A Bengaluru-based startup founder has sparked a discussion online after publicly asking fugitive businessman Vijay Mallya if he could rent the iconic penthouse at Kingfisher Towers for a birthday celebration.
Taking to X, Priyam Raj, founder of VidAI, shared an unusual request addressed to Mallya. “Dear @TheVijayMallya I’m a founder from Bangalore having my birthday on March 23rd. I want to throw a birthday party the city hasn’t seen in a while and bring back the good times, Bangalore needs that energy back,” he wrote.
Raj added that he was serious about the request and willing to pay for the venue. “Can I rent Kingfisher Villa for one night? Dead serious. Will pay. Name your price. Or point me to whoever owns it now,” he said.
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Social media reactions
The post quickly caught the attention of social media users, many of whom pointed out that the ownership and control of the luxury penthouse may no longer rest entirely with Mallya due to the legal troubles linked to his defunct airline and business empire.
“While Mallya still tweets about Bangalore (especially RCB), he hasn’t owned these properties in years. They were seized and auctioned by a consortium of banks to recover over ₹9,000 crore in dues,” one user wrote.
“The pic is of inhabitable kingfisher sky tower and it’s still a part of the liquidation process,” commented another.
“The audacity of this ask is exactly the energy Bangalore’s founder scene needs. Shoot for the impossible, and even a ‘no’ generates 1M views. You’ve already won. Happy early birthday!” wrote a third user.
“Asking Vijay Mallya to lend you Kingfisher Villa is basically like me asking you right now ‘Hey, invite me to your party, book my flights and hotel.‘ If you’d say yes to a stranger on the internet, maybe he will too. Worth a shot, honestly,” said another.
Vijay Mallya’s iconic Bengaluru penthouse
Located in Bengaluru’s central business district, Kingfisher Towers is known for its luxury residences and its prominent residents. The tower overlooks Cubbon Park and stands close to M. Chinnaswamy Stadium.
Apart from Mallya’s sky bungalow, the building has been associated with several high-profile residents over the years, including Narayana Murthy and Nikhil Kamath.
