Mandhira Kapur, sister of late Sona Comstar chairman Sunjay J Kapur, has hit out strongly at those sidelining her family in the wake of his sudden demise. In an emotional statement, she vowed to stand firmly by her 80-year-old mother, Rani Kapur, as they fight to keep the family’s inheritance from being taken away.Sunjay Kapur’s sudden passingSunjay Kapur, who headed the Rs 30,000-crore mobility tech giant, collapsed while playing polo in London on June 12. The autopsy revealed cardiac arrest as the cause of death. Initial reports had speculated about a bee sting causing complications, adding to the family’s shock and confusion.Cease-and-desist dispute with Rani KapurSoon after, Sona Comstar sent a cease-and-desist notice to Rani Kapur. She alleged that she had been coerced into signing documents endorsing her daughter-in-law, Priya Sachdev Kapur, as a non-executive director of the company. The company, however, claimed that Rani Kapur had not held shares since 2019.Mandhira Kapur called the move “harsh” and said her mother, who built the company with her late husband, deserved respect. “She’s 80. How about just respecting the fact that her husband and she made this? Today you’re telling this 80-year-old woman who’s lost everything that she has nothing to do with this company? Is that fair?” She told NDTV. Family legacy and emotional struggleMandhira recalled how their father left everything to Rani Kapur and how the family built the company from scratch. She admitted they too were “finding out” details about trusts and shareholdings only through the media and well-wishers.On suggestions that her mother move into Priya Sachdev Kapur’s Delhi home, Mandhira said it was “impractical” at present: “It is very tough for mum to even go back to that house. She is not emotionally ready to face the fact that she has lost her son.”
A life in the spotlightBeyond business, Sunjay Kapur’s personal life often made headlines. His first marriage was to fashion designer Nandita Mahtani. In 2003, he wed actress Karisma Kapoor, with whom he had two children, Samaira and Kiaan. The couple divorced in 2016. In 2017, he married Priya Sachdev, with whom he had a son, Azarias. He also adopted her daughter Safira, from her previous marriage to businessman Vikram Chatwal.Mandhira Kapur summed up the family’s ordeal with raw honesty: “Our life has been one big shock since June 12. It feels like a nightmare we want to wake up from.”
