Megha
| Name | Anil Dhirubhai Ambani |
| Date of Birth | 4 June 1959 |
| Profession | Businessman |
| Net Worth | $2.5 billion approx (Rs 250 Cr) |
| Age | 64 years old |
| Height | 1.83 M (6′) |
| Weight | 72 kg |
| Birthplace | Mumbai |
| Nationality | Indian |
Who is Anil Ambani?
Anil Dhirubhai Ambani is an Indian billionaire and businessman. He was born on June 4, 1959, in Mumbai, India. His dad started a big company called Reliance Industries. Anil joined his dad’s business after finishing school in the United States.
Anil Ambani expanded the family company into different areas like phones, electricity, and money services. His phone company, Reliance Communications, became popular in India because it offered cheap mobile services.
He also started businesses making electricity and building things like roads and bridges. He helped India get more power and improve its infrastructure.
Even though he did well in some areas, he also faced problems. The phone company faced tough competition and debts, and it had to declare bankruptcy in 2019.
Anil Ambani is also known for giving money to help with education, healthcare, and other important things. People have different opinions about Anil Ambani’s business decisions, but he is still an important person in India’s business world. He continues to do business and help others through his charity work.
Net Worth
Anil lives in a grand 17-story house in Mumbai’s Pali Hills area. His house, known as “Abode,” spans over an impressive 16,000 square feet. It is a symbol of luxury, featuring amenities like a gym, swimming pool, and a vast garage to showcase his collection of cars. The opulence of his home has made it one of the most expensive residences in India, valued at a staggering 5,000 crore INR.
Anil Ambani owns a huge collection of luxury cars, including a Lamborghini Gallardo, Rolls Royce Phantom (worth 3.5 crores), W221 Mercedes Benz S class, Range Rover Vogue, Toyota Fortuner, Lexus SUV, and Mercedes GLK350. Apart from cars, he also has a private jet, the Bombardier Global Express XRS, which is valued at 311 crores.
Besides his lavish lifestyle, Anil Ambani is well-known for his significant wealth. His total estimated net worth is approximately $2.5 billion. This wealth comes from his various business ventures and investments over the years. Anil Ambani’s net worth was once as much as $42 billion, but he lost it all because of bankruptcy, and by 2020, he had no money left, with his net worth reduced to $0.
Early Life
Anil Ambani comes from a Gujarati family that comes from a village called Chorwad in Gujarat state, India. His father was a well-known textile entrepreneur named Dhirubhai Ambani, and his mother, Smt. Kokilaben Ambani is a caring homemaker. She has also founded a hospital in Mumbai called Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital. Anil is one of four siblings. He has an older brother named Mukesh Ambani, who is the richest man in India, and two sisters named Smt. Nina Kothari and Smt. Deepti Salgaocar. Nina is the wife of the late Bhadra Shyam Kothari, and Deepti is married to Dattaraj Salgoncar.
As a member of the Ambani family, Anil grew up in a well-off environment. His father’s success in the textile business had a significant impact on their lives. Anil’s family believed in hard work, entrepreneurship, and giving back to society. Anil was a mischievous child who loved exploring the world around him. He would often sneak into his father’s office and watch him talk to people and make deals. Little did he know that these early experiences would shape his future. As he got older, he went to school like any other kid. But he was not particularly interested in academics. Instead, he loved playing sports and dreamed of becoming a cricket star. However, his father believed in the value of education and encouraged Anil to focus on his studies.
One day, when Anil was a teenager, his father took him on a trip to the United States. They visited big cities like New York and Los Angeles. Anil was amazed by the tall buildings and the bustling streets. He felt a sense of excitement and wondered if one day he could do something big like this too. As time went on, Anil finished his studies and went to college in the United States. He studied business and learned about how companies work. Anil was a quick learner and soaked up knowledge like a sponge. After completing his education, Anil returned to India with newfound enthusiasm. He wanted to join his father’s business and make a name for himself. Dhirubhai was thrilled to see his son’s passion and welcomed him into the company.
Anil worked hard and brought fresh ideas to the table. He saw potential in areas like telecommunications, power, and financial services. Anil believed that India had immense untapped potential, and he wanted to be part of the country’s growth story. With his father’s guidance, Anil ventured into the telecom industry and launched Reliance Communications. It wasn’t easy, but Anil’s determination and innovative approach paid off. His company brought affordable mobile services to the masses, transforming how people in India communicated.
As the years passed, Anil continued to expand the family business into different sectors. He faced challenges and setbacks, but he never gave up. Anil’s hard work and dedication earned him success, and he became a respected businessman in India. The little boy who once dreamed of becoming a cricket star had grown up to be a prominent entrepreneur. Anil Ambani’s journey from his playful days in Mumbai to building a business empire was a tale of determination, passion, and a desire to make a difference in the world.
Personal Life
Anil Ambani is married to the actress Tina Munim. Their marriage faced challenges at the beginning because Tina came from the world of fashion and glamour, and her lifestyle choices before marriage were not conventional. Despite the resistance from his family, Anil and Tina have built a strong and stable marriage. They have two sons together, Jai Anmol Ambani and Jai Anshul Ambani.
On February 20, 2022, Anil Ambani’s elder son, Jai Anmol, got married to Krisha Shah. Krisha is the daughter of the late Nikunj Shah, a businessman from Mumbai. The wedding marked a joyous occasion for the family as they celebrated the union of their son with his partner.
In their personal lives, Anil Ambani and his family have had their fair share of challenges and triumphs. Despite the initial obstacles, Anil and Tina have managed to build a successful and happy family. As their children move forward in their own lives, the family continues to support and celebrate each other’s milestones.
