Atulya Mafatlal was an Indian industrialist and business investor. He was the head of the Yogindra Mafatlal Group, a well-known business venture with a presence in textiles, dyestuffs, and other chemical products in India. He passed away on 8 September 2022 in sleep at his residence in Mumbai.
Wiki/Biography
Atulya Mafatlal was born Atulyabhai Yogindrabhai Mafatlal on Wednesday, 18 August 1965 (age 57 years; at the time of death). His zodiac sign was Campion School, Mumbai. He completed his school eductaion at Campion School, Mumbai.
A childhood picture of Atulya Mafatlal (fourth from right in the second row)
Physical Appearance
Height (approx.): 5′ 7″
Hair Colour: Black
Eye Colour: Black
Family
Parents & Siblings
His father’s name is Yogindra Mafatlal, an Indian businessman. Yogindra Mafatlal, who was the founder of the Sungrace-Mafatlal group, passed away in 2005. His mother’s name is Madhuri Mafatlal. She passed away in 2013.
Parents of Atulya Mafatlal
Atulya Mafatlal has four sisters named Aparna Mafatlal, Kunti Shah, Gayatri Jhaveri, and Malvika Taktwala.
Ajay Mafatlal (left) and Gayatri Jhaveri (right)
Gayatri Jhaveri is married to Priyam Jhaveri who is the trustee of Nanavati Hospital in Mumbai. One of his sisters named Aparna Mafatlal had a sex-change surgery in the early 2000s following which she changed her gender and name from Aparna to Ajay Mafatlal and became the elder son of the Mafatlal family.
Ajay Mafatlal, brother of Atulya Mafatlal
In November 1979, Aparna Mafatlal got married to a family friend Sudeep Parikh. Sudeep was the owner of a yarn-producing company in India. After living together for one and a half years, they got legally divorced in 1984.
Wife & Children
His first wife’s name is Payal Girdharlal with whom he got divorced in 1997. The couple has two children, a son and a daughter named Varun Mafatlal and Marushka, respectively.
The second wife and son of Atulya Mafatlal
His daughter, Marushka tied the knot in December 2016. According to Payal Girdharlal, she got separated from Atulya Mafatlal when their son Varun was six years old and their daughter Marushka was three-and-a-half years old. When Marushka was twelve years old, she decided to live with her mother with the consent of the Bombay High Court. Marushka refused to live at her father’s mansion.
The daughter of Atulya Mafatlal with her family
Once, in a media conversation, Payal Girdharlal disclosed that when she was 22 years old, she got married to Atulya Mafatlal, and she got separated from him when she was thirty years old. She added that she belonged to a highly reputed family in Ahmedabad in Gujarat and felt more independent after her divorce. She said,
While I was married, my social life was more with him. His friends were my friends. I got more liberated and social after my divorce.”
The first wife of Atulya Mafatlal
On 25 February 2000, Atulya Mafatlal got married to renowned Indian socialite and social media influencer Sheetal Mafatlal.
Atulya Mafatlal with his second wife, Sheetal Mafatlal
Atulya on his wedding day
Relationships/Affairs
Atulya Mafatlal was in a relationship with Sheetal Mafatlal before getting married to her on 25 February 2000.
Address
He lived at Mafatlal House, Altamount Road, Mumbai.
Controversies
Harassment Case by His Second Wife, Sheetal Mafatlal
In 2012, Sheetal Mafatlal, the second wife of Atulya Mafatlal, lodged a complaint at a local police station in Mumbai against her mother-in-law, Madhuri Mafatlal and accused her family members of harassing her mentally and physically at her matrimonial home. This incident floated the name of her family in the news headlines. Sheetal blamed and named Madhuri, Atulya, his brother Ajay, Madhuri’s daughters Kunti Shah and Gayatri Jhaveri, and Atulya’s children Varun and Marushka, from his first marriage in the FIR. Soon, the case was filed in the Bombay High Court, which later, appointed a mediator to settle the dispute between the family members after several media trials. The mediator led the family members to settle their family dispute amicably following which Atulya Mafatlal and his two children along with one of his sisters, Kunti Shah apologised to Sheetal Mafatlal and settled their disputes. Soon, the Bombay High Court quashed the complaints and FIRs filed by the family members against each other.
