Mumbai: The internet has a new crush, and her name is Suravi Patnaik. In her viral instagram reel, Suravi says “jab life mein nimbu milein, toh make lemon chicken yaar, why you making nimbu paani”. This video left Twitterati basking in lemonade memes. 

Entrepreneur and Bollywood producer

Patnaik, an Indo-Kiwi entrepreneur started her first startup in the UK that sold handmade Indian jewellery, at the tender age of 16. Fresh out of high school, Suravi went into completing her Masters in IT as her parents wanted her to have a “secure” future, before giving into her entrepreneurial bug as her full time career with Sponsa – a company making strides in a variety of projects in governance, tech, marketing, and more recently in film production. 

Bright beginnings

Suravi was the second child born to a middle-class household on 9th May, 1993 in the silver city of Cuttack, Odisha. Her father, Prakash Chandra Patnaik, worked in the banking industry and mother is a former sales assistant. Both her parents originate from the state of Odisha. 

Due to her father’s relocatable profession, Suravi and her elder sister Pallavi Patnaik resided in different countries while growing up, spending a majority of their childhood on the island of Jersey in the British Isles. As a young girl, Suravi was academically bright and consistently topped in her classes. She was awarded as the youngest recipient of the European Computer Driving Licence award in Jersey and also one of the young scholars of the prestigious Duke of Edinburgh award in her school. Her academic ability in the sciences meant she considered medicine and research as possible career options.

Working with Tom Cruise 

In 2017, Suravi was approached by Gemini Productions, a UK based agency to be cast as background artist in the Tom Cruise starrer blockbuster flick Mission Impossible: Fallout. The film’s shooting in New Zealand captured a Kashmiri village that forms part of the thrilling climax of the final installment. Patnaik, along with a few cast members, received a signed memoir from Henry Cavill on the set. Reportedly, this experience prompted her to expand her career in films. 

Everyday is different 

In her free time, the global entrepreneur reportedly loves to catch up with her friends and also catch up on sleep. She is an avid traveller and loves reading biographies. Some of her favourite movies include Life Is Beautiful, In the Mood for Love, Namaste London and Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge. 

Suravi is very fond of cricket and is frequently seen in live cricket matches. 

Suravi with MS Dhoni, Wellington, New Zealand 

In the pipeline 

In 2020, Suravi ventured into film production, serving as an executive producer for Odisha’s first OTT anthology film. The film is an amalgamation of seven short story segments that explore themes of rainbow colours and how they compliment the lives of people from different walks of life. Although the film’s focus is largely on the cultural ethos of Odisha, it is a first of its kind to bold narratives in Odia content like female sexuality. The film is slated to be released worldwide in January 2022.