5 lesser-known facts about Raj Kundra

Businessman and husband of Bollywood actor Shilpa Shetty, Raj Kundra, has been trending on X (formerly Twitter) since last night (October 18). Kundra released the trailer of his movie, UT 69, based on his real-life experience in the Arthur Road Jail in Mumbai, where he spent three months in 2021.

Netizens have called it an attempt to whitewash his image, which was tarnished after his arrest for involvement in a porn racket.

Tough time since 2021

Since his arrest in the pornographic content case in July 2021, Kundra has faced enormous embarrassment and has been sporting a mask to hide his face from the media.

However, Raj Kundra has had his share of controversies in the last couple of years.

• In 2013, he was questioned in a spot-fixing case, leading to the arrest of some players from his IPL team, Rajasthan Royals.
• In 2015, the Supreme Court of India banned him for five years from attending matches in stadiums and also banned his IPL team Rajasthan Royals from the league for two years.
• In 2021, he was arrested in a porn racket case, leading to a three-month jail sentence.

Apart from the controversies, there are lesser-known aspects of his life, contributing to the story of the billionaire businessman, Raj Kundra.

Here are 5 lesser known facts about Raj Kundra:

Son of a Bus conductor

Although Raj Kundra is a successful businessman today, he had a humble beginning. His father, Bal Krishan Kundra, was a bus conductor in London, while his mother, Usha Rani Kundra, worked in a factory.

In an interview with the Indian Express, Raj said, “I come from a humble background. My dad moved to London 45 years ago and worked as a bus conductor, while my mother worked in a factory. We never had it easy. I have been a self-made man since I left college at the age of 18.”

A 12th pass out

Raj Kundra never completed his formal education and dropped out after the 12th standard. He started his own business after visiting Nepal in the 1990s, where he discovered Pashmina shawls and got the idea to import them.

He imported these shawls to popular fashion houses in London, which propelled his career.

Raj Kundra’s first wife accused Shilpa Shetty of 'home-wrecking'

Raj Kundra’s first wife, Kavita Kundra, whom he divorced before marrying Shilpa, once accused Shilpa Shetty of breaking her married life.

In an interview with Daily Mail in 2007, Kavita said that Shilpa was the reason Raj broke away from her. She stated, “I look at their pictures and think, she’s with my husband, she’s living my life. While I was trying to put our marriage back together, he was constantly talking about her, as if it didn’t matter what happened to us, as he had found someone better, cleverer, and more famous than me. Now he has begun pestering me for a divorce. I asked him if he planned to marry someone else, but he avoided the question.”

However, Raj Kundra later dismissed these allegations, stating that the reason for his divorce was Kavita’s alleged closeness with his brother-in-law. Raj clarified that Shilpa had nothing to do with his divorce and that it was due to her infidelity that he left her.

Ranked 198th richest British Asian in 2004

Raj Kundra was named the 198th richest British Asian by Success, a business magazine, in 2004. His import business flourished, leading him to make millions.

In 2007, he moved to Dubai to establish Essential General Trading LLC, a company dealing in metals, construction, mining, and renewable energy projects.

Investment in IPL

While Shilpa Shetty has been the face of Rajasthan Royals (RR), this investment was the brainchild of Raj Kundra.

Raj Kundra is a sports lover, and it was his idea to invest in IPL, a new product in 2008.

Shilpa Shetty was the co-owner of Rajasthan Royals in 2008, and the team won the inaugural season, resulting in significant business growth.

Kundra referred to the investment as a ‘Valentine's Day’ gift for his wife, Shilpa.