Airlines, Chit Fund & Diamonds! Bad Boy Billionaires Gives A Peek Into India's Biggest Scams

After landing in legal trouble, the much-awaited docu-series has finally seen the light of the day. Following some of India¡¯s biggest tycoons-turned-offenders, this series follows Vijay Mallya, Nirav Modi and Subrata Roy¡¯s tryst with fraud and corruption. However, the story of Satyam Computer services head Ramalinga Raju has been put on hold.

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While it does reopen old wounds for many, Bad Boy Billionaires somehow feel like old wine served in a new bottle. While there¡¯s hardly any additional information provided that isn¡¯t already present in the public domain. It won¡¯t be wrong to say that the presentation is what makes it super interesting. The docu-series is crisp, cutting edge and gripping. If you are looking for reasons to give it a watch this weekend, then here are 18 things that might pique your interest:

1. All the episodes are crisp and nicely-packaged. The three parts of this four-episode series are almost an hour-long and fast-paced. It¡¯s informative and is backed with legit evidence.

2. It begins with the story of liquor baron Vijay Mallya and takes you through the rise and fall of the flamboyant king of good times.

3. Right from his inheritance to the way he dabbled with many other avenues apart from liquor, Vijay Mallya somehow wins the day with his risk-taking spirit.

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4. There will come a point, where you won¡¯t be able to stop yourself from being somewhat inspired by his ambitiousness. The way he launched his own airlines and then ventured into the racing cars business, it is indeed praiseworthy for it takes a lot of guts to take such humongous risks.

5. However, it spirals out of control when he loses his vision and turns into a megalomaniac.

6. The highlight of this episode is the testimonies shared by his friend Kiran Mazumdar Shaw, renowned journalist Vir Sanghvi, author Shobha De and his own son Sid Mallya to the extent that Sid admitted that his father Vijay Mallya did make some rotten decisions that will hound him for the rest of their lives. This obviously includes the 'vulgar' display of wealth at his 60th birthday celebration when unpaid dues to the entire staff of his entire airlines were pending since many months.

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7. There is also an interesting account shared by Kingfisher Airlines¡¯ former stewardess who reveals the repercussions faced by her and her colleagues when the airlines hit rock-bottom due to lack of funds and Mallya¡¯s ignorance.

8. The second episode revolves around diamantaire Nirav Modi who envisioned taking his jewelry business to an all new height as he wanted to become the first ever luxury Indian brand in the world.

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9. While the goal was very impressive, the result was far from it. He got lost in the process and made it about duping the country, filling his pockets with loads of money and finally turning into a fugitive.

10. For Nirav Modi¡¯s story, you¡¯ll admire his talent and uniqueness. The fact that he was so experimental with his designs and came out with such great and never-seen-before projects will make it too hard to believe that somebody who is so focused could ever commit such a fraud.

11. There are testimonies of his workers who cannot stop praising him for providing livelihood to so many people in need.

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12, The PNB involvement gets real tragic when it comes to light that an innocent and lowly clerk gets trapped in the scandal and becomes a victim in the bigger scheme of things.

13. Last but not the least is the story of poor people¡¯s messiah Saharashri Subrata Roy who brainwashed people to such an extent that he garnered a cult-following in no time.

14. The explanation of his infamous chit fund scheme and Sahara pyramid scheme does come across as convoluted and the some of the testimonies given by his former employees will leave you scratching your head in confusion.

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15. Subrata Roy¡¯s megalomania included a certain way of conduct, particular dress code and a distinctive style of greeting.

16. The way he mind-washed people belonging to all stratas of the society into investing in his lucrative scheme while withholding loopholes is both commendable and deplorable at the same time.

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17. Even though the series somehow only scratches the surface, it does manage to revive the otherwise forgotten scams that made a huge financial dent in the country¡¯s economy.

18. The downside is that the narrative is deliberately kept very neutral. It¡¯ll definitely leave you wanting for more.

All in all, Bad Boy Billionaire does make for an intriguing watch. Due to the duration and it¡¯s handful number of episodes, it¡¯s all the more appealing. However, it will only serve as a base and you will find yourself researching for more details and perhaps reading everything and anything about these bad boys of the country.