Sheetal Mafatlal on her wedding day with her in-laws
Bitter Relations with mother, Madhuri Mafatlal, and sister, Malvika Taktawala
Madhuri Mafatlal, the mother of Atulya Mafatlal, lodged a complaint against Sheetal and Atulya in the Bombay High Court after five years of marriage of Atulya and Sheetal. Madhuri mentioned in her complaint that she was harassed and intimidated by her son and daughter-in-law. Reportedly, a property dispute was going on within the family after the death of Yogindra Mafatlal, and the family was divided into two parts. Madhuri and Atulya were against each other and that was why Madhuri had the fear that she and Ajay would be expelled from their home by Sheetal and Atulya. Reportedly, Atulya Mafatlal was not in the good books of one of his sisters, Malvika Taktawala. It was in news at that time that Gayatri and Malvika supported Ajay Mafatlal when the property dispute started in the family, and both of these sisters were dependent on Ajay Mafatlal as he was the one who supported them financially for their daily expenses.
Complaint by Maruskha, Atulya Mafatlal’s daughter from his first wife
Marushka, the daughter of Atulya Mafatlal filed a case against her step-mother, Sheetal Mafatlal, in 2012. In a case lodged at the Gamdevi police station, Marushka accused Sheetal of replacing the precious paintings worth crores by masters MF Husain, SH Raza, and Manjit Bawa with fake ones. Marushka stated that the paintings belonged to the Mafatlal Group. After several months, when the police did not take action against Sheetal, the elder brother of Atulya Mafatlal, approached the Bombay High Court and appealed that the police were not taking any action against Sheetal in the Fake Paintings Case. On the other side, Sheetal claimed that she was the real owner of the paintings, which were recovered by the police from Sheetal’s Princess Street office in January 2014. Later, Ajay and Madhuri were accused by Sheetal Mafatlal in a dowry harassment case for which they had to apply for anticipatory bail for the same.
Marushka with her family
Disowned by Mother and Brother
Atulya Mafatlal was disowned by his mother and brother, Madhuri Mafatlal and Ajay Mafatlal, respectively in 2012. In a public notice in a leading newspaper, they mentioned that Atulya did not belong to them anymore. Consequently, Atulya Mafatlal and his two sisters, Kunti and Gayatri, apologised to Madhuri and Ajay. Later, Gayatri Jhaveri, one of the sisters of Atulya Mafatlal, filed a petition in the Bombay High Court and challenged Sheetal Mafatlal’s allegations against Gayatri and Atulya in the mental and physical harassment case. Gayatri Jhaveri and Atulya asserted in the court that the allegations made by Sheetal were baseless, and the court should quash all the cases filed by Sheetal against them. In 2013, when Madhuri Mafatlal died, the court had already quashed all the cases against her.
Bitter relations with Brother, Ajay Mafatlal
Atulya Mafatlal and his brother, Ajay Mafatlal, were not sharing a cordial relationship with each other soon after Ajay Mafatlal got divorced and had a sex-change surgery, which is considered India’s first sex-change surgery. According to some media sources, Ajay went through a sex-change surgery to become the eldest son of the family and to claim the Mafatlals’ Rs 40-crore property rights. This incident worsened the relationship between the two brothers. However, once, in a media conversation, Ajay Mafatlal rejected all the rumours against him and his intentions. Ajay said,
I haven’t changed my sex for the property. I had the mannerisms of a boy since I was six years old and underwent the change for personal reasons.”
Ajay Mafatlal was admitted to the surgical intensive care unit of Breach Candy Hospital in Mumbai in 2015, and he passed away after suffering a cardiac attack in the same year. He fought a long legal battle with Atulya Mafatlal for his inheritance rights. After his death, during a court proceeding, Atulya Mafatlal mentioned that he was not aware of Ajay’s death and nobody informed him. Atulya said,
I knew that he was critical and admitted to Breach Candy a fortnight ago, but nobody told me of his death. His body wasn’t brought home.”
