Vijay Mallya On Katrina Kaif, Deepika Padukone Becoming Overnight Stars: "We Had All The Heroines In The Kingfisher Calendar"

New Delhi:

Vijay Mallya is associated with many ventures, but the one that particularly stood out is the now-defunct Kingfisher Airlines.

Back in the 2000s, the reputed airline brand had launched the much-talked-about Kingfisher Calendar. It was a bold annual swimsuit calendar that was launched in 2003, with photographer Atul Kasbekar.

In a recent conversation with podcaster Raj Shamani, Vijay Mallya spoke about how from Deepika Padukone to Katrina Kaif, everyone was a part of the calendar. The businessman further revealed how they became overnight stars.

What's Happening 

• Businessman Vijay Mallya recently spoke about his famous Kingfisher Calendar, on a podcast with Raj Shamani.
• Mallya shared, "We chose the right girls, whether it was Deepika Padukone or Katrina Kaif. We had all the heroines and the stars on the calendar at a younger age. We picked the right talent."
• Speaking about how some of these models went on to become huge stars, Mallya added, "Because we chose the right girls. I did it because it was a fantastic marketing tool. Did not bring anything to me personally. But it did wonders to the brand."

About The Kingfisher Calendar 

The said calendar was once, a big step towards stardom. While Katrina Kaif was a part of the Kingfisher Calendar's launch edition in 2003, Deepika was a part of it in 2006.

Such was its fame, that it inspired Madhur Bhandarkar's 2015 film Calendar Girls. The plot revolves around aspiring models navigating the perils of the fashion industry to attain fame.

In A Nutshell 

Businessman Vijay Mallya spoke candidly about his famous Kingfisher Calendar. It had a major cultural impact back in the 2000s when Kingfisher Airlines was still functioning. He spoke about how featuring Deepika Padukone and Katrina Kaif in the calendar made them overnight stars.