Shocking Claim: Did Vijay Mallya Make Deepika & Katrina Stars Overnight?

June 6, 2025: Business tycoon Vijay Mallya has credited the success of many Bollywood actresses to the Kingfisher Calendar, calling it a strategic branding initiative that helped launch stars like Katrina Kaif and Deepika Padukone into the limelight.

In a recent interview, Mallya said,

“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.”

When asked why so many Kingfisher models found success in the film industry, Mallya bluntly replied,

“Because we chose the right girls.”

He insisted the calendar was a marketing tool, not a personal indulgence.

“I did it because it was a fantastic marketing tool. It did wonders to the brand. It didn’t bring anything to me personally,” Mallya clarified, brushing off any speculation about personal ties to the actresses: “It was strictly to the calendar.”

The Kingfisher Calendar, launched in 2003, quickly became iconic in India’s fashion and entertainment scene. Katrina Kaif appeared in the very first edition, while Deepika Padukone was featured in 2006—years before she became a Bollywood superstar.

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The calendar’s impact on pop culture even inspired Madhur Bhandarkar’s 2015 film Calendar Girls, which dramatized the highs and lows faced by young models trying to navigate fame and the murky waters of the glamour industry.

Now seen as a springboard for stardom, the Kingfisher Calendar remains a controversial yet undeniable chapter in the journey of several now-prominent actresses.