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They are the power movers and cocktail shakers. Straddling the worlds of politics, business and B-Town, these icons represent the new India—confident, ambitious and inspiring. Their private soirées see the presence of the who’s who of the international jet set and their every public appearance redefines the style lexicon. Most of them back up their caviar lifestyle with commendable achievements and that’s what makes them role models. Here are India’s power couples, who have much more to them than the cliched four Cs—carat, couture, champagne and connections.

MUKESH AND NITA AMBANI

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This year India’s richest man tallied $2.4 billion to his wealth, even as his $75 billion (revenues) Reliance Industries of late saw its first drop in net profits in nine quarters as lower oil prices impacted refining margins, according to Forbes. Last year, wife Nita was appointed on the board of Reliance and the dynamic lady added another feather to her glowing litany of accomplishments by relaunching the Hurkisondas Nurrotumdas Hospital at Girgaum, Mumbai. It’s not for nothing that they call the Ambanis, India’s first corporate couple. Politicians, businessmen, Bollywood stars, royals and socialites look forward to attending Ambanis’ extravagantyet-intimate soirées hosted in their rarefied and intimidating bastion, Antilia.

Mahindras, Birlas, Mittals, Godrejs and the Bollywood brigade comprising the Khans and Kapoors partake in Nita and Mukesh’s genuine warmth and hospitality. Perhaps this is the only couple, who can bring such a diverse spectrum of personalities under one roof. Over the years, Nita has emerged as business India’s first lady—be it her role as the owner of the IPL team Mumbai Indians or her efforts to nurture the Dhirubhai Ambani International School or her lucid public speaking at forums like the FICCI. All in all, the couple who complement their power with a panoply of achievements.

SHAH RUKH AND GAURI KHAN

Shah Rukh Khan has always been one of the busiest actors working on multiple ventures at the same time, whether it is hosting shows on small screen or announcing new projects under his banner or co-owning Kolkata Knight Riders. The social media-savvy actor has beaten the likes of Hollywood gods like Tom Cruise, Tom Hanks, Clint Eastwood or Adam Sandler in terms of wealth and status. A report in Wealth-X has estimated SRK to be worth $600 million.

Wife Gauri keeps the yin and yang perfectly synchronised, playing mother to three gorgeous children, designing a line of saris for Satya Paul and running a dêcor store, The Design Cell. She’s curated pieces from all over the world at her dêcor store located in Lower Parel, Mumbai. Her shindigs are legendary and every flash-your-cash princess worth her Jimmy Choo looks forward to being invited there.

AMITABH AND JAYA BACHCHAN

Even at 72, Big B shows no signs of slowing down. Asia’s sexiest vegetarian is super active on social media and regularly tweets to his legions of fans, whether about granddaughter Aaradhya or his new release Piku, in which he plays father to Deepika Padukone or about reading daughter Shweta Bachchan’s weekly newspaper column before it goes to press. The undisputed Shahenshah of Bollywood juggles many worlds with effortless elan. In 2013, he made his Hollywood debut in The Great Gatsby playing the role of Meyer Wolfsheim opposite Leonardo DiCaprio and Tobey Maguire. In 2014, he debuted in the fictional TV series titled Yudh playing the lead role of a businessman battling both his personal and professional life. This year he clinched the Padma Vibhushan. Politician wife Jaya has always been a tall figure, whether it’s raising pertinent issues in Parliament or the powerful roles she continues to essay on the silver screen. The gutsy lady speaks her mind whether it’s upsetting Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) with her ‘controversial’ statements or getting her point across in Parliament over the Nirbhaya documentary. Here’s to an ageless couple who only get better with time.

LAKSHMI AND USHA MITTAL

It may have been a rough year for commodities and steel baron Lakshmi Mittal. He lost his long-held position as the world’s second richest Indian to pharma tycoon Dilip Shanghvi, yet his stature in the international business galaxy remains unparalleled. Arcelor Mittal had teamed up with Italy’s Marcegaglia to bid for loss-making Italian steelmaker Ilva, but the Italian government postponed the sale, according to Forbes. Wife Usha Mittal serves as a Member of the European Advisory Board at Christie’s Inc. With more than 10 years’ experience in steel and related industries, she also serves as a Director of Ispat International N.V. She held various senior level posts including Director of Ispat International Limited and Ispat Shipping. The couple are known for entertaining their close friends in style and are also regular on the international chic corridors.

SANJAY AND PINKY REDDY

G V Sanjay Reddy holds multiple positions and plays a key management role in GVK, one of India’s eminent business conglomerates. As vice chairman of GVK Power and Infrastructure Limited, he leads GVK’s businesses in key areas of infrastructure.

His farsighted vision of ensuring fuel security has enabled the group to acquire a strategic equity stake in the Australian Coal Mines, a rail and port project to set up one of world’s largest coal mining operations, thus ensuring fuel security for the company. Wife Pinky is the toast of Mumbai and Hyderabad’s social scene. In 2011, when she sent out an invitation to her daughter’s wedding, the who’s who of the corporate and Bollywood world showed up. There were 5,000 wedding invites, costing Rs 5,000 each, sent out.

