Juhi Chawla secretly married billionaire Jay Mehta, who is worth Rs 17,555 cr empire; stood by him after first wife’s tragic death

Juhi and Jay’s love story

Juhi in an interview recalled how she made Jay wait for a year before agreeing to marry him. She said, “Before marriage, Jay used to write letters to me every day. After marriage, all of that stopped (laughs). Those days, we used to send letters and cards to each other which has now turned into emails and WhatsApp messages. Jay and I met at a dinner and then he started hovering around me. Once, on my birthday, he sent me a truck full of red roses. And, I took a year to say ‘yes’ to him.”

The couple got married in 1995 but kept their relationship a secret. It was only in 2001, when Juhi was pregnant with their first child, daughter Jahnavi Mehta, that their marriage came to light. Talking about why she kept her marriage under wraps, Juhi told Rajeev Masand, “I was just about established and just starting to do well. That’s the time he was serenading me, and I was afraid of losing my career just when I kind of got there. So, I wanted to carry on, and this seemed to be the midway — that we keep it quiet and it’s okay, you carry on working.”

Jay Mehta’s tragic past

Before marrying Juhi, Jay was married to Sujata Birla, sister of industrialist Yash Birla, who tragically lost her life in the Indian Airlines Flight 605 crash in 1990. Juhi supported Jay after the devastating loss of his first wife, and her presence helped him heal from the tragedy. Over time, their friendship blossomed into love.

Jay Mehta’s billion-dollar empire

Jay Mehta is the chairman of the multinational conglomerate The Mehta Group, which is based in Mumbai and headquartered in Gandhinagar, with subsidiaries in the USA and Africa. He inherited the business from his parents, Mahendra and Sunayana Mehta, and is the grandson of industrialist Nanji Kalidas Mehta, who founded the group in the early 20th century.

The Mehta Group’s businesses span sectors such as sugar, cement, packaging, floriculture, engineering, and electrical cables. As per reports, the multinational conglomerate was valued at over $2.1 billion (approximately Rs 17,555 crore) as of 2024. A large part of it comes from the IPL franchise Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) which Juhi and Jay co-own with Shah Rukh Khan. The team which they bought for around Rs 623 crore ($75 million) in 2007 is now valued at Rs 9,139 crore ($1.1 billion). According to Hurun, the family witnessed a 69% jump in their wealth compared to last year, propelling them to the richest female actors in India.

Jay and Juhi’s luxurious assets

Apart from owning a fleet of luxury cars, Jay and Juhi also own multiple opulent properties. Their Mumbai residence is a stunning two-storey duplex designed by Sri Lankan architect Channa Daswatte, featuring a sweeping 2,200-square-foot terrace overlooking the Arabian Sea. The couple also owns an ancestral house in Porbandar, Gujarat.