Acting

Joshi was born in Pune to Jagdish Joshi, owner of the JMJ group of industries.^[1] He was unsuccessful in establishing himself in Telugu films, but later began working as an actor in Bollywood to a mixed reception.^[3] Joshi made his debut in the 2002 Telugu film Mounamelanoyi and went on to star in two more Telugu films, Ninu Chudaka Nenundalenu (2002) and Orey Pandu (2005). He did not appear in films again until 2011, when he performed as the titular lead character in the Hindi film Aazaan, which he also co-produced. This marked his debut in Hindi film. Joshi returned to Telugu cinema with the remake of Aashiqui 2, titled Nee Jathaga Nenundali, and reprised the role played by Aditya Roy Kapur in the Hindi version.^[4] He co-starred with Nazia Hussain, who made her debut in Aashiqui 2.^[5] Joshi was also a lead in the 2013 film Jackpot, in which he starred opposite Sunny Leone and Naseeruddin Shah.^[6][7]

His film Amavas, which he self-financed and co-stars Nargis Fakhri, opened to extremely poor reviews, and was widely panned by critics for its "mediocre performances and direction."^[8][9][10]

Business ventures and legal troubles

Before becoming an actor, Joshi began a career as an entrepreneur. Among other companies, he owns the trouble-ridden Viiking Ventures, which sells the Kings Beer brand, now known as Goa Kings, as of 2015.^[11] The company filed for bankruptcy in 2018.^[12][13]

In January 2018, Joshi was accused of fraud by former business partner Raj Kundra, related to a poker league they were both involved in. Kundra has since launched legal proceedings against Joshi for defamation.^[14][15][16]

In 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Joshi offered his Beatle Hotel in Powai to the governing body of Mumbai, as a quarantine facility for COVID-19-positive patients coming from abroad. He also donated food boxes to the local police and municipal workers.^[17]

In November 2020, Joshi purchased the Dambulla Viiking franchise for the upcoming 2020 Lanka Premier League.^[18][19] The team, originally named Dambulla Lions, was renamed due to becoming part of Viiking Ventures.^[20][21]

In January 2021, Joshi's business partner Parag Sanghvi filed an action against him, alleging a scam and nonpayment of franchise royalties for the Playboy Beer Garden in Pune.^[22]

In February 2021, Joshi was arrested by the Indian Enforcement Directorate on money laundering charges. A subsequent investigation by Indian tax authorities discovered unaccounted transactions of around ₹1,500 crore during their six-day-long search operation carried out at various premises linked to Joshi and his father.^[23][24][25] An April 2021 request by the actor to be transferred to a hospital for health reasons was denied.^[26]

In June 2021, Joshi was denied permission by a court to travel to Geneva, Switzerland, purportedly to visit his thirteen-year-old-daughter, because he was deemed a flight risk.^[27][28]