Kalanithi Maran (Tamil: கலாநிதி மாறன்) is an Indian media baron who is the chairman and MD of Sun Group, which is the most profitable Television network in Asia. In June 2010, he acquired Spice Jet which was the most profitable airlines in India. While his television channels and newspapers are primarliy concentrated in South India, his FM radio stations, DTH service and Airlines are spread across the country.

Early life

Schooling at Don Bosco, Egmore, Chennai. In Loyola College, Chennai he became the student’s union chairman and led an agitation on the Sri Lankan Tamils issue. Has an MBA from the University of Scranton. Returning to India in 1987, he worked for Kungumam Tamil Magazine owned by his family in the late 1980s.

Family

He is the son of the Former Union Minister of commerce Murasoli Maran and the brother of India's former textile minister Dayanidhi Maran. His father's mother is the sister of former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi. He married Kaveri, a native of Coorg, (Karnataka) in 1991 and has a daughter named Kaviya (Born 1992). His wife is the Joint Managing Director of Sun network.

Kalanidhi Maran proved to be successful in spite of his father's political rivals ruling the state for most of the period since he entered the media business. He also emerged as No. 1 in neighboring states where his competitors include politicians and business men from those states.

Dispute with Karunanidhi's family

In May 2007 followers of Karunanidhi's son M K Azhagiri attacked Maran's newspaper office after a survey in the newspaper claimed people prefer M K Stalin over Azhagiri. Later in Dec 2008 it was claimed that dispute between Maran and Karunanidhi Families was resolved. However in 2010, a criminal case against Kalanithi Maran was filed by Azhagiri owned Cable TV distrubiton company Jak communications.

Business expansion

• In 1990 he started a monthly video (VHS) news magazine in Tamil called Poomaalai which was stopped in 1992 due to piracy.
• He founded Sun TV on April 14, 1993 with an investment of US $86,000 from a bank loan.
• His net worth reached $10 million by 1995.
• His net worth reached $100 million by 2000.
• His net worth reached $1 billion by 2005.
• By 2010, he was the 17th richest Indian with net worth of US$ 4 Billion.
• He is the highest paid business man in India/li>
• He has won Young Businessman awards from CNBC, ERNST & Young.
• Prestigious USA based Forbes magazine named him the "Television king of southern India".
• He was among the few representatives at a roundtable with the visiting then U.S. President Bill Clinton.
• Sun TV was listed on the Bombay Stock Exchange on April 24, 2006 upon raising $133 million.