Karan Johar, the renowned filmmaker and head of Dharma Productions, recently made headlines with a major business move—selling a 50% stake in his company to billionaire Adar Poonawalla’s Serene Productions for a whopping ₹1,000 crore.
In a recent candid conversation, Johar shared his experience of navigating the deal, revealing that the process left him “traumatized” by the complex business terminology and concepts.
Karan Johar, known for his creative flair in the film industry, admitted that the technical jargon used in the meetings was overwhelming.
“I didn’t know I had a value. I found out,” he confessed. The filmmaker, who is more accustomed to the artistic side of business, found himself lost in a sea of terms like “put,” “call,” “drag,” and “tag.”
He jokingly compared his understanding of these words to their retail meaning—“I know ‘tag’ in the price tag I pay in the retail zone.” As a result, he was often perplexed by the intricate Excel sheets and financial models presented to him, which starkly contrasted with his creative world.
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Despite the initial shock, Poonawalla’s approach to business highly impressed Johar. He described the entrepreneur’s dynamism as “almost inspirational,” recalling how they closed a significant part of the deal over a Zoom call.
“He came in, asked a few questions, and then said, ‘Okay, where do we sign?’” Johar said. The simplicity and efficiency with which Poonawalla handled the deal was a sharp contrast to the years of deliberation Johar had spent on the matter. “This is how I’d have loved to do business if I could afford to,” Johar added.
The partnership with Poonawalla has also had a profound effect on Johar’s sense of responsibility. He revealed that the acquisition has made him more accountable to his company than ever before.
“It’s given me exciting sleepless nights,” he confessed, noting that Poonawalla’s involvement has added a new layer of responsibility, one that even his childhood friend and Dharma CEO Apurva Mehta or his late father, filmmaker Yash Johar, couldn’t instill.