul recalled, “When I started, there was a version of me that always imagined I would become a huge actress. I never thought I would ever start my business. I always thought it would be more like, you know, when you’re an actress, and you have a fashion line, a perfume line, something on the side.”
And in her version of a fairytale, Gulati was going to be a ‘superstar in the film industry’. But little did she know that her identity from her roles like Jo or Zahira would be taken over by ‘malkin’. And in some ways, walking into an industry with no instruction manual shaped her into believing “that anything was impossible.”
“At that time, it didn’t even occur to me that there would be no future or guaranteed salary; it felt like a freelance job. Starting so early, I didn’t fully grasp the meaning of “no,” Gulati told Financial Express Digital.
The Shark Tank Deal that Broke the Internet
Nish Hair, a hair extension business by Parul Gulati, started in 2017, alongside her web series business. Flaunting her coloured strands of hair as Zahira in Girls Hostel, she soft-launched the business like a pro.
And appearing on the second season of Shark Tank India secured her a deal that skyrocketed her fame and the brand’s presence as people got to talking. At the time, she asked for an investment of Rs 1 crore for 2% equity and Amit Jain, co-founder of Car Dekho, agreed. Securing the deal, the ‘malkin’ was no longer bootstrapped but had an angel investor attached and the stamp of approval of Shark Tank India.
Since the deal, she has not taken any additional funding or investments from one; Jain remained the only investor in the business, Gulati confirmed.
According to official documents from the Registrar of Companies (RoC), Gulati’s D2C brand recorded a 2.5x surge in revenue to Rs 34.7 crore in FY25, up from Rs 14 crore in the previous year. The employee benefit expenditure also grew by 11% to Rs 1.7 crore, with an overall net profit increase of 2.3 times.
A large part of her business’s popularity also comes from Gulati’s social media presence. Dedicated to DIY content, her 1.7 million followers are a testament to her diverse array of ventures. While popularly known for her hair-extension business, Gulati also created her own jewellery brand ‘Evil Eye Jewel’ and NH Degree 6 – an extension of her presence in the hair-care industry.
Though in a nascent stage, she also has a real estate investment in Goa. Dubbed the ‘Malkin Hostel’, Gulati shared, “The Malkin House isn’t performing as well as initially expected, but it’s decent. I purchased that property primarily as an investment, and I don’t think I’ve marketed it enough…In my view, the property is currently underperforming, although market conditions in Goa may also be influencing this, given the surge in property purchases over the past few years. I feel the right marketing strategy can definitely improve its performance.”
In the end, she shared, “It is stressful. Yes, it comes at the cost of not having any personal life. But it is just addictive. And I think I’m addicted to the thrill of trying everything and learning from it.”
Disclaimer: This profile is based on original reporting, including direct communication with Parul Gulati. To ensure a comprehensive perspective, FinancialExpress.com corroborated this information with public records and third-party sources. This content is not sponsored, and FinancialExpress.com retains full editorial independence and final authority over all editorial decisions.