THIS is the real reason behind Karan Johar selling 50% stakes of Dharma Productions to Adar Poonawalla

Karan Johar joined hands with Adar Poonawalla, CEO of Serum Institute, last year. The filmmaker sold a 50% stake in Dharma Productions to the successful entrepreneur for a staggering Rs 1,000 crore. In a recent interview, KJo revealed the real reason behind taking such an important decision. Read on!

During his recent appearance on Raj Shamani’s podcast, Karan Johar spoke about expanding his production house, Dharma Productions, for which he needed funds. The director-producer stated that in 2023, they realized that they had to scale, and to do that organically, it would have taken them another 5–7 years.

“I needed the funds to grow,” hence he decided to sell a 50% stake in Dharma Productions to Adar Poonawalla for a whopping price tag of Rs 1,000 crore. Talking about their collaboration, the Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani maker stated that he is very happy with Adar, who is a wonderful human being with sharp instincts.

After they joined hands, he feels accountable for the projects he invests in, as it is someone else’s money. “I feel accountable; kisi aur ke paise hai, mujhey success paana hai, profitability increase karni hai (I feel accountable. It's someone else’s money. I have to achieve success and increase the profitability),” expressed the Kuch Kuch Hota Hai director.

During his appearance at the CNBC-TV18 Global Leadership Summit, Karan stated that partnering with his bestie, Natasha Poonawalla’s husband, Adar, was an easy decision. Johar stated that both he and Apurva (CEO of Dharma Productions) felt that Adar was the ideal partner to help fly their production house to new heights. He also humorously joked about renaming the company ‘Pharma Productions’ or ‘Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Serum.’

For the unknown, Dharma Productions was founded in 1976 by Yash Johar and is now helmed by his son Karan Johar. Under the banner, KJo has produced many successful projects like Kal Ho Naa Ho, Dostana, Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani, Badrinath Ki Dulhania, Raazi, and Brahmāstra: Part One – Shiva, to name a few.

Very recently, he bankrolled Kesari Chapter 2: The Untold Story of Jallianwala Bagh, featuring Akshay Kumar, R. Madhavan, and Ananya Panday.

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