Meet Maharashtra's billionaires: The tycoons behind Jio, DMart, Britannia and more

The next time a Mumbai local passenger streams a movie on Jio, a family picks up Britannia biscuits from a kirana store, or a shopper walks into a DMart for monthly groceries, they are quietly adding to the fortunes of some of Maharashtra’s richest businessmen.

Behind many of the products Indians use every day are billionaire-led companies headquartered in the country's financial capital.

Maharashtra continues to dominate India's corporate landscape, with Mumbai-based industrialists running empires across telecom, retail, pharmaceuticals, cement and consumer goods.

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Mukesh Ambani (Reliance Industries)

With an estimated wealth of ₹9.81 lakh crore, Mukesh Ambani continues to top the list of Maharashtra’s richest businessmen. His Reliance empire stretches across industries that millions of Indians interact with daily. Reliance Jio dominates India’s telecom market, while Reliance Retail runs supermarkets, fashion chains and electronics stores across the country. The company also operates one of the world’s largest oil refining businesses and has expanded aggressively into digital platforms, media and renewable energy.

Kumar Mangalam Birla (Aditya Birla Group)

Kumar Mangalam Birla, whose wealth stands at ₹5.04 lakh crore, heads the Aditya Birla Group — one of India’s largest conglomerates. Its companies operate across cement, metals, telecom, fashion and financial services. UltraTech Cement is India’s largest cement maker, while brands like Louis Philippe, Allen Solly and Van Heusen have made the group a major player in India’s fashion retail market.

Cyrus Poonawalla (Serum Institute of India)

Cyrus Poonawalla, who founded the Serum Institute of India, has an estimated net worth of $21.4 billion (approximately ₹2.05 lakh crore), according to Forbes. Headquartered in Pune, the company produces billions of vaccine doses annually for diseases including measles, polio and influenza. Serum Institute gained global attention during the COVID-19 pandemic for manufacturing vaccines on a massive scale.

Dilip Shantilal Shanghvi (Sun Pharma)

With a fortune estimated at ₹1.94 lakh crore, Dilip Shanghvi built Sun Pharma into India’s biggest pharmaceutical company and one of the world’s largest generic drug manufacturers. The company produces medicines for diabetes, heart disease, mental health conditions, skin care and cancer treatment, with products sold in India and global markets including the United States.

Shapoor Mistry (Shapoorji Pallonji Group)

Shapoor Mistry and family have a net worth of around $13.7 billion (approximately ₹1.31 lakh crore), as per Forbes. He leads the Shapoorji Pallonji Group, one of India’s oldest construction and infrastructure giants. The group has built residential towers, factories, ports and landmark buildings across India and abroad, and also holds a significant stake in Tata Sons.

Adi Godrej and Nadir Godrej (Godrej Group)

The Godrej family, with a combined wealth of ₹1.10 lakh crore, remains among Mumbai’s most recognisable business dynasties. The Godrej Group has built its identity through products found in countless Indian homes — from cupboards and locks to soaps, refrigerators, air conditioners and hair colour. The group also has strong interests in real estate through Godrej Properties.

Radhakishan Damani (DMart and Avenue Supermarts)

DMart founder Radhakishan Damani has an estimated net worth of around ₹1 lakh crore. He transformed value retail shopping in India through the supermarket chain. The supermarket chain became hugely popular among middle-class consumers for offering groceries, packaged food, clothes and household essentials at discounted prices. DMart’s rapid expansion into Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities has helped reshape organised retail in India.

Nusli Wadia (Wadia Group)

Wadia Group Chairman Nusli Wadia, who has an estimated net worth of ₹73,000 crore, heads the Wadia Group, best known for Britannia Industries. Britannia’s biscuits, bread, cakes and dairy products are sold across Indian households, making it one of the country’s biggest packaged food brands. The group also has interests in textiles through Bombay Dyeing and other legacy businesses tied to Mumbai’s industrial history.

Niranjan Hiranandani (Hiranandani Group)

With a net worth of around $1.4 billion (approximately ₹13,400 crore), Niranjan Hiranandani is among Mumbai’s most influential real estate developers, according to Forbes. Through the Hiranandani Group, he helped transform Powai into one of Mumbai’s biggest residential and commercial hubs filled with luxury apartments, office towers and shopping complexes. The group has also expanded into energy infrastructure, data centres and industrial parks.

Together, these Maharashtra-based billionaires represent businesses that go far beyond luxury boardrooms and stock market rankings. Their companies sell products used in ordinary Indian homes every day - from biscuits and medicines to SIM cards, cement and grocery staples.

(The rupee conversion is based on an exchange rate of 1 US dollar = ₹95.70.)