Actor and businessman Juhi Chawla is often counted among the richest Bollywood stars. While much of the discussion about her wealth revolves around her former stake in the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) team, the roots of the Mehta family fortune go back more than a century and are linked to a fascinating chapter of Gujarat’s history.
According to Hurun Rich List, her estimated net worth is around Rs 7,790 crore. Her husband, businessman Jay Mehta, is associated with the Mehta Group, a business empire worth around Rs 17,500 crore. Few people know that Juhi Chawla’s relatives have lent money to the Gujarat government. Few know that after Gujarat was carved out from the erstwhile Bombay state in 1960, the newly formed state reportedly faced a severe financial crisis.
According to Satishbhai Vithalani, president of the Lohana International Business Forum, the government struggled to pay salaries in its early years.Speaking on the Sagar Kathrutia podcast, Vithalani said: “Nanji Kalidas Mehta was originally from Porbandar. He struggled a lot before he reached Uganda and eventually built a vast business empire there, including sugar mills and many other businesses. After the separation of Gujarat and Maharashtra, the Gujarat government faced financial difficulties in its early years.”
He further claimed that “there has been a payment crisis and as far as we know, the government has borrowed money from Nanji Kalidas Mehta to meet its liabilities. This is a very big thing.”Nanji Kalidas Mehta, grandfather of Jai Mehta and Juhi Chawla’s husband, was born in Porbandar and moved to East Africa at the age of thirteen. Starting with small jobs, he gradually built a business empire spanning sugar, cement, textiles, real estate, infrastructure and many other sectors across Africa and India.Today, this legacy is carried on by the Mehta family, including Jay Mehta, whose business interests continue to span multiple industries.
