As the son of a farmer and one of six siblings, he began his career at his uncle's small construction firm in Hyderabad. He later founded his own venture in the United States, producing particle boards. In 1991, he returned to India and secured a license in 1992 to build one of the country's first private sector power plants. His major breakthrough came in 2006 when he won the bid to modernize Mumbai Airport, the busiest in India. His son, Sanjay, who serves as vice-chairman of GVK, oversees this project.