When Shilpa Shetty announced that her Bandra restaurant, Bastian, would close its doors this Thursday, she framed it as the end of an era. “A venue that gave us countless memories, unforgettable nights, and moments that shaped the city’s nightlife now takes its final bow,” she wrote on social media. Since opening in 2016 and relocating in 2023, the restaurant had become a magnet for Mumbai’s celebrities and socialites, celebrated as much for its ornate interiors as for its reputation as a hotspot of the city’s nightlife.
But the farewell was far from ordinary. The closure coincides with a deepening legal controversy that has ensnared Shetty and her husband, businessman Raj Kundra.
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The Fraud Allegations
The couple, along with co-accused, are facing accusations of defrauding more than ₹60 crore through what has been described as a “loan-cum-investment scheme” spanning between 2015 and 2023. Mumbai businessman Deepak Kothari lodged the complaint, claiming funds meant for business expansion under Best Deal TV Pvt Ltd—a now-defunct venture once promoted by the celebrity couple—were misappropriated and siphoned off for personal use.
Investigators at the Economic Offences Wing have taken up the case, with sources citing forged agreements and diverted funds. A police report suggests the accused bypassed commitments made to investors, heightening scrutiny on celebrity-backed ventures.
Denials and Counterclaims
Shetty and Kundra’s legal team has pushed back strongly. Their lawyer, Prashant Patil, described the allegations as “baseless,” emphasizing that the dispute is civil in nature and has already been addressed in proceedings before the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) in Mumbai in October 2024. “My clients deny all the allegations, which are purely civil in nature and have already been adjudicated,” Patil stated, framing the charges as an unnecessary escalation.
The defense highlights the legal complexities at play—whether the matter is a business dispute or criminal fraud—and underscores the couple’s long history of scrutiny in both media and courtrooms.
The Broader Context
The closure of Bastian Bandra, while symbolic, also reflects the precarious intersection of celebrity entrepreneurship and financial accountability in India. Over the past decade, several high-profile ventures launched by actors and sports stars have blurred the line between brand power and business sustainability. For Shetty, whose public image straddles Bollywood glamour and lifestyle entrepreneurship, the timing of the restaurant’s shutdown against the backdrop of a fraud case intensifies public perception of crisis.
Even as her Thursday note spoke of nostalgia, magic, and legacy, the subtext of legal uncertainty lingered. For Mumbai’s diners, it may be the end of an iconic destination. For Shetty and Kundra, it marks yet another chapter in a long battle to defend their reputations in court and in the court of public opinion.