Here's What Makes Shilpa Shetty And Raj Kundra The Filthy Rich Bollywood Couple They Are!

Bollywood actress Shilpa Shetty married business man Raj Kundra in 2009 and together they make quite a power couple who are making their presence felt not just in Bollywood but in many business sectors in which Raj Kundra operates. From Shilpa Shetty’s popular celebrity status to Raj’s business presence, everything is working in favor of them so far. But ever wondered what makes Raj Kundra the big man he is and why he is a force to reckon with?

Here is everything you need to know about Raj Kundra and Shilpa Shetty’s various assets and businesses that make them one of the most powerful celebrity couples in Bollywood.

Businesses –

Raj Kundra began his career in business soon after he dropped out of school at the age of 18. He began by selling Pashmina shawls from Nepal in London. After making significant progress in the sector, he diversified into diamond trading in Antwep, Belgium which is the hub of diamond businesses in the world.

Since 2009, he took over as the CEO of Essential General Trading LLC which has been described as a “Dubai-based international trading company dealing in precious metals, construction, mining and green renewable energy projects" in a press release by the company.

He is also into real estate with a firm called Groupco Developers which operates in 8 Indian cities. He owns a steal company called Ashwini Steel that converts scrap to mild steel. If your eyes were already popping out, there is more. He also owns TMT Global, a firm that is involved in predicting stock prices. Then there is Essential Sports and Media, and Dubai based Gold Gate Trading.

With Shilpa Shetty, Raj invested in Jaipur International Cricket Ltd (JIPL), Mauritis based company and started the Rajasthan Royals which was one of the most popular Indian Premiere League teams.

The couple jointly became promoters of a home shopping channel along with Akshay Kumar called Best Deal TV. But the channel went off air and the employees alleged that they are due payment for long.

Shilpa on the other hand is into producing films, and turned author with her book “The Great Indian Diet”, she has also been a keen promoter of yoga.

Houses and cars –

The Kundras jointly own 4 lavish houses in London, Dubai, and India. Raj Kundra who was born and brought up in London owns a lavish seven bedroom home in Weybridge, Surrey. The couple presently lives in posh bungalow in Juhu ‘Kinara’ which is said to be worth Rs. 24 crore.

Raj gifted Shilpa another swanky apartment in Noida worth 4 crores when their son Vivaan was born. In 2010 for their first wedding anniversary, the actress was gifted an apartment in the tallest building of the world, Burj Khalifa but she sold it off in 2015. For her 35^th birthday Raj had gifted Shilpa a pent house in central London.

Amongst their crazy line up of vehicles the couple owns a Mercedes Benz, Audi Q7, Audi R8, a Ferrari and a Lamborghini.

Controversies –

The line up of controversies  around Shilpa Shetty’s trophy husband are no less interesting as his assets. The businessman has on and off stolen lime light for statements and businesses.

Apart from being a accused in the infamous betting scandal with many players of his team Rajasthan Royals in 2013. His team remained suspended for 2 years from high stakes in the IPL.

Apart from this he was accused of being part of the mega million VAT scam in the UK. “The Multi-million VAT scam is basically a complex system of defrauding the government of taxes by creating bogus importing companies. Unfortunately many NRIs in UK indulged in the VAT scam. Some got caught and few lucky ones escaped and now polluting the country of their origin.” Wrote the website Fashion Scandal in 2013.

Kundra responded to the controversy and was quoted saying by the Bangalore Mirror, "A lot of people including me were affected by the Missing Trader Fraud in the UK and Europe during early 2000s. The scamsters used to give so much competition we couldn't beat it. They evaded VAT and sold products at really cheap prices."

Apart from these controversies, Shilpa Shetty and Raj Kundra and their firm Essential Sports and Media Private Limited were accused of a 9 crores fraud by a Kolakat based firm M.K. Media Private Limited. A police complaint had also been filed on behalf of the additional director of the company Debashis Guha.

Shilpa’s husband deary even took a dig at Salman Khan and said "I can bet Salman doesn't earn that much...well, at least nowhere near me," in an interview. Raj producers films because of Shilpa’s association with the industry, and when asked if he would act in a film himself, he said he was unaffordable and went on to take dig at Salman Khan. The matter hit him right back after a lot of Salman fans took offence in 2014.

Now the couple has now embroiled in a new controversy where a textile owner Ravi Mohanlal Bhalotia accused the duo of a Rs 24 lakh fraud. He accused that the couple along with three others, Durshit Indravan Shah, Uday Kothari and Vedant Bali of taking money on his behalf and not paying him. The accused here are the directors of an online shopping TV show, Best Deal which was co produced by Raj Kundra and Shilpa. After a month of the accusation, Raj Kundra has now slapped a whopping 100 crores of a defamation case on the owner.

Well, managing so much wealth and a celebrity status is not everyone’s cup of tea, but till now the couple has been doing a pretty swanky job at it. We really hope to see much more of their business venture bonding together.