GAUTAM AND NAWAZ SINGHANIA

The chairman and managing director of one of the world’s largest textile manufacturing conglomerate Raymond group, Gautam Singhania perfectly mirrors his company’s tagline The complete man, as he is an iconic Indian entrepreneur. The jetsetting industrialist lives the good life and is known for his love for fast cars, luxury yachts, speedboats, planes and nightclubs.

The billionaire businessman owns a bunch of pricey assets, which include his 30-storey mansion JK House, a farmhouse in Alibaug, a Challenger 604 business jet, three helicopters and two luxury yachts, Moonraker and Ashena. He also owns a number of speedboats named after James Bond movies, like Thunderball, Golden Eye, Goldfinger, and Octopussy. Adrenaline junkie Gautam has also participated in racing events driving a Lamborghini Gallardo in Europe and a Formula 1 car in France. He also formed the first super car club in India. Wife Nawaz Modi runs Body Art Fitness Studio and has proved herself to be a significant painter. She collects art and hosts exhibition of her works. Her last show was inspired by all the icons she admires, like a screaming Mick Jagger, an angry McEnroe and a happy Oprah Winfrey.

ANIL AND TINA AMBANI

After the death of his father in 2002, Anil Ambani took over the reins of Reliance Group with interests in telecom, entertainment, financial services, power and infrastructure. Anil, in less than a decade has built a towering position in major growth sectors of the Indian economy, including telecommunications, generation, transmission and distribution of renewable and non-renewable sources of power and entertainment. In 2008, a joint venture worth US$1.2 billion with Steven Spielberg’s production company DreamWorks placed Ambani’s entertainment business on to a global platform.

Wife Tina may stay away from the social dos but is closely involved with many projects. She visits the Kokilaben Hospital thrice a week and interacts with 130 doctors there. Over the past 20 years, Tina’s Harmony Art Foundation has showcased works of more than 1,600 artists and attracted over half a million visitors. The multifaceted lady works with diverse teams, be it medical and healthcare professionals at Kokilaben Hospital, creative people at Harmony for the Silvers Foundation, art experts at Harmony Art Foundation. She took her upcoming artists to Christie’s to familiarise the global art scene with the sheer genius of Indian art, the diversity of the work being inspired by, and produced in India. Easily the power couple who may like to stay under the radar are affecting a million lives.

KUMARMANGALAM AND NEERJA BIRLA

Kumar Mangalam Birla has an estimated net worth of $7.4 billion as of March 2014, according to Forbes. He is the chairman of India’s third largest business house, Aditya Birla Group, with presence in various countries like Canada, Australia, Malaysia and China. After the demise of his father, Kumar Birla took over the empire of Aditya Birla Group, at the age of 28.

Honoured as ‘The Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year 2005’, Kumar Birla has injected new life into the Aditya Birla Group, and has taken it to new heights. The Group now has a turnover of $35 billion as compared to $2 billion in 1995, the year Birla took over as chairman of the Group. One of the youngest billionaires in the world, he is a low-key man who stays away from social events. Wife Neerja has played a pivotal role in his success. The media-shy lady is also the chairperson of Aditya Birla World Academy.

ADI AND PARMESHWAR GODREJ

The 118-year-old Godrej Group, a $4 billion (revenue) consumer goods empire is making inroads abroad; thanks to Adi’s astute business acumen and leadership. Godrej Consumer Products, where the patriarch’s daughter Nisa works, now gets close to half of its $1.3 billion in annual revenues from overseas markets in Asia, Africa and South America. In January, the firm acquired Frika, a South African maker of hair extension products.

Even though wife Parmeshwar has always hosted fundraisers for AIDs patients, the media usually profiles her for her high-decibel soirées where she manages to host celebrities, like Richard Gere to Amitabh Bachchan.

Besides work, her personal style has always been debated and dissected—Herve Leger bandage and a beret has become her signature look over the years.

ANAND AND ANURADHA MAHINDRA

He chairs the $16.5 billion (revenue) Mahindra Group and is a metaphor for constant innovation and excellence. The automaker unveiled a new version of its iconic Scorpio sports utility vehicle and plans to introduce a smaller SUV this year. The group is also investing $700 million to expand its factory in Maharashtra. In October, Mahindra acquired a 51 per cent stake in Peugeot Motorcycles, one of the world’s oldest two-wheeler makers. Anand, who joined the business in 1981 after graduating from Harvard Business School, has taken the group to new vantage points. Leading the group’s diversification through acquisitions in IT and auto, remarkably buying out Korea’s Ssangyong Motor. Wife Anuradha publishes and edits Verve and IQ, The Indian Quarterly. “At a time when views and thoughts are being disseminated in 140 characters, and thoughts transmitted virtually without the presence of sound, IQ, is a magazine that endeavours to create a generous space for new voices and a platform for both written and verbal conversation,” the sophisticate had told a news agency. A low-key Anuradha is rarely seen at social soirées except making a few appearances at private dos.

From the June 2015 issue of L’Officiel India.