Karan Johar On Stake Sale: ