Celebrity Publicist Jashoda Madhavji’s Journey From Hardships To Hollywood

The 39-year-old elegant entrepreneur Jashoda Madhavji says her unrelenting and modest attitude helped pave her gradual rise from humble beginnings. Growing up without her parents and in a middle-class setting, Madhavji credits her early lack of privilege for paving the path to her success. Today, she is hailed as one of the top publicists and image consultants in the country, having represented an eclectic roster of international superstars, digital influencers, film personalities and music popstars.

But the journey from a no-frills background to a glitzy profession has been an uphill climb for Jashoda Madhavji, the powerhouse behind one of India’s finest publicity agencies Dream N Hustle Media.

Speaking about her early life and career trajectory she shares, “Whilst growing up I was always mocked by my peers for my parents abandoning me and my sister. We were raised with simple means and couldn’t afford the luxuries indulged in by most of the generation of that time. Luckily, our aunt, Ajita raised us singlehandedly and never let us feel unloved and made us independent and strong-willed. She ensured she went the extra mile to get us the best education and was like a shield against all the harsh criticism and trolling.

She fondly recalls, “At one point, I had gone into a cocoon and my aunt enrolled me in dramatics when I was in school. That somewhere piqued my interest in the world of entertainment. In college, I remember whilst my peers were busy going to dance parties and luxury holidays, I was busy juggling academics and part-time jobs. Through college, I took up odd jobs like a teaching job in a Montessori, and an events executive in a film production company, just to be financially independent and to gain technical know-how. I’ve been working for over two decades now.”

But destiny had something bigger in store for Madhavji. “I worked for three large format media agencies as a mid-level executive but I took on more than what was entrusted to me. In no time I was leading teams and divisions and after 8 years of rigorous learning, I set up my agency. I started from scratch, built a team and scouted new clients.”

And so, at the age of 31, Jashoda Madhavji started Dream N Hustle Media and it’s been 8 years since she counts some of the biggest names in music and entertainment as her clients.

Today, she is no longer a target of criticism, but her life experiences have empowered her. “My faith and attitude pulled me out from a trying childhood to setting milestones in the world of music publicity’ In India. I’ll keep believing in magic, even when the odds are stacked against me."