Biography

Does Vijay Mallya smoke: Yes.Does Vijay Mallya drink alcohol: Yes.Mallya was born with a silver spoon in his mouth as his father, Vittal Mallya, was a big name in the liquor Industry. Vittal, who was the first Indian director of the United Breweries Ltd, eventually became the Chairman of the company and acquired many breweries and distilleries across India.While in College, Mallya worked as an intern in his familys businesses. In addition, after graduating, the future King of Good Times interned at Hoechst AG, a Chemical company in the United States.After the demise of his father in 1983, Mallya was elected the Chairman of the United Breweries Group (UB Group). Walking in the footsteps of his father, Mallya went on to acquire 60+ companies in a short span of time. Under his control, the conglomerates annual turnover surged by 64% over 15 years to US$11 billion in 19981999.In terms of sales, Kingfisher beer has more than 50% market share in India. Notably, the beer is available in over 5o countries across the globe.Mallya added another achievement to his list of accolades when United Spirits Ltd, the flagship company of the UB Group, achieved the historic milestone of selling 100 million cases. With this, the company became the second-largest spirits company in the world by volume. However, in 2015, Mallya was forced to step down as the Chairman of the United Spirits Ltd. A full-time settlement of $75 million, which Mallya was supposed to get after the deal, was blocked by the Indian Courts as he had wilfully defaulted on his loan repayment amounting to INR 9000 Crores.Mallya further expanded his business and laid the foundation of Kingfisher Airlines in 2003. The Airlines became an instant success as the service standards and comfort provided by it in the initial years was unmatchable. However, things soon took turn for the worse when Kingfisher Airlines acquired Air Deccan in 2007 and started operating internationally. Many experts believe that this move by Mallya was the biggest mistake of his career as his downfall began soon after. The airlines which was performing well domestically started making huge losses primarily because of its failed international operations.By 2009-10, Kingfisher Airlines had accumulated a debt of over INR 7,000 crore. The airlines, which was once cruising, turned into a Non-Performing Asset (NPA) or a Bad Loan for the banks.Not many people known that Mallya is a highly religious person. No matter what, Mallya makes it a point to go on the Sabarimala pilgrimage every year. The beleaguered businessman even visited the Tirupati Temple everytime a new Kingfisher aircraft was commissioned. If that wasnt enough, the business tycoon has made it a habit to leaving for an important meeting or event at an auspicious time.