‘Started Off as a Joke...’: Vijay Mallya Reveals How Bengaluru’s Famous Kingfisher Penthouse Was Built

Bengaluru: Vijay Mallya, the ex-owner of Royal Challengers Banglore (RCB) and former chief of Kingfisher Airlines, has addressed each allegation he faced during the past nine years. In a four-hour-long podcast, Mallya shared about his ambitions for the RCB franchise. Among several such topics, he also opened up about the famous penthouse perched atop Kingfisher Towers in Bengaluru.

Mallya shared that the house on the top of the Kingfisher Towers is his childhood home. He said he grew up in this house and his father used to live in this house only. He said that the idea was just a joke at first.

The story goes that when the Prestige Group, led by Irfan Razack, wanted to develop the land into a luxury residential building, Mallya jokingly said he would only agree if they could put his family’s old bungalow on the top of the new building. To his surprise, they actually did it!

Mallya, in the podcast by entrepreneur Raj Shamani, said they decided to go ahead with the project because it made good business sense — the location is extremely valuable and would help the company grow.

However, the bungalow is still unfinished as this property is embroiled in UBL controversy.

This property overlooks Cubbon Park and is right in the heart of Bengaluru’s business district. What’s special is that it used to be Mallya’s childhood home. He explained that the bungalow where he grew up and where his father lived once stood on the very land where Kingfisher Towers was built.

What Is UBL Controversy?

United Breweries Holdings Ltd (UBHL), once led by Vijay Mallya, is facing court-ordered liquidation over unpaid debts. Mallya defaulted on loans worth over Rs 9,000 crore, mostly linked to the failed Kingfisher Airlines. He left India in 2016 amid investigations.

Kingfisher Towers is not only famous for Mallya’s penthouse but also because other well-known people live there, like Infosys co-founder Narayana Murthy and Zerodha’s Nikhil Kamath. Its location near Cubbon Park and the Chinnaswamy Stadium makes it a standout building in Bengaluru.

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