Here's everything you need to know about Sanjay Dutt's best friend Paresh Ghelani, who inpsired Vicky Kaushal's Kamli in Sanju.
Paresh Ghelani is Sanjay Dutt's close friend and an Indian-born American businessman. He came into limelight after Vicky Kaushal's character of Kamli in Sanjay Dutt's biopic Sanju was inspired from his life. Here's everything you need to know about him.
1. Who is Paresh Ghelani?
Paresh Ghelani is an avid entrepreneur and philanthropist, who was born in Gujarat and stays in Los Angeles. He invests and mentors companies and entrepreneurs who are changing the world by building breakthrough technologies. He has invested in multiple companies such as Moon Express, Viome Inc, DTV Motor Corporation, Casepoint, and Radimmune Therapeutics.
2. How did Sanjay Dutt meet Paresh Ghelani?
Sanjay Dutt met Paresh Ghelani in New York in 1980, when he had gone to a rehabilitation centre in the United States of America to recover from his drug addiction. Since the last four decades, the two friends have made great memories and supported each other in their tough times. Sanjay fondly calls Paresh by the nickname that he has given to him, Parya.
3. Paresh Ghelani's reaction when Sanjay Dutt was diagnosed with lung cancer
When Sanjay Dutt was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer in August 2020, Paresh Ghelani penned an emotional note on his Instagram, that read, "Brother, thought we had covered the whole amusement park. Thought it was closed now, but I guess we are not done yet. Let’s buckle up for an another roller coaster ride. Yet another battle has begun. Battle we must and the battle you will conquer We know the braveheart you are, you will win this." Dutt underwent the treatment and recovered in October 2020.
4. Paresh Ghelani inspired Vicky Kaushal's Kamli in Sanju
In Sanjay Dutt's biopic Sanju, Vicky Kaushal was seen playing his best friend Kamlesh 'Kamli' Kanhaiyalal Kapasi. Vicky's character Kamli was inspired from Paresh. Ranbir Kapoor portrayed the actor in the Rajkumar Hirani directorial. The film was a huge box office success as it earned Rs 343 crore net in India and grossed Rs 589 crore worldwide.
5. Paresh Ghelani works with Ratan Tata as XPRIZE Foundation member
XPRIZE Foundation organises large-scale global incentive competitions to crowdsource solutions to the world's biggest problems. Paresh Ghelani along with Ratan Tata and Indian-American businessman Naveen Jain brought the XPRIZE Foundation to India to solve India’s greatest challenges like health, sanitation, women’s safety, access to clean water, waste management, and others.