India, June 7 -- In his first interview in years, former businessman Vijay Mallya spoke about his Kingfisher empire, including the famous annual calendar that saw numerous celebrities as models. On Raj Shamani's podcast, he spoke of how his calendar girls' careers skyrocketed after posing for him, bringing up why Deepika Padukone and Katrina Kaif were the right fit. (Also Read: 'Male Mira Kapoor': Housefull 5 director draws flak for comparing babies to dogs in Deepika Padukone-Vanga row)

Mallya was asked in the interview what he thinks of the models who featured in the Kingfisher calendar having their careers skyrocket after. He replied, "Well, because we chose the right girls. I mean, whether it was Deepika Padukone or Katrina Kaif, we ...