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Ashish Malpani walked away from his powerful family business to marry the woman he loved (Instagram/@officialhumansofbombay)
“I chose love over my family business, and somehow, that led to my most successful venture ever,” he said.
More about the Malpani Group
The Malpani Group is an Indian diversified business conglomerate with roots in Maharashtra and a presence across numerous industries. The group has interests in renewable energy, FMCG products, amusement and water parks, and the hospitality industry — although it is today most closely associated with the real estate business.
Ashish Malpani is the youngest of five brothers, who are all involved in the family business.
Love before generational wealth
Although Ashish has now joined the Malpani Group and works alongside his brothers, that was not always the case. Speaking to Karishma Mehta, he revealed that his family did not approve of his inter-caste marriage and he was asked to choose between his love and the family business.
“As a young man, I was asked to pick: the woman I loved, or the century-old legacy my great-grandfather built,” he said, according to a post on the Humans of Bombay Instagram page.
“It was a love marriage, actually, and in those days, you know, a love marriage in my town—especially with a girl from another caste—was a big deal,” Ashish told Karishma Mehta. “So my family asked me to either marry their choice of girl and continue in the business, or marry the girl I loved and leave the business. I was like, to hell with the business, I’ll marry the girl I love.”
In 2002, Ashish Malpani walked away from the family business to marry the woman he loved.
“I chose my wife”
Ashish Malpani chose to walk away from his inheritance and his place in the family business to marry the girl he loved.
“Choosing her meant walking away from the privilege of being the youngest in a powerful business family,” he said. “I chose my wife.”
Overnight, he had to contend with the task of rebuilding his life from scratch. “Overnight, I went from being part of generational wealth to building life from scratch – no title, no team, just a small capital and the hunger to stand on my own feet,” he said.
Ashish first started a biscuit business — “I was getting it manufactured in Hyderabad, but the quality wasn’t consistent. The quality was not good. So I thought I’d set up my own factory. That’s how I came to Pune to look for land,” he said.
“That’s where life redirected me. In the search for land, I stumbled into real estate. I’d never imagined myself in the field, but I’ve learnt that passion isn’t always the starting point – sometimes it’s the outcome of showing up every day,” said the Malpani Group heir.
Reconciliation with his brothers
Ashish said that three to four years after his marriage, he reconnected with his brothers.
“I built a growing realty business by putting in my blood and sweat, all from scratch. Seeing the success I’d achieved in a new field, a few years later, my brothers and I reconnected,” he said.
“We realised our futures were brighter together than apart, and I re-entered the group, this time not by birthright, but by proving my worth. In fact, it was that real estate venture which is our most profitable business now!”
Running a ₹3,000 crore business
According to Ashish, the Malpani Group is worth around ₹3,000 crore today. Today, eight members from two generations of the family run the century-old business together.
Despite the scale of their business, they have a rule about salaries — everyone gets a fixed amount. For Ashish, that amount is ₹5 lakh a month.
“Despite the scale, we keep one rule simple: everyone earns a fixed salary. Mine is ₹5 lakhs a month, and anything extra comes from my personal capital. It’s not about what you inherit – it’s about what you uphold,” he said.
