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Vijay Mallya Biography: Age, Career, Family and More

F4U Editorial Desk • Updated September 14, 2026 • 6 min read

Quick Info

Date of birth18 December 1955

Age69 Years

BirthplaceKolkata, West Bengal, India

ProfessionBusinessman, Politician

NationalityIndian

Marital statusMarried

SpouseRekha Mallya

FamilyFather - Vittal Mallya; Mother - Lalitha Ramaiah; Stepmother - Ritu Mallya

Vijay Mallya Biography

Vijay Vittal Mallya is an Indian businessman and politician known for leading the UB Group, founding Kingfisher Airlines, and his high-profile involvement,

Early life and background

Vijay Vittal Mallya was born on 18 December 1955 in Kolkata, West Bengal. He grew up in a family already prominent in the liquor industry: his father, Vittal Mallya, served as chairman of United Breweries and helped expand the family business. Vijay attended La Martinière Calcutta for school and went on to graduate with a B.Com. (Hons.) from St. Xavier's College, Kolkata. As a young man he gained experience within the family enterprise and interned abroad at Hoechst AG in the United States.

Career

After the death of his father in 1983, Mallya succeeded him as chairman of the United Breweries Group. Over the following years he expanded the conglomerate through numerous acquisitions and growth initiatives. Under his stewardship the group's turnover rose substantially during the 1990s and United Spirits—the group's flagship company—reached a milestone of selling 100 million cases, making it one of the largest spirits companies by volume.

Mallya diversified the group's interests into aviation when he launched Kingfisher Airlines in 2003. The carrier gained early attention for its service standards and rapid expansion, including the 2007 acquisition of Air Deccan and the start of international operations. He also invested in sports franchises and racing: he has had major involvement in the Indian Premier League franchise Royal Challengers Bangalore, owned football clubs East Bengal FC and Mohun Bagan AC, and co-owned the Formula One team that operated as Sahara Force India.

Political career

Mallya entered politics at the turn of the century. He joined the Akhila Bharata Janata Dal in 2000 and was first elected to the Rajya Sabha in 2002 as an independent representative from Karnataka. He associated with the Janata Party led by Subramanian Swamy in 2003 and served as National Working President of Janata Dal from 2003 to 2010. He won re-election to the Rajya Sabha in 2010, this time as a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party.

Public profile

Mallya cultivated a high-profile lifestyle, collecting luxury cars, private jets, estates, and yachts. He has been publicly recognized with a number of honors and awards, including an honorary doctorate in business administration from the Southern California University for Professional Studies, the Legion of Honour from France, a World Economic Forum recognition as a "Global Leader for Tomorrow," and an Entrepreneur of the Year award at The Asian Awards in 2010.

He is multilingual, speaking Hindi, Gujarati, Kannada, Bengali, Konkani, English and French. Personal interests reported include Formula One, horse breeding, and collecting historical artifacts. He is known to observe religious pilgrimages such as Sabarimala and to visit Tirupati for significant occasions.

Controversies and legal matters

Kingfisher Airlines' international expansion and the 2007 Air Deccan acquisition coincided with heavy financial losses for the carrier. By 2009–10 the airline had become heavily indebted and was classified as a non-performing asset. Later developments included declarations by banking consortia and courts concerning loan repayment and default status. Legal proceedings related to loans and other matters led to high-profile extradition and court actions in the United Kingdom and India, and to judicial orders, including a contempt of court sentence issued by the Supreme Court of India in 2022.

Personal life

Mallya is married and has children, including a son, Siddharth Mallya, from an earlier marriage. His family background includes his mother Lalitha Ramaiah and stepmother Ritu Mallya. He is described as a follower of Hinduism.

Latest updates

Recent public developments recorded in legal and media reports include ongoing litigation and court rulings connected to financial and repayment disputes involving his companies, as well as related extradition proceedings and court decisions up to and including 2022–2023.
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Career Highlights

  1. Succeeded his father as chairman of United Breweries Group in 1983 and expanded the conglomerate
  2. Founded Kingfisher Airlines in 2003
  3. Elected to the Rajya Sabha in 2002 and re-elected in 2010
  4. Invested in sports teams including Royal Challengers Bangalore, East Bengal FC and Mohun Bagan AC
  5. Received honors such as the Legion of Honour (France) and Entrepreneur of the Year at The Asian Awards (2010)
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Frequently Asked Questions

When was Vijay Mallya born?

18 December 1955

What is Vijay Mallya known for?

Businessman, Politician

What is Vijay Mallya’s marital status?

Married

Who is Vijay Mallya married to?

Rekha Mallya