The swish set of Boat Club area in Chennai woke up on Monday to the news of a CBI raid on the house of Brothers Maran — Dayanidhi and Kalanithi — in their locality.
The Maran brothers are the neo-rich who moved into this small patch of the most expensive real estate in Tamil Nadu’s capital a few years ago.
At Rs 25,000 per sq feet, the Boat Club area — a spread of less than 2 sq km in south Chennai — leaves even Poes Gardens, which houses chief minister J Jayalalithaa and superstar actor Rajinikanth, behind.
It is also the greenest real estate in the city and the address of the who’s who of the state’s rich set. The Maran brothers are grandnephews of DMK president M Karunanidhi and sons of late DMK leader and union minister Murasoli Maran.
The Maran family has a business empire that stretches from media to entertainment and also aviation.
DMK leader Dayanidhi Maran is a former union minister. Elder brother Kalanithi Maran is among the richest men in the country. Forbes magazine lists his net worth at $3.5 billion (R17,192 crore) and ranks him at 310 on its list of world’s billionaire.
{{/usCountry}}DMK leader Dayanidhi Maran is a former union minister. Elder brother Kalanithi Maran is among the richest men in the country. Forbes magazine lists his net worth at $3.5 billion (R17,192 crore) and ranks him at 310 on its list of world’s billionaire.
{{/usCountry}}Kalanithi Maran is the chairman of air carrier SpiceJet Ltd and Sun TV Network. He also has private jets. The family has a strong presence in the Tamil film industry, as producers and distributors.
The Maran brothers also have some slick wheels. While Kalanithi Maran moves around in a Bentley, Dayanidhi Maran is known to use a BMW and Mercedes.
Metal gates around 15-foot-high and a battery of security guards man Dayanidhi Maran’s double-storied mansion. It extends up to the rear portion of Kalanithi Maran’s bungalow, which opens out on to a parallel street.