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Bollywood Rolls-Royces rack up huge fines in Bengaluru, but here's the twist: Report
Bengaluru transport authorities fined two luxury Rolls-Royce cars, previously owned by Amitabh Bachchan and Aamir Khan, a total of ₹38 lakh.
Bengaluru transport authorities have shed a spotlight on two luxury Rolls-Royce vehicles — one formerly owned by Amitabh Bachchan and the other by Aamir Khan — thanks to a whopping ₹38 lakh in fines slapped on them in the city. But contrary to the buzz, neither celebrity currently owns these high-end cars, a report by the Mint stated.
Why were these luxury cars fined?
What appeared to be a case of Bollywood glitz running afoul of the law soon turned out to be a paperwork mess. The two Rolls-Royce cars, initially registered in the names of the film industry superstars, were each hit with massive fines: over ₹18 lakh for one and ₹20 lakh for the other.
Meet the real owner: ‘KGF Babu’
Both prized vehicles now belong to Yusuf Sharif, a Bengaluru-based businessman and political figure popularly known as ‘KGF Babu,’ in tribute to his roots in the famous mining town of Kolar Gold Fields. The catch? Although Sharif purchased the Phantom from Amitabh Bachchan and the Ghost from Aamir Khan years ago, he never updated the official registration documents, so the cars remained linked to their celebrity sellers.
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Yusuf Sharif, whose journey began as a scrap dealer before entering real estate, has made headlines not just for his cars but also for his political and financial clout. When he contested the 2021 Karnataka Legislative Council elections, Sharif disclosed that his family’s assets exceeded ₹1,744 crore.
Why did the authorities step in?
Phantom (Big B’s former car has been on Bengaluru streets since 2021, while Ghost (Khan’s former car), was relocated to the city in 2023. Both vehicles continued to use Maharashtra registration plates, drawing the attention of Bengaluru’s transport authorities.
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Authorities discovered that the cars had overstayed the legal one-year period on non-Karnataka plates, and both vehicles were operated in Karnataka for over a year without paying the required local road tax. Although the Phantom had previously escaped penalties for non-payment of state tax in 2021 due to being new to the city, the extended stays triggered significant fines this time around.
In this light, Phantom, the Rolls-Royce that had belonged to Amitabh Bachchan, was fined ₹18.53 lakh, while Ghost (Aamir Khan's former car), was fined ₹19.73 lakh.
