Even as the death of renowned business tycoon CJ Roy continues to create debate and speculation, a resurfaced podcast clip has brought attention to his life and legacy. A short clip from the podcast Editoreal has been widely shared on social media. In the clip, Roy is asked about comparisons being drawn between him and Rangannan, a character from the popular Malayalam film Aavesham, played by Fahadh Faasil.
What is the comparison?
In Aavesham, Rangannan is shown as a real-estate baron. A key scene in the movie explains that the present-day Bengaluru airport stands on land once owned by him. Another character, Amban, praises Rangannan’s foresight, explaining how he invested in land at Devanahalli when it was considered remote, only to see it become immensely valuable years later. This storyline has now been linked by many viewers to CJ Roy’s own business journey.
Roy’s response to the comparison
When asked directly whether the character was inspired by him, Roy said he had no knowledge of any such connection. He added that no one from the film’s team had ever approached him. Still, he admitted that the storyline felt familiar.
According to Roy, while the film places the airport land in Devanahalli, his own success story happened elsewhere. He pointed to Sarjapura, an area he described as barren and largely ignored when he first invested there in 2001. He said he bought land for around Rs 5–6 lakh at a time when few believed in the area’s potential.
Today, he claimed, that same land is valued at nearly Rs 12 crore per cent. That, he claimed that could be the basis for the comparison.
Building a business empire
Roy often spoke about his company operating on a zero-debt model. Under the banner of Confident Group, he said the business had expanded well beyond real estate into sectors such as hospitality, entertainment, education, golfing, retail, and international trading.
In recent years, Roy had moved towards joint development projects. In this model, he provided land while other developers handled construction and execution, a strategy he said allowed him to scale without taking on excessive risk.
Outside the boardroom, Roy had a wide range of interests. He was a trained magician, a collector of luxury cars, and a film producer who often stepped in to rescue projects facing financial trouble. He also sponsored several television shows.
In the same Editoreal podcast, Roy spoke candidly about his outlook on life and death. He made a striking remark that even if the pilot of his personal aircraft were to announce an imminent crash, he would not cry but dance to dappankuthu, a traditional Tamil dance. For him, life was something to be celebrated, not feared.
He said he lived with a sense of completion, believing he had achieved everything he set out to do. Roy also shared that he rarely slept before midnight, preferring to fully live through one day and consciously welcome the next before going to bed.