King of Good Times Vijay Mallya had several high-profile ventures under his belt, including the now-defunct Kingfisher Airlines and the bold and glamorous Kingfisher Calendar. Known for its raunchy aesthetic and featuring ace models, the annual swimsuit calendar became a national sensation in the late 2000s.
Launched in 2003 under the Kingfisher brand with renowned photographer Atul Kasbekar at the helm, the calendar showcased Indian models in exotic locations and quickly earned a reputation for spotting future Bollywood stars.
In a recent four-hour podcast conversation with YouTuber Raj Shamani, Mallya opened up about the calendar's legacy and its unexpected influence on Indian cinema.
"We chose the right girls, whether it was Deepika Padukone, Katrina Kaif. We had all the heroines and stars on the calendar at a younger age. We picked the right talent," Mallya said.
When asked why so many calendar models made it big in Bollywood, he simply responded, "Because we chose the right girls."
Calling the calendar a powerful marketing initiative, he added, "I did it because it was a fantastic marketing tool. It didn't bring anything to me personally, but it did wonders for the brand."
Addressing rumours about his ties with actresses, Vijay Mallya clarified, "It was strictly professional—limited to the calendar."
The Kingfisher Calendar is widely credited with helping launch the careers of several top Bollywood actresses. Katrina Kaif appeared in the inaugural 2003 edition, while Deepika Padukone was featured in 2006, well before becoming a household name. The calendar left such a cultural impact that it inspired Madhur Bhandarkar's 2015 film Calendar Girls, which depicted the highs and lows of aspiring models post-fame.
On the business front, Kingfisher Airlines launched with much fanfare in 2005, was once known for its luxurious service, but eventually collapsed under mounting financial pressure.
About Vijay Mallya
Mallya fled India in 2016 and has since been residing in the United Kingdom, where he is currently fighting extradition to India.
Most recently, on April 9, 2025, Mallya lost an appeal in the London High Court against a bankruptcy order in connection with Rs 11,101 crore in debt owed to a consortium of Indian lenders, including the State Bank of India. Earlier in February, he approached the Karnataka High Court claiming that banks had already recovered Rs14,000 crore, far exceeding the Rs 6,200 crore originally due. His legal team requested that lenders provide a detailed breakdown of the recovered amount.
