Chinnakannan Sivasankaran epitomises the classic tale of a meteoric rise followed by a dramatic fall in the business world. The founder of telecom giant Aircel, which filed for bankruptcy in 2018, recently appeared on The Ranveer Show, where he spoke about his journey of losing ₹7,000 crore and then bouncing back.

“My case is pending in the Supreme Court. When it is heard, I will get my money back,” the 68-year-old serial entrepreneur told podcaster Ranveer Allahbadia during the episode. Sivasankaran – often known as Siva – said that he read Donald Trump’s book before filing for bankruptcy and it motivated him to keep going. “The same day I filed for bankruptcy, I drew a plan for what I will do to become a billionaire again,” he revealed.

“I am not poor. Many people in India think I am poor. No, I am broke,” said the founder of Aircel, whose net worth was once estimated to be over $4 billion.

Asked about his most expensive purchases before he filed for bankruptcy, Sivasankaran said he invested heavily in real estate - buying multiple houses across the world and even two private islands.