Gayatri Reddy is an Indian socialite, sports promoter, and features editor at the Deccan Chronicle. Gayatri is the daughter of T. Venkattram Reddy, the owner of Deccan Chronicle, and she is popularly known for owning the Deccan Chargers, a team in the Indian Premier League that is now defunct.
Wiki/Biography
Gayatri Reddy was born Tikkavarapu Gayatri Reddy on Thursday, 24 July 1986 (age 35 years; as of 2021) in Hyderabad, with the zodiac sign Leo. The Indian journalist has a B.Sc. degree in Construction Management honours from the University College London.
Physical Appearance
Height (approx.): 5′ 5″
Hair Colour: Black
Eye Colour: Black
Family
Parents & Siblings
Her father, T. Venkattram Reddy, who is the owner and chairperson of Deccan Chronicle Holdings Limited, has also been associated with the Indian National Congress and has served as a member of the Rajya Sabha. In 2010-2011, Gayatri’s entire family started working at the Deccan Chronicle. Her mother, Manjula Reddy, took up the role of a senior features editor at the Deccan Chronicle, and handled the Tabloid section, along with other major editorial responsibilities.
Gayatri Reddy with her parents and Nelson Mandela
While Gayatri’s younger brother, T. Vijay Reddy, was appointed the Vice-President of the Deccan Chronicle Holdings Limited, as he had a B.Sc. degree in Business Studies.
Gayatri Reddy with her brother
Husband & Children
When the year 2015 came to an end, the Reddy family’s daughter, Gayatri, got engaged to Aneesh Bhatia in a reportedly private ceremony that took place in Sri Lanka. At the beginning of the next year, the two finally tied the knot on 17 February and their big-fat Indian wedding ceremony, held in Hyderabad, lasted for almost 5-days. Gayatri’s North-Indian husband belongs to an equally powerful and influential family. Aneesh is a director-owner at the Hindustan Aerosystems Pvt. Ltd., a company that manufactures and supplies precision components to the aerospace industry. The Bhatia family is also a shareholder in AirAsia India.
Gayatri Reddy with her husband (in white) and a friend
The couple has two children, and the elder one is a daughter named Aleena Bhatia.
Aneesh Bhatia (Gayatri Reddy Bhatia’s husband) with his newborn daughter and brother, Amit Bhatia
Career
Indian Premier League
With the launch of the Indian Premier League in the year 2008, the Telugu mogul, Venkattram Reddy, decided to build his team Deccan Chargers, and the one person who assisted Reddy in the task was Gayatri. She was involved in all the major decision making for the team and she was also responsible for selecting the players. In the second year of IPL, the Gayatri-owned Deccan Chargers won the league.
Gayatri Reddy receiving the IPL trophy when her team won in 2009
Reddy rose to fame with her regular presence in the stadium during every match of her team in the IPL, for five seasons. She was often captured by the paparazzi motivating her team players and her constant involvement in the game made Gayatri one of the leading ladies of the IPL.
Gayatri Reddy cheering for Deccan Chargers in the IPL
Journalism
In 2013, like her family, Gayatri too got associated with the family business, where she was known to maintain a lower profile. Reddy serves at the position of features editor at Deccan Chronicle and at The Asian Age newspaper as well. The journalist revealed in an interview that her writing niches include travel, sports, fashion, and cuisine. During her stint at the dailies, Reddy also interviewed several Indian celebrities. Gayatri was acknowledged for never losing her cool and keeping her team motivated when the publication went through a financial crisis.
Controversies
- In September 2012, Gayatri’s IPL fame took a backseat when her team, the Hyderabad-based Deccan Chargers franchise, was scrapped from the IPL after playing for five seasons. The 2009 IPL winner was terminated by the BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) on grounds of a contract breach because the franchise owners failed to provide a 100-crore bank guarantee before the deadline. Also, when the BCCI tried to auction the franchise, the Reddys rejected the sole bid of Rs. 900 crore from the PVP Ventures. The team owners then went to court after the BCCI terminated the bid and got 30 days to rectify it but in vain. In July 2020; however, an arbitration tribunal appointed by the Bombay High Court ruled that the BCCI wrongfully terminated the Deccan Chargers, and further ordered the BCCI to pay a compensation of Rs. 4814.67 crores, in addition to the 10% interest from 2012, to the Deccan Chronicle Holdings Ltd.
Gayatri Reddy on termination of Deccan Chargers
- On 14 February 2015, Gayatri’s father’s wayward lifestyle landed him and Gayatri’s paternal uncle in the CBI’s custody, in relation to a Canara Bank money-laundering case. The two Reddys were accused of availing different short-term corporate loans, amounting to Rs. 1230 crores, by submitting false financial statements between 2008 and 2012. A report stated that in the process of seizing Reddys’ properties by the Bureau, Gayatri and her mother’s jewellery, posh wardrobe, and apartments were also auctioned.
- In October 2020, as the same fraud case progressed against the DHCL, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) revealed that the total amount in the fraud allegedly committed by the two Reddys was estimated to be Rs. 8,180 crores. The agency then provisionally attached the immovable assets and seized the high-end vehicles of the Reddy family. Reports also hinted that some of the Reddys’ close family members might also be involved in the case.
Car Collection
Gayatri’s father has often been in the headlines for his flamboyant style, and Gayatri, too, is no different. Known to enjoy a lavish lifestyle, the Reddys boast of a huge collection of luxurious cars, including 23 Bentley Continental GT Convertibles, four Bentley Flying Spurs, two Lamborghini Gallardos, two Bentley Arnage, a Rolls Royce Phantom Drophead Coupe, a Porsche 911 Carrera S, and many more.
Facts/Trivia
- Gayatri’s full name is Gayatri Reddy Bhatia.
- Gayatri belongs to the family of Telugu biggies, as her paternal uncle, T. Vinayak Ravi Reddy, is another renowned name in the South. He is the Vice Chairman/Managing Director of Deccan Chronicle Holdings Ltd since 2003 and he is also a board member of the Asian Age Holdings Ltd. and Sieger Solutions Ltd.
- She was married off in an equally influential family. Gayatri’s father-in-law is AirAsia India’s co-founder, while her sister-in-law, her husband’s elder brother’s wife, Vanisha Mittal Bhatia, is the daughter of Indian steel baron, Lakshmi Mittal.
- The Hyderabad-born Gayatri’s fashion style and writings are inspired by the cultures of her city as well as Delhi because while growing up, Reddy regularly visited the city as her parents owned a house in Delhi.
- The Indian sports promoter follows cricket religiously and is regularly seen expressing her views on the game on her social media handles.
- Her constant support for her team in the IPL made the “Telugu-beauty” one of the most searched people on Google India.
- Gayatri – known as the leading lady of IPL, was missed by her fans at the IPL matches after her team was banned. Soon, social media was flooded with memes of Gayatri and her ‘glamorous presence’ at the stadium.
Gayatri Reddy trying her hand at batting at the IPL
- In March 2010, the Hyderabad beauty was featured on the cover page of issue 12 of the Hello! magazine of India, alongside Bollywood actress Shilpa Shetty Kundra.
Gayatri Reddy on the cover of Hello magazine
- Gayatri has also served as a member of the Young Ficci Ladies Organisation (YFLO) Delhi Executive Committee in 2020-21.