WHO IS RAJ KUNDRA?

Raj Kundra’s father Bal Krishan migrated from Ludhiana to London in search of greener pastures, and Raj was born in England in 1975. After quitting school at the age of 18, Raj worked his way up to become the 198th richest British Asian in 2004. He bought pashmina shawls from Nepal and sold them to Britons, notching up a turnover of Euro 20 million in his first year.

Apart from getting into metals, mining and sustainable power source ventures, he shifted to diamonds when the pashmina trade was destroyed by competition.

Raj married Kavita and the couple had a daughter, Dileena, but a bitter divorce followed.

Later, he met Shilpa Shetty after her stint in Celebrity Big Brother (which she won) and paid her a bomb to endorse a perfume, though his businesses were running at a loss. He also lost his heart to Shilpa. On their first wedding anniversary, Raj gifted Shilpa a flat on the 19th floor of the Burj Khalifa, Dubai. On her birthday that year, he presented her with a 2BHK home in Central London. He also owns a seven-bedroom place at Surrey, with

Sir Cliff Richard and Sir Elton John as neighbours. Raj earlier owned a 11.7 per cent stake in the IPL team Rajasthan Royals, said to be worth around $200-250 million. Kundra has come close to bankruptcy thrice. He is at present involved in construction, precious metals, renewable energy, films, cricket and the Super Fight League. Raj and Shilpa also jointly own restaurants in Mumbai and have two children — Viaan and Samisha.