Mumbai’s street where Rakesh Jhunjhunwala’s billions didn’t count and 'noisy' celebrities aren’t welcome

In Mumbai, a city that feeds on ambition, there is still one address where just being rich is not enough. Pedder Road, home to the country’s top tycoons, quietly reminds the city that old social rules still hold strong.

Speaking on Mumbai, Munch and Market with Chintan Vasani on Instagram, journalist Vishal Bhargava gave a rare look at this zone where money alone cannot buy you in.

Pedder Road is dotted with mansions and towers. From one window, you might spot the Tata chairman’s residence. Next door, Mukesh Ambani’s Antilia looms over the skyline. Yet this is not Bandra. Bhargava explained, “Pedder Road, you have the rich and the super rich. In one building where the TATA chairman stays, next to that is Antilia, where Mukesh Ambani stays. So Bandra has celebrities, here celebrities struggle to buy a home. Many societies don’t want Bollywood actors. They think of them as a nuisance.”


The idea is simple. Fame is noise. Residents here want quiet. If a star wants to buy a flat, they might find hidden barriers at every door.

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The club that said no

For some, it goes beyond housing. The Willingdon Club stands as a century-old marker of the city’s hush-hush elite circles. Bhargava revealed, “They do not like Bollywood actors, but do not like anybody who they think is not sophisticated and refined.”

Then he gave an example that says it all. Rakesh Jhunjhunwala, India’s Big Bull, turned Rs 5,000 into $5.5 billion. He tried three times to join the Willingdon Club. Every time, the answer was no. Bhargava put it plain, “So, Rakesh Jhunjhunwala, the billionaire stock investor, tried to get membership into the Willington club three times, all three times they rejected him. So it’s not that you have money, it’s that money is not enough in Peddar Road, you need to have something more than money. The rich and famous can be a disqualification, rich and super rich give you a chance, but rich and sophisticated have better odds than rich and famous good one.”

Money talks, refinement shouts louder

Jhunjhunwala, often called India’s Warren Buffett, knew markets better than most. But in Pedder Road, refinement beats reputation. Bhargava said, “They don’t want the loud, they want the refined.”

The message is clear. In Pedder Road, loud fame is frowned upon. Quiet lineage is welcome.

Pedder Road’s snob value has deep roots. Back in 1879, it was named after W. G. Pedder, Bombay’s municipal commissioner. Today, the official name is Dr Gopalrao Deshmukh Marg, honouring the founder of the Indian Medical Association and the first mayor of Bombay after Independence. Most Mumbaikars still call it Pedder Road.

The stretch begins just past Kemps Corner’s flyover and climbs through one of the city’s oldest elite zones before ending near Haji Ali.