By: Entertainment Desk Mumbai | June 6, 2025 13:27 IST 2 min readDeepika Padukone at the launch of the Kingfisher Calendar.Among the many ventures associated with Vijay Mallya, the flamboyant businessman behind the now-defunct Kingfisher Airlines, one that made a distinct cultural impact was the Kingfisher Calendar. It was a bold, annual swimsuit calendar that became a national sensation in the late 2000s. Launched in 2003 under the Kingfisher brand, with celebrated photographer Atul Kasbekar at the helm, the calendar featured Indian models in exotic locales, and quickly gained a reputation for spotting future stars. In a recent four-hour podcast conversation with YouTuber Raj Shamani, Mallya opened up about the calendar’s legacy and its unexpected influence on Bollywood.“We chose the right girls, whether it was Deepika Padukone, Katrina Kaif. We had all the heroines and the stars on the calendar at a younger age. We picked the right talent,” Mallya said during the interview. When asked why so many models from the Kingfisher Calendar went on to have successful acting careers, he simply responded: “Because we chose the right girls.” Mallya described the calendar as a powerful branding initiative rather than a personal venture. “I did it because it was a fantastic marketing tool. Did not bring anything to me personally. But it did wonders to the brand,” he said. Addressing speculation about his personal ties to the actresses, Mallya clarified, “It was strictly to the calendar.”Also Read | ‘It was always my intention to settle’: In new podcast, Vijay Mallya speaks on Kingfisher Airlines case after 9 yearsThe Kingfisher Calendar has been credited with helping launch the careers of several top Bollywood actresses. Katrina Kaif appeared in the inaugural 2003 edition, while Deepika Padukone was featured in the 2006 calendar, long before she became a household name. The cultural imprint of the calendar was significant enough to inspire Madhur Bhandarkar’s 2015 film Calendar Girls, which portrayed the journey of aspiring models navigating fame and the dark side of the fashion industry after appearing in such a publication.Click here to follow Screen Digital on YouTube and stay updated with the latest from the world of cinema.© IE Online Media Services Pvt Ltd