initiated by bhukku on May 27, 2007 (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/Punes_king_of_good_times_has_a_craze_for_cars/articlesho...)
PUNE: He is Pune's king of good times. That is the general impression his friends in and outside the real estate industry seem to hold about construction baron Avinash Bhosale.
"He has a taste for all good things in life and enjoys a lifestyle most would envy," says a friend, who has known him for over two decades.
Bhosale owns a Bell 206 L4 helicopter, while his fleet of luxury cars include a Rolls Royce Phantom, a Lamborghini Murcielago, a Lincoln Navigator and a Mercedes SL 500, according to sources.
His 30,000 sq ft palatial bungalow in Baner, western Pune, on a 12-acre plot is in the news often, especially in connection with film shootings. The latest Rajnikant flick 'Sivaji' was shot there, according to blogs. And Angelina Jolie-starrer 'A Mighty Heart' was also originally supposed to be shot there. The bungalow, replete with a helipad, hangar, clubhouse and a swimming pool, is believed to fetch a whopping Rs 3 lakh per day in rent.
Bhosale is known to throw the most exclusive parties in town, which are open to a select few of his friends. A jet-setter, he loves to holiday in London with wife Gauri, daughter Swapnali and son Amit. And, a man who at one time was a regular at Vaishali restaurant on FC Road, now eats and shops at the most exclusive joints across the globe. But, despite his flamboyance, he is quite elusive and rarely makes any public statements.
The 47-year-old builder started off in the 1980s with infrastructure projects and that continues to be the mainstay of Avinash Bhosale Group's business even today, though he has diversified into hotels and residential projects in the last few years.
Bhosale's meteoric rise from riding a dilapidated scooter in Pune to becoming one of the wealthiest men in the country has been linked to his contacts with bureaucrats and politicians. The origins of his wealth have been identified with government contracts for constructing dams, reservoirs and other irrigation projects since the early 1990s.
Today, his group owns the Sun-n-Sand hotel, a five-star property in Pune and is building another five-star hotel in Koregaon Park. His daughter, under the banner Swapnali Bhosale Constructions, has recently constructed a high-end apartment complex, God's Gift, near Boat Club, and is on to another posh-project in Koregaon Park, an upmarket locality in the city.
Bhosale undertakes contracts for building large public infrastructure projects from the state and Central governments, including dams, highways and bridges on a turnkey basis.
In fact, Bhosale, in joint venture partnership with infrastructure developer Soma Enterprise Ltd, recently won the Rs 460-crore Nagpur-Hyderabad highway project from the National Highway Authority of India. This is part of the North-South corridor on
NH-7.
HE’S rich, owns the latest Bell 407 helicopter and loves vacationing in London. So, why are we talking about business baron Avinash Bhosale?
Well, apart from the fact that he’s one of Pune’s big-wigs, being the proprietor of the Avinash Bhosale Group, Bhosale is also one of the five stalwarts in India to own the swanky, new Mercedes SL 500, the others being Reliance hot-shot Anil Ambani, muscle man Sunny Deol, Bhushan Kumar of T-Series and Paresh Gurech of Gurecha Builders.
“Well, I have a passion for fast cars. I love driving and don’t give my car to my driver as well,” Bhosale tells PT. The property baron has a number of imported cars as well. But the SL 500 definitely seems close to his heart.
It is the biggest suspense in Pune — the arrival of Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie. Rumours have been floating around about where the celebrity couple will be staying and the locations where the shooting for their film is taking place.
Media reports had suggested that Brad and Angelina are going to stay at industrialist Avinash Bhosale's palace in Baner.
There are two ways you can live, the Vijay Mallya or Avinash Bhosle way or the Narayna Murthy way...
I dont say one is better than another, but given a chance, I will certainly chose the Vijay Mallya way..
Avinash The Great Maratha Lion.
Hi Avinash Sir,
I am very pleased to see a person from Maratha lobyis so rich like tou.How you become rich? Iam not having any concern about it.I will call you "Lion".You are a rich man,but my dream is to see you in the list of World's 10 most Rich pepole.you can climb the success ladder like this always.And ipray to god everyday that you become a very rich person & your name& Fame will reach to all over the world. You are the Great Maratha Lion &you will climb success ladder like this.