Anil Ambani's Remarkable Journey, From Being The Sixth Richest Man, Bankruptcy To Startling Comeback

Anil Ambani is a name that hardly needs any introduction. The younger son of Dhirubhai Ambani and brother of Mukesh Ambani, Anil is one of the most prolific businessmen, who has seen many highs and lows in his life. Anil is not only known in the business circle but is also a poignant name in the entertainment and political world.

The business tycoon is married to yesteryear Bollywood actress Tina Munim, and the couple has two sons, Jai Anmol Ambani and Jai Anshul Ambani. Anil’s career has been a roller coaster ride, and the entrepreneur has undergone a lot of hardships in his life. Once hailed as the sixth richest man in the world, Anil declared himself bankrupt, only to rise back as a phoenix. Let's delve into Anil Ambani’s journey through the highs, lows and the much-awaited comeback.

What led to the rift between Anil Ambani and his brother Mukesh Ambani?

When Anil and Mukesh’s father, Dhirubhai Ambani, died, he didn’t leave any succession plan or will for his sons, so there was no control over how to manage the business. Anil and Mukesh had tiffs over decisions related to the business. While Mukesh wanted to invest in the telecom business, Anil wanted to grow the power generation business. 

Kokilaben Ambani divided the business between Anil Ambani and Mukesh Ambani

When the dispute over business widened, Dhirubhai Ambani’s wife, Kokilaben decided to divide Reliance Group equally between her two sons in 2005. Mukesh received the Reliance Industries and IPCL, which is known as Reliance Industries, under which came crude oil refining, petrochemicals production, and oil and gas exploration. 

Anil got Reliance Communications, Reliance Capital and Reliance Power. These companies together were called Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group (ADAG). The companies received by Anil had huge potential for the future.

Anil Ambani’s business grew rapidly

Anil’s business acumen was commendable as he announced various impactful projects under him and took huge loans from various banks. The launch of Reliance Communication was one of the greatest achievements of Anil Ambani, and it became the largest telecommunications company in India. Not just this, he also established Reliance Power.

Within two years of division, Anil’s total net worth surpassed Rs. 4 lakh crores. With the growth of his business, Anil Ambani’s net worth saw a rapid growth in 2008 from 18 billion dollars to 42 billion dollars, making him the sixth richest person in the world.

Anil Ambani’s fall and bankruptcy

There were many factors which led to Anil Ambani’s downfall, his huge debts had been one of the major reasons. The major source of his profit for Anil came from Reliance Communications. It could not compete in the telecom sector as it could not upgrade to 4G. Other networks came up with 4G plans and people switched from Reliance to Vodaphone and Airtel.

Many of his companies were on the verge of shutting down by 2015, and ADAG had accumulated a debt of Rs. 1,25,000 crores. Despite his business running into loss, Anil purchased Pipavav Defense for Rs. 2000 crores and changed its name to Reliance Defense. Since Anil couldn’t deliver the project on time, it was shut too.

When Mukesh Ambani launched Jio, it changed the face of the telecom sector. Anil’s Reliance Communications’ market plunged to 2 per cent. The Supreme Court asked Anil to clear the debts he owned to the Swedish telecom major, Ericsson or face a jail term of three months. At that moment, Mukesh Ambani stepped in and cleared the Rs. 453 crore debt and saved his brother, Anil. When no one provided loans to Anil, he filed for bankruptcy in 2020.

How did Anmol Ambani help his bankrupt father Anil Ambani?

Jai Anmol Ambani didn’t directly pay off his father’s debts but tried to actively revive some businesses. When Jai Anmol Ambani took charge of operations at the Reliance Group, he managed to increase the stock prices by 40%. With this, Anmol managed to convince famous Japanese company, Nippon to raise their shares in his company. Anmol then formed Reliance Life Insurance and Reliance Capital Asset Management. The way he strikes new deals played a key role in Reliance Group.

Anil Ambani’s much-awaited comeback

Anil Ambani has recently grabbed attention after it was reported that he is reviving his debt-ridden Reliance Group business with the help of his sons. Anil’s Reliance Power and Reliance Infrastructure are now completely debt-free and churning out profits. As Anil is charting his comeback, his focus lies on green energy and defence, which are a key part of the Indian government’s Viksit Bharat 2047 vision. Not just this, shares of Anil Ambani-owned Reliance Infrastructure Ltd soared 9.64 per cent to touch a one-year high of Rs 374.90. 

Anil Ambani has tasted the sweetness of success and the bitterness of failures. However, his recent comeback has been remarkable and speaks volumes about his relentless spirit.

Also Read: Meet The Owner Of IPL 2025 Winning Team, Royal Challengers Bangalore, After Vijay Mallya Left It

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