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Who is Raj Kundra?
Raj Kundra is a British-Indian entrepreneur who was born and raised in London. His father, Bal Krishan Kundra, was a middle-class businessman, and his mother, Usha Rani Kundra, worked as a shop assistant in a factory.
Kundra went to Nepal at the age of 18 to start a pashmina shawl company, and sold the products to big fashion firms in Britain and earned millions.
In 2007, he relocated to Dubai and established - Essential General Trading LLC, a company that deals in mining, building, green renewable energy projects and precious metals.
In 2007, he relocated to Dubai and established - Essential General Trading LLC, a company that deals in mining, building, green renewable energy projects and precious metals.
Career
During his journey as an entrepreneur, Kundra has made various investments in various fields including cricket, cinema, technology, fashion, decor, mixed martial arts, etc.
Kundra wrote a book titled, "How Not to Make Money" in 2013. Moreover, he was also listed as the 198th richest British Asian by the 'Success' magazine in 2004. He actively invests in the production and funding of some Bollywood movies.
On the sports front, Raj Kundra and Shilpa Shetty invested in the Indian Premier League (IPL) cricket team Rajasthan Royals (RR) in 2009. Kundra, who is known for his entrepreneurial initiatives is also involved with the Shilpa Shetty Foundation was awarded the Champions of Change Award in 2019 by former President Pranab Mukherjee for his involvement in the Swachh Bharat Mission.
Investments and Controversies
In 2015, Kundra was one of the founders of Best Deal TV, a 24x7 home shopping Indian television channel that covers celebrity endorsements.
However, the Indian government questioned the legitimacy of their investments and Kundra was interrogated by Delhi Police in June 2013 over the IPL spot-fixing scandal involving Rajasthan Royals and Chennai Super Kings (CSK), which led to the arrest of a few Rajasthan Royals players.
Later, Kundra was granted a clean chit in response to his right to information request. As a result, Kundra was banned from cricket-related activities for a lifetime by a tribunal established by the Supreme Court in 2015.
In July 2021, Raj Kundra was detained by the Mumbai Police in the case pertaining to the alleged creation of pornographic films and publishing them through some social media apps.
He was booked under sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), the Information Technology (IT) Act and the Indecent Representation of Women (Prohibition) Act.
Kundra alleged that he was falsely implicated, was not even named in the FIR and was dragged by the police in the case. In September, businessman Raj Kundra was released from Mumbai's Arthur Road jail after a magistrate court granted bail.