In an unexpected re-entry into public life, fugitive entrepreneur Vijay Mallya appeared on Raj Shamani’s podcast for the first time in almost nine years. The four-hour episode, “Rise & Downfall of Kingfisher Airlines, Loans & RCB,” has gone viral and registered almost 3 million views within hours.
Mallya was speaking to the media for the first time since 2016. He transparently reflected on the journey of himself and his company – the zenith of Kingfisher Airlines and owning its IPL team, Royal Challengers Bengaluru, through a nosedive into mounting bank loans and allegations of fraud.
Denying Wrongdoing, Opening Up
Mallya has vigorously rejected accusations of fraud and money laundering for ₹9,000 crore. Mallya claimed that although he is often referred to as a “fugitive,” he did not run away, but instead left India on a planned visit, and simply chose not to return because in his mind, he had a good reason not to. “Call me a fugitive … but where is the ‘chor’ coming from? Where is the ‘chori’?“
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He even made a rare apology to former Kingfisher employees for what happened to the airline, and mentioned that he offered multiple settlements ranging from ₹6,200 crore to ₹14,000 crore from 2012 to 2015 and the banks rejected them.
The Return Question & Human Rights
The podcast was generating some interesting discussion especially with Mallya making comments about possibly returning to India. He referenced the UK High Court decisions which found certain detention conditions in India were a breach of Article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights, which is a major portion of the UK High Court argument that Mallya uses to support his position in the UK court system.
Mallya had some critical points about the business environment in India where he said that honest entrepreneurs who fail are treated like criminals. He mentioned that no failure in the world of business correlated with criminality, which was an important distinction. In his view, the current environment in India treats business failure and fraudulence indiscriminately.
Conclusion
Vijay Mallya’s podcast is a bold attempt to reclaim his narrative. With viral reach and hard-hitting statements—denials of fraud, offers of settlement, and a conditional openness to facing the law back home—the episode has sparked waves both online and offline. Whether people see it as PR or truth, one thing is certain: Mallya has re-entered India’s conversation on his own terms. click here for source
