Kalanithi Maran is an Indian business tycoon. He is known for being the founder and chairman of ‘Sun Group,’ which is one of the most profitable media companies in Asia.
Contents
Wiki/Biography
Kalanithi Maran was born on Saturday, 24 July 1965 (age 58 years; as of 2023) in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. His zodiac sign is Leo. He did his schooling at Don Bosco, Egmore, Chennai. Kalanithi then pursued a Bachelor of Commerce from Loyola College in Chennai. He later studied MBA at the University of Scranton in Pennsylvania.
Physical Appearance
Height (approx.): 5′ 8″
Hair Colour: Black
Eye Colour: Black
Family
Kalanithi Maran belongs to a politically influential family.
Parents & Siblings
His father’s name is Murasoli Maran, and his mother’s name is Mallika Maran (deceased). Murasoli, who served as the Union Minister of India, passed away due to heart and kidney-related issues at Apollo Hospital in Chennai on 23 November 2023.
Kalanithi Maran’s father, Murasoli Maran
Kalanithi has a sister named Anbukarasi Maran, who is a cardiologist, and a brother named Dayanidhi Maran, who is a politician.
Kalanithi Maran’s sister, Anbukarasi Maran
Dayanidhi Maran and his wife, Priya Maran
Wife & Children
Kalanithi is married to Kaveri Maran (aka Kavery Maran), who serves as the joint managing director of the Sun Group. They got married in 1991. The couple has a daughter named Kavya Maran (also spelt as Kaviya Maran), who is a businesswoman.
Kalanithi Maran with his wife and daughter
Other Relatives
His great uncle, M. Karunanidhi, served as the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu for almost two decades. He passed away due to age-related illness at the Kauvery Hospital in Chennai on 7 August 2018.
M. Karunanidhi
Religion
Kalanithi follows Hinduism.
Signature
Career
Kalanithi started his career with the launch of a monthly Tamil video news magazine (VHS) named ‘Poomaalai’ in 1990. He founded the media company Sun Group in 1992.
Kalanithi Maran at his office
On 14 April 1993, he founded Sun TV, the first and flagship channel of the group that went on to provide around 35 channels in six languages, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Bengali, Marathi, and Malayalam; he invested USD 86,000 from bank loan guaranteed by his father and his own savings to start Sun TV. In 2007, the group started its DTH company, ‘Sun Direct.’
Kalanithi Maran at Sun Group’s office
Over the years, Sun Group stepped into various other fields such as radio (Suryan FM, Red FM, and Magic FM), publishing (magazines and newspapers like Dinakaran, Tamil Murasu, and Malai Murasu), film production (Sun Pictures), sports (IPL franchise ownership with Sunrisers Hyderabad), and digital streaming services (OTT platform Sun NXT).
Controversies
Telephone Exchange Case
Kalanithi, along with Dayanidhi Maran, was once accused of installing a private telephone exchange allegedly for business transactions related to the Sun Network at his Chennai home without billing, which allegedly caused a loss of Rs 1.78 crore to BSNL and MTNL. On 18 March 2018, a Special CBI court cleared both Kalanithi and Dayanidhi of the charges. The judge found no evidence to support the accusations against them. [1]The Indian Express
A Criminal Case
In 2010, a criminal case was filed against Kalanithi by Jak Communications, an Azhagri (Son of Karunanidhi) owned Cable TV Distribution Company.
Awards
- Indian Television Academy Award for the Best TV Channel (2001)
- Young Businessman Award by CNBC (2006)
- Entrepreneur of the Year Award at the TiECON Chennai (2009)
- Most Respected Entrepreneur of the Year Award by Hurun India (2024)
Kalanithi Maran while receiving Hurun India’s ‘Most Respected Entrepreneur of the Year’ Award
Car Collection
His collection of swanky cars includes a Rolls-Royce Phantom, Armoured BMW 760Li, Bentley Bentayga, and Mercedes-Maybach Benz S660 Guard.
Net Worth
Kalanithi Maran’s net worth for the year 2024 was estimated to be USD 3.1 billion.
Favourites
- Food: Uttapam, Sambar, Dosa
- Actor: Vijay Sethupathi
- Actress: Samantha Ruth Prabhu
- Singer: Sid Sriram
- Hollywood Film: The Dark Knight (2008)
- Telugu Film: Agnyaathavaasi (2018)
Facts/Trivia
- Kalanithi follows a vegetarian diet.
- His hobbies include watching TV and listening to music.
- During President Bill Clinton’s visit to India in March 2000, Kalanithi was selected as one of the few representatives to participate in a round table discussion with him.
Kalanithi Maran, along with Bill Clinton and others, during the round table discussion
- In 2010, he had a net worth of USD 4 billion which made him the 17th richest person in India. He also became the highest-paid businessman in the country in the same year.
- Kalanithi held a significant stake in the Indian airline SpiceJet from 2010 to 2015.
- In 2010, he was appointed as the promoter director and chairman of the board and company ‘SpiceJet.’
Kalanithi Maran after being appointed as the promoter director of SpiceJet
- In 2011-2012, he and his wife Kaveri became the second-highest-paid executives in India with earnings of Rs. 62 crore.
- Kalanithi co-owns the professional franchise cricket team ‘Sunrisers Hyderabad.’
- In September 2023, Kalanithi Maran gifted actor Rajinikanth a BMW X7 in celebration of the success of the Tamil film ‘Jailer’ (2023). He presented both a BMW X7 and a BMW i7 EV at Rajinikanth’s residence and allowed him to choose between the two.
Kalanithi Maran after gifting Rajinikanth a BMW X7
- On 10 September 2023, he gifted over 300 people gold coins for their contributions to the success of the film ‘Jailer.’
BREAKING: Kalanithi Maran felicitated more than 300 people who worked for #Jailer with gold coins today.
𝗕𝗼𝘅𝗼𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗗𝗶𝗻𝗼𝘀𝗮𝘂𝗿 𝗥𝗔𝗝𝗜𝗡𝗜pic.twitter.com/6efmA5tkTo
— Manobala Vijayabalan (@ManobalaV) September 10, 2023
References
| ↑1 | The Indian Express |
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