Ajay Mafatlal during a court proceeding
Unpaid Wedding Bills of Atulya Mafatlal
In 2014, Atulya Mafatlal attracted controversy when the Tata-owned group company’s Taj Mahal Palace hotel in Mumbai filed a case against Atulya for not settling his wedding bill of 25 February 2000 when he got married to Sheetal Mafatlal.
In the Support of his Second Wife, Sheetal Mafatlal
After many years of the Mafatlal family being accused by Sheetal of mental and physical harassment case, Atulya lodged a complaint against his mother, brother, and sister for prompting him against Sheetal Mafatlal in a local police station and also apologised to the police for the same. The mutual consent between Atulya and Sheetal earned Sheetal the real ownership of the costly paintings by the Bombay High Court. However, in 2012, her mother-in-law claimed that 40 paintings, some silver, and furniture were missing from their Altamount residence and London house and accused Sheetal of the same. Consequently, Atulya Mafatlal claimed in a police complaint against his mother that jewellery worth rupees 10 crores was also missing from their house.
Atulya Mafatlal during a court proceeding
Death
On 8 September 2022, Atulya Mafatlal passed away in sleep at Mafatlal House, Altamount Road in Mumbai. According to media sources, one of his house servants disclosed that Atulya woke up at 4 in the morning and was feeling uneasy; however, he went to sleep again. Then, at 6 am, the house servant went to his room, but he did not wake up. Thereafter, the home staff informed Atulya’s son, Varun Mafatlal, who was residing in the same house, about the incident. Atulya was rushed to the Breach Candy Hospital, where the staff declared Atulya Mafatlal brought dead.
Facts/Trivia
- In 2005, Atulya’s elder sister, Aparna Mafatlal filed a divorce petition in court and underwent a sex-change surgery soon after the death of Yogindra Mafatlal. Soon after the surgery, she became the eldest son of the Mafatlal family and changed her name from Aparna to Anil Mafatlal. Reportedly, Yogindra Mafatlal’s father Navinchandra and uncle Bhagubhai were the real owners of the Mafatlal bungalow at Altamount Road in Mumbai. Before his death, Navinchandra drafted a will in which he mentioned that Yogindra was the owner of the 10,000 sq ft of this Bungalow.
- In 2012, in a media conversation, the first wife of Atulya Mafatlal disclosed that when Sheetal Mafatlal was accused of the fake paintings case crime in Mumbai then Atulya was residing in London for his cancer treatment. Payal Girdharlal said,
He (Atulya) was in London for his cancer treatment and my son (Varun) was with him. My daughter was staying here.”
- According to some media sources, several well-known Indian personalities and industrialists had great relations with Atulya Mafatlal, who was a billionaire Indian businessman.
An old picture of Atulya Mafatlal posing next to Sachin Tendulkar
Atulya Mafatlal while enjoying dinner with some renowned Indian industrialists
- All the family members of Atulya Mafatlal got involved in the family issues and brawls as soon as the property dispute began in the Mafatlal Bungalow in Mumbai after the death of his father, Yoginder Mafatlal. It was in news by some noted media houses that even the family members were fighting over the usage of the rooms in the bungalow. Reportedly, some security guards were hired by Atulya against his own family members and were posted by him outside the bungalow. The whole family got divided into two parts – on one side, Atulya and Sheetal Mafatlal and on the other side, Madhuri, Ajay, and Atulya’s two children from his first marriage started living by making a partition of the bungalow.
An old picture of Atulya Mafatlal with his second wife
- According to Atulya Mafatlal, his second wife behaves so professionally at home that he was feeling absurd in his own house. Once, in an interview with a media reporter, Atulya disclosed that Sheetal acted like a perfectionist at home. He said,
My wife drives me nuts in her quest for perfection. At home, I cannot eat pizza out of a box.”
Reportedly, Sheetal often throws high-class parties and invites her elite friends to her home. In 2005, the Prince Michael of Kent visited India. and Sheeta held a lavish party for him. During the event, Sheetal glittered in a bright green sari, which was designed by Indian fashion designer Manish Malhotra.
Sheetal Mafatlal posing with Manish Malhotra during an event
- Atulya Mafatlal enjoyed smoking cigarettes on various occasions.
Atulya Mafatlal while smoking a cigarette
Categories: Biography
Source: HIS Education