✦ Celebrity stories, facts and career updates. Explore F4U now →

Home › Biography › Subhash Chandra

Subhash Chandra biographyFeatured Biography

Image source: StarsUnfolded

Celebrities

Subhash Chandra Biography: Age, Career, Family and More

F4U Editorial Desk • Updated September 14, 2026 • 6 min read

Quick Info

Date of birth30 November 1950

Age67 (as in 2017)

BirthplaceHisar district, Haryana, India

ProfessionPolitician, Chairman of Essel Group

NationalityIndian

Marital statusMarried

SpouseSushila Devi

FamilyFather - Nandkishore Goenka; Mother - Tara Devi Goenka; Brothers - Laxmi Narain Goel, Jawahar Goel, Ashok Goel; Sisters - Kusum, Urmila, Mohini

Net worth₹36,512 crore

Subhash Chandra Biography

Media entrepreneur and chairman of the Essel Group who built a diversified business empire spanning television, packaging, theme parks, publishing and more

Early life and background

Subhash Chandra Goenka was born on 30 November 1950 in a village in Hisar district, Haryana. He grew up in a trading family and left school in 1965 after dropping out during the 10th grade to work in the family’s trading business as a commission agent supplying rice to the Food Corporation of India.

His upbringing in a business environment set the stage for an entrepreneurial career. The excerpt notes his family background and lists his parents, Nandkishore Goenka and Tara Devi Goenka, and several siblings. He is identified with Hinduism and Indian nationality.

Career

Chandra forged a varied business career that began with manufacturing. He founded Essel Packaging, a company focused on flexible packaging products such as plastic tubes. He expanded from manufacturing into an array of industries over subsequent decades.

In 1989 he opened EsselWorld, a recreational theme park in north Bombay, marking an early move into leisure and consumer-facing ventures. In 1992 he launched Zee TV, described in the excerpt as India’s first Hindi-language cable channel; the channel grew into a vast international presence. Building on the channel’s success, he introduced other media and consumer services, including one of India’s early satellite direct-to-home services, Dish TV, and a lottery business.

Chandra’s media interests extended into print with the launch of the broadsheet Daily News and Analysis (DNA) in 2005, introduced first in Mumbai and later expanded to other major Indian cities. The paper is noted for adopting an all-colour page format and positioning itself as a challenge to established national newspapers.

Beyond media and leisure, the Essel group under Chandra encompassed a broad portfolio: cable systems (Siti Cables), online gaming (Playwin), education channels (Zee Learn), flexible packaging (Essel Propack), infrastructure projects (Essel Infraprojects) and theme parks (EsselWorld and Water Kingdom), among others. The excerpt states he started nine businesses in India, with six ultimately succeeding and three failing.

Public service and politics

Chandra moved into public life as well. On 11 June 2016 he was elected to the Rajya Sabha representing the state of Haryana. The excerpt lists his political inclination as towards the Bharatiya Janata Party and describes him as an independent politician and chairman of the Essel Group.

Recognition and publications

His contributions to media and business earned him several honors. The excerpt mentions awards such as Entrepreneur of the Year (Ernst & Young), Business Standard’s Businessman of the Year (1999), various broadcasting and industry awards, and an International Emmy Award in 2011. In 2013 he received an honorary Doctorate of Business Administration from the University of East London.

Chandra has also published a memoir titled Z Factor: My Journey as the Wrong Man at the Right Time, co-edited with Pranjal Sharma. The book’s launch was noted to have involved high-profile public events.

Later developments

In May 2016 he resigned as Director and Non-Executive Chairman of his company. In 2017 he and his brothers celebrated the 90th anniversary of the Essel Group and pledged funds to their charitable foundation. The excerpt also reports that on 31 August 2023 the Essel Group reached an agreement with J. C. Flowers Asset Reconstruction Company to resolve group debt that had been acquired from Yes Bank, a transaction tied to the group’s efforts to regain ownership of various assets including Dish TV and Zee Learn.

Public profile

Chandra is noted in the excerpt as married to Sushila Devi and is the father of two sons, Punit Goenka, who is identified as managing director and chief executive officer of Zee Entertainment Enterprises, and Amit Goenka, described as an entrepreneur. Physical details listed in the excerpt include black eyes and salt-and-pepper hair.

Latest updates

The most recent business development reported in the excerpt is the 2023 agreement with an asset reconstruction company to address Essel Group’s debt and recover assets. The excerpt also records his Rajya Sabha membership beginning in 2016 and his earlier resignation from corporate chairmanship in 2016.
◈

Recent Work

Z Factor: My Journey as the Wrong Man at the Right Time

Memoir co-edited with Pranjal Sharma; launched at notable public events

✦

Career Highlights

  1. Founded Essel Packaging and expanded into flexible packaging
  2. Launched EsselWorld theme park in 1989
  3. Launched Zee TV (India’s first Hindi-language cable channel) in 1992
  4. Expanded media and consumer businesses including Dish TV, DNA newspaper, Zee Learn and Playwin
  5. Elected to Rajya Sabha from Haryana in 2016
  6. Received multiple industry awards including an International Emmy Award (2011) and an honorary doctorate (2013)
₹

Net Worth

₹36,512 crore

Figures are editorial estimates based on publicly available reporting and may change as new information emerges.

?

Frequently Asked Questions

When was Subhash Chandra born?

30 November 1950

What is Subhash Chandra known for?

Politician, Chairman of Essel Group

What is Subhash Chandra’s marital status?

Married

Who is Subhash Chandra married to?

Sushila Devi

What is Subhash Chandra’s net worth?

₹36,512 crore