Turns out, Vijay Mallya is also happy when online content garners millions.
The billionaire-turned-fugitive was over the moon when his podcast with Raj Shamani raked in 20 million views in four days, saying the moment "filled my heart with joy that my true factual story is being heard".
But the 'king of good times' didn't get the treatment he expected.
Instead of going with the flow, some people preferred to take the mickey out of Mallya.
Some X posts were downright funny.
Comparing Mallya to Ravana, one user commented that the demon king may have had a lot of flaws, but he never relied on a podcast to fix his reputation.
People also lamented the rise of podcasts with a corresponding loss of public trust in traditional media, which is being exploited by criminals to revamp their image.
Creator Raj Shamani also wasn’t spared in the barrage of tongue-in-cheek humour as people drew similarities between the ‘Figuring Out’ podcast and Rajkumar Hirani’s controversial biopic ‘Sanju’. The film was also accused of being a subtle attempt at fixing the image of Sanjay Dutt, over his association with the Mumbai underworld and his complex personal life.
A user posted a morphed photo of Mallya as Sanju, asking him to come to India so that a biopic can be made to repudiate his public image. Several others lambasted Shamani for entertaining “fugitives” and minting money out of it in the process.
Humour is best when it is black – that’s clearly the mantra for users, who pitched Sonam Raghuwanshi – the woman accused of plotting her husband’s murder on their honeymoon in Meghalaya – as Raj Shamani’s next guest for fixing her image.
Bollywood gems such as Hera Pheri also featured in this drama as users expressed their surprise and sarcasm over Mallya’s “I am not a chor” narrative.
Some have also expressed their support for the former Kingfisher Airlines baron, claiming that the podcast was needed to present a counter-narrative to the Indian government and media's portrayal of him.