How Raj Kundra became such a big business tycoon, first used to sell Pashmina Shawl on the streets

When we hear the story of a successful businessman, then in our mind, big offices, luxury vehicles and crores of deals are emerged. But many times the start of these stories is very simple, so simple that no one should believe. One such name is of Raj Kundra, who made the first major earning of life by selling Pashmina shawl bought from Nepal.

Raj Kundra was born on 9 September 1975 in London. His father, Bal Krishna Kundra, was originally from Ludhiana in Punjab who settled and started working as a bus conductor there. His mother, Usha Rani Kundra, worked at a shop. Raj’s childhood was spent in a normal middle class family. Due to lack of mind in studies, he left school at the age of 18, and then life showed him the way that may not be found from books.

After leaving his studies, Raj moved to Dubai, where he started working on small business ideas. It was from here that his luck took a turn and he reached Nepal. In Nepal, he got a unique opportunity while doing Pashmina Shawl business. He bought Pashmina Shawl from Nepal and sold her to fashion retailers in London. This idea was successful. Raj realized that if the thinking is new, then the ways are made on their own. After this success, he did not look back.

In 2007, he opened a company called ‘Essential General Trading LLC’ in Dubai which worked in the construction of pressure metals, mining and energy projects. Along with this, he also joined the finance of Bollywood films. He gradually spread his business to fashion, real estate, media and sports. After this, Raj became a promoter of the Best Deal TV TV in India, including Akshay Kumar along with him.

Raj Kundra also stepped into sports and in 2009, along with his wife Shilpa Shetty, invested in the IPL team Rajasthan Royals. However, there was a dispute over this investment and later his name came up in the 2013 spot fixing case. He was banned for a lifetime from all the projects related to cricket. After this, he also appealed to the High Court.

Raj’s personal life was also always in discussion. He first married Kavita Kundra. He also has a daughter from this marriage. But this relationship did not last long and divorced in 2006. After divorce, Kavita made many shocking revelations. Many reports also claim that this divorce was due to Raj Kundra’s extra marital affair.

Later, in 2009, she married Bollywood actress Shilpa Shetty. They both have two children, a son Vian and a daughter Sumisha, who was born from surrogacy.

The year 2021 was full of difficulties for Raj Kundra. He was arrested for making pornographic content. He got bail after a few weeks but the incident severely affected his image. In 2023, he made a film ‘UT 69’ based on his prison experience in which he played the lead role.

Amidst business and controversies, Raj continued to work in the field of social service. He was awarded the ‘Champions of Change’ Award in 2019 for his contribution to the Swachh Bharat Mission, which he was given by former President of India Pranab Mukherjee. These days Raj Kundra is trying his luck in the acting world. Recently, his Punjabi film ‘Meher’ was released, the first day he earned to the flood victims of the state.