For Jeetendra, buying a bungalow in Mumbai’s prestigious Pali Hill was once an unimaginable dream.
The veteran actor had grown up in a cramped chawl in Girgaum, where eight family members shared a small 20-by-10-foot room. Moving from such modest surroundings into a sprawling bungalow marked a dramatic change in his life.
However, the dream home soon became a source of anxiety after Jeetendra began believing that the property was bringing him bad luck.
In a recent conversation with The Reality Drive, the actor recalled how he bought the bungalow from legendary star Bharat Bhushan for just Rs 4.25 lakh. Decades later, the land on which the property stood is estimated to be worth nearly Rs 450 crore.
From a Mumbai Chawl to Pali Hill
Jeetendra said Bharat Bhushan, best known for films such as Baiju Bawra, approached him during a period of financial difficulty and offered to sell his Pali Hill bungalow.
“There was a huge star in those days who had acted in films like Baiju Bawra. He came to me with an offer to buy his Pali Hill bungalow. When I spoke to my father, he said, ‘Let us buy a bungalow too,’” Jeetendra recalled.
He said his family had lived a lower-middle-class life until then, making the purchase an extraordinary achievement.
“I lived in a 20-by-10-foot room, with eight people staying together in a chawl in Girgaum. Buying a bungalow was a huge thing for me,” he said.
Jeetendra purchased the property for Rs 4.25 lakh. The deal also included a 3,450-square-foot plot, making it an astonishing bargain by present-day standards.
Why Jeetendra Moved Out
Soon after moving into the bungalow, Jeetendra experienced a series of professional setbacks. Four of his films reportedly failed at the box office, leading him to believe that the house was unlucky.
“We shifted there, but suddenly four of my films flopped. I told my father, ‘Bharat Bhushan ran away from this place, and now I think it is my turn. If this continues, my career will end before it properly begins,’” he recalled.
His father agreed, and the family moved out of the property.
The ‘Unlucky’ Bungalow Becomes a Gold Mine
Years later, Jeetendra decided to redevelop the bungalow. Even before the construction began, the property produced an unexpected financial return.
According to the actor, he received Rs 11.5 lakh merely from selling the Burma teak used in the old building.
“You will not believe it, but when the bungalow was demolished, I received Rs 11.5 lakh just for the Burma teak. I had bought the entire property for Rs 4.25 lakh and earned Rs 11.5 lakh from the wood alone,” he said.
Jeetendra also reflected on Bharat Bhushan’s hurried decision to sell such a valuable property.
“He was going through a very difficult period and missed a major opportunity. He could have sold the land and the structure separately, but he completed the entire deal within two days,” he said.
Gautam Apartments Built on the Site
Jeetendra later redeveloped the property into Gautam Apartments on Nargis Dutt Road in Pali Hill.
However, he admitted that he sold the flats much too early because he feared there might not be buyers later.
“I sold the flats for Rs 85 per square foot because I was in a hurry. I was worried that nobody would buy them later,” he said.
His son, actor Tusshar Kapoor, highlighted the dramatic increase in property prices over the decades.
“Today, flats there sell for around Rs 85,000 per square foot,” Tusshar said.
Looking back at the extraordinary journey of the property, Jeetendra revealed that the land alone is now valued at nearly Rs 450 crore.
What the actor once considered an unlucky purchase ultimately turned into one of the biggest investments of his life.
