Bad Boy Billionaires: Old tale of sleaze with a gripping narrative
Netflix released three episodes of its controversial docuseries “Bad Boy Billionaires: India” which is focused on the lives of four infamous business tycoons of India
After a month of legal tussles, Netflix has recently released three episodes of its controversial docuseries "Bad Boy Billionaires: India" which is focused on the lives of four infamous business tycoons of India – Vijay Vittal Mallya, Nirav Deepak Modi, Saharashri Subrata Roy, and Byrraju Ramalinga Raju.
The streaming giant, however, has deferred the release of the fourth episode on Satyam Computer Services founder Byrraju Ramalinga Raju due to the pending verdict of corruption charges against him at the Hyderabad court.
Watch the trailer of "Bad Boy Billionaires: India" here
Vijay Mallya: The King of Good Times
Vijay Vittal Mallya, the man who scrupulously duped a public bank, erected his empire "Kingfishers" from a small-time brewery to an international airline added to his brand.
The man, who was known for living his life "King-size," had been famous for throwing lavish parties and living a glamorous life until the weight of his debt began to set in.
The episode features his son Sid Mallya, family friend Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, Industry experts and journalists who gradually unfold the narrative of rise and downfall of the Kingfisher owner Vijay Mallya.
We can see the meteoric rise of Mallya, his eventual crash and the revelation of his whopping 1.3 billion loan default that leads him to fight a series of court battles in the UK.
Nirav Modi: Diamonds Aren't Forever
The chronicle of Indian Diamantaire Nirav Deepak Modi, who extorted the Punjab Bank to promote his Diamond business globally and got caught by a Telegraph journalist in the UK, was beautifully narrated in the second episode.
Nirav Modi endorsed his brand with all the top models of the world including Priyanka Chopra, Kate Winslet and had 16 flagship stores across the globe.
Unfortunately, the upsurge of his popularity came to a halt when one of his affiliated employees of the Punjab Bank retired and his 2 billion dollar fraud case came to surface.
Saharashri Subrata Roy: The World's Biggest Family
"The World's Biggest Family" was one of the longest episodes of the series, based on the life of Saharashri Subrata Roy, the man who extorted the poor people's money through the "Pyramid scheme".
We saw a theatrical version of a young Roy in his 30's roaming around the UP hinterland on his Lambretta urging people to invest in his scheme which will double their money in a year.
Subrata Roy allegedly used that investment scheme to fund his airlines, his dream project of Aamby Valley and his company's sponsorship of the Indian cricket team. Roy was even jailed for two years. He is currently out on bail.
Although the enthralling narrative of Bad Boy Billionaires has strong storylines of the billionaires who captured the imagination of world with their-hyper luxurious, freewheeling and overly flamboyant lifestyle, the whole narrative failed to shed light on how the Indian institutions and their designated systems have served as a breeding ground for wilful financial defaulters.