Vijay Mallya is back in the spotlight and so is a viral parody of him.
The fugitive businessman, facing charges of fraud and money laundering, recently appeared on entrepreneur Raj Shamani’s podcast. During the conversation, Mallya addressed his long-running financial troubles, loan defaults, and whether he plans to return to India.
Shortly after the podcast aired, social media users resurfaced an old parody video of actor Abhishek Banerjee playing Mallya in a popular comedy sketch, and it quickly began making the rounds again.
The clip, circulating on X, is from Episode 3 of TVF’s Daaru Pe Charcha and shows Banerjee hilariously portraying the embattled tycoon. Opposite him, actor Jitendra Kumar plays a talk-show host in a mock interview format.
In the skit, the two sip drinks and engage in sharp-witted banter, covering everything from Mallya’s infamous lavish lifestyle to his legal troubles and public image — topics that also came up in his recent podcast chat. The timing of the parody’s resurgence has made it especially relevant and funny to viewers.
Meanwhile, Banerjee is making waves on the professional front. His latest film Stolen, inspired by the 2018 lynching of two men in Assam, hit cinemas on June 4. Co-starring Mia Maelzer and Shubham Vardhan, the film received a 3-star review from NDTV, which praised its nuanced storytelling: "Stolen doesn’t preach. It leaves room for ambiguity, focusing on fear, fatigue, and desperation over easy moral lessons."
Following Stolen, Abhishek Banerjee has an exciting lineup of projects. He’ll appear in Toaster, Bhediya 2, Section 84, and Mirzapur: The Film. Additionally, fans can look forward to his return as the beloved Jana in Stree 3.