While Anil Ambani’s professional journey has been a rollercoaster ride, his personal life has remained relatively low-key. He continues to navigate the challenges and opportunities that come his way, all while staying connected to his family’s roots and making a positive impact on society through his philanthropic endeavors.
Career History
In the late 1990s, Anil Ambani’s company, Reliance Communications, became very important in India because of phones. He made phones cheaper, so many Indians could use them easily. Later, Anil also started businesses making electricity and building things like roads and bridges. He wanted to help India get more power and become better. But there were also tough times for Anil. The phone business had a lot of competition, and he got into a lot of debt.
Anil Ambani’s business journey has been tough. When his father, Dhirubhai Ambani, passed away in 2002, there were problems about who would take over the family businesses. Anil and his brother Mukesh had disputes, and they split the businesses between them. Anil got parts of the Reliance Group, including telecom, entertainment, and more.
Although he had some early successes, like a big IPO in 2008, Anil faced challenges in the entertainment and telecom industries. His entertainment business, Reliance MediaWorks, didn’t do very well, and a joint venture with Steven Spielberg’s company didn’t go as expected. The value of the Reliance ADA Group’s businesses went down a lot, making people think he was one of the fastest destroyers of shareholder wealth in a long time.
In 2019, Anil Ambani got into legal trouble when he didn’t pay debts to Ericsson’s company. The court held him in criminal contempt, but his brother Mukesh bailed him out of jail. That same year, three of his companies couldn’t pay back investors, causing changes in mutual fund rules and affecting many people.
In 2020, he had a legal fight with three Chinese banks for $100 million. He said he had no money because of debts. The problems continued in 2021 when he was named in the Pandora Papers, which showed secret financial dealings. In 2023, he was accused of not paying taxes, and the court questioned the tax department’s actions. Through all these tough times, Anil Ambani faced a lot of pressure and legal challenges. His business ventures had difficulties, affecting his money and the people who invested in his companies.
At one point, Anil Ambani was considered one of the wealthiest people globally, ranking as the sixth richest person in the world. However, in February 2020, he made a surprising statement in a UK court, saying that his net worth was zero and he was bankrupt. Some people doubt the truth of this claim. In the past, he also served as a Member of Parliament in the Rajya Sabha, the upper house of India’s Parliament, representing Uttar Pradesh as an Independent Member of Parliament from 2004 to 2006.
Anil Ambani’s journey in his career had its ups and downs. Some people praised him for his ideas, while others criticized him for some choices he made. But his story shows that entrepreneurs face many challenges and opportunities in their pursuit of success. Even now, Anil Ambani remains an important person in India’s business world, trying to find his way in a changing environment.
Achievements
Anil Ambani has been recognized with several prestigious awards for his contributions to the business world. In 1998, he was conferred with the ‘Businessman of the Year 1997’ award by India’s leading business magazine, Business India. In 2006, he was voted ‘the Businessman of the Year’ in a poll conducted by The Times of India. That same year, he was also voted the ‘Best role model’ among business leaders in a poll by India Today magazine.
Anil Ambani’s achievements have not gone unnoticed on the global stage either. In 2004, he was honored with ‘the CEO of the Year 2004’ award in the Platts Global Energy Awards. In 2002, he received ‘The Entrepreneur of the Decade Award’ from the Bombay Management Association, recognizing his exceptional entrepreneurial skills.
In December 2001, Anil Ambani was awarded the First Wharton Indian Alumni Award by the Wharton India Economic Forum (WIEF). This award acknowledged his significant contributions to establishing Reliance as a global leader in various business sectors.
Anil Ambani’s impact as a business leader was recognized internationally as well. Asiaweek magazine included him in its list of ‘Leaders of the Millennium in Business and Finance’ in June 1999. He was introduced as the only ‘new hero’ in Business and Finance from India, showcasing his rising influence in global business.
Controversies and Allegations
In 2018, controversies surrounding Anil Ambani emerged, primarily related to his alleged political connections and business dealings. The Indian National Congress, the country’s principal opposition party, accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of favoring Anil Ambani’s defense manufacturing company, Reliance Defence, in a fighter aircraft deal with French company Dassault.
The deal in question was worth a staggering ₹58,000 crore (approximately ₹770 billion or US$9.7 billion in 2023) and involved the purchase of Rafale fighter jets. The Congress party claimed that the government had given undue advantages to Anil Ambani’s company over a public sector enterprise called HAL.
Anil Ambani’s companies were facing significant debts, adding fuel to the allegations of crony capitalism and favoritism towards powerful businessmen. Ambani strongly denied all charges, maintaining that he had not benefited unfairly from any political connections.
Contrary to the perception that Reliance Defence would be the biggest beneficiary of the Rafale deal, it was revealed that the company stood to receive just over 3 percent of the ₹30,000 crore (equivalent to ₹400 billion or US$5.0 billion in 2023) Dassault Aviation offsets contract. This revelation countered the narrative that Ambani’s company would disproportionately benefit from the deal.
Another controversy arose when it came to light that one of Anil Ambani’s businesses had partly financed a French film. What made this relevant was the fact that the film featured the then-partner of the former French president, Francois Hollande, and this occurred around the same time when the aircraft deal was being negotiated.
These controversies raised questions about the transparency and fairness of business dealings and political connections in India. Critics argued that such controversies could erode public trust in the government and corporate sector.
It is important to note that Ambani has consistently denied any wrongdoing, and legal investigations did not result in any conclusive evidence of illegitimate connections or favors. However, these controversies have remained a subject of public and media scrutiny, impacting both Anil Ambani’s reputation and the political scenario in India.
