Indian media baron Kalanithi Maran has an estimated net worth of $3.3 billion as of March 2013 according to Forbes. He is also the 24th richest person on India’s Richest List and 42nd in the list of World Billionaires.

Also referred to as Kalanidhi Maran, he has earned his estimated net worth of $3.3 billion as the founder, chairman and managing director of Sun Group, an Indian conglomerate group based in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. In just a short span of time, it became one of the largest media networks of India. It also used to be the most profitable television network in Asia.

Mr. Maran began his professional career in 1987 with Kunguman Tamil Magazine which was owned by his family in the late 1980's. In 1990, he started a monthly video (VHS) news magazine in Tamil called Poomaalai. However, it was stopped in 1992 due to piracy.

On April 14, 1993, Kalanithi Maran founded Sun TV with an investment of $86 thousand that he got from a bank loan. The regional broadcasting powerhouse has boosted his wealth as his shares are up by more than a third since last year after falling in July. There were reports that the Central Bureau of Investigation would be charging him and his politician brother Dayanidhi for their alleged involvement in a telecom deal which was linked to Malaysian billionaire Ananda Krishna. They both denied the allegations.

In June 2010, Maran acquired Spice Jet, a low-cost Indian airline that benefits from the closure of rival Kingfisher Airlines. It reported a $20 million profit in the latest quarter. It is also rumoured that he is planning to a stake sale to a foreign airline. Another thing is that he snatched a bid for a cricket team of the Indian Premier League and is paying $80 million for five years.