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Billionaire but not belonging! Pedder Road said no to even Jhunjhunwala
Journalist Vishal Bhargava paints a portrait of Pedder Road as a hyper-exclusive zone where lineage, legacy, and "refinement" often trump stardom or sheer financial clout.
Jhunjhunwala, who passed away on August 14, 2022 at 62, built his empire from Rs 5,000 investment to $5.5 billion. (Photo: Moneycontrol)
In the heart of Mumbai, where luxury high-rises brush the skyline and billionaires drive the narrative of ambition, lies Pedder Road, a bastion of not just wealth, but of a particular kind of old-world elitism. While many imagine that celebrity status or immense fortune is the ultimate key to the city’s most prestigious addresses, journalist Vishal Bhargava’s recent revelations suggest otherwise. In Pedder Road, money talks but not always loud enough.
Appearing on the Instagram series “Mumbai, Munch and Market” with Chintan Vasani, Bhargava painted a portrait of Pedder Road as a hyper-exclusive zone where lineage, legacy, and "refinement" often trump stardom or sheer financial clout. Unlike Bandra, where Bollywood celebrities are not just welcome but celebrated, Pedder Road housing societies reportedly treat fame as a liability viewing actors and media personalities as disruptions to the area’s cultured quiet.
But the snub isn’t reserved just for film stars. Bhargava recounted how even the late Rakesh Jhunjhunwala, India’s most celebrated stock market investor and self-made billionaire, was denied entry three times by the Willingdon Club, a colonial-era institution symbolic of the city’s enduring class codes.
“They don’t want the loud, they want the refined,” Bhargava remarked, highlighting a cultural divide that’s more about manners and heritage than money.
Jhunjhunwala, the Big Bull, who passed away on August 14, 2022 at 62, built his empire from Rs 5,000 investment to $5.5 billion. Known as the "Warren Buffett of India" for his astute investment strategies, his journey from a trader to a billionaire investor was legendary.
In a city known for its relentless pace and rags-to-riches dreams, Pedder Road is a reminder that in certain circles, being rich isn't enough, you must be the “right kind” of rich. As Bhargava aptly put it, “It’s not rich and famous that works here. It’s rich and sophisticated.”
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