Tue 14 May 2019:
Only the US and China currently have more billionaires than India. Some of them are as famous as pop stars and enjoy similar adulation. Their social media accounts have millions of followers – in a country where more than half the population lives below the poverty line and has no electricity or fresh water. India’s super-rich have been dubbed the “new maharajas.” The sources of their seemingly unlimited wealth are almost as varied as their values and lifestyles. 23-old Evan Luthra uses his father’s seed capital to invest in new ideas in the software industry. He loves luxury, meets the young moneyed elite in fashionable destinations around the world, and is active on all the social networks. Abhimanyu Alsisar, nephew of the Maharajah of Jaipur, runs a chain of luxury hotels in the ancient palaces of India and invests in music events. Kalpana Saroj comes from the lowest caste in India and has worked her way up from destitution to become a multimillionaire – but she never forgets her background, and helps impoverished farmers in her homeland with medical care and gifts of money. Vijay Mallya even bought his own Formula 1 racing team, but faces a long prison sentence for fraudulent bankruptcy and tax evasion should he return to India. The documentary is the result of six months of investigative research and offers a deep insight into the everyday and professional lives of India’s super-rich.
