Overview

• The four-hour YouTube podcast with Raj Shamani became Mallya’s first major interview since 2013, amassing over 20 million views in four days.
• Mallya issued a public apology to Kingfisher Airlines employees for unpaid salaries and said he made four settlement offers to banks between 2012 and 2015.
• He denied being a ‘chor’ and presented documents showing around ₹6,200 crore recovered from his assets, reiterating his personal guarantees on loans.
• Mallya said he would seriously consider returning to India if assured of a fair trial and a dignified existence.
• Raj Shamani faced backlash, with critics accusing him of whitewashing Mallya’s narrative and comparing the episode to a biopic-style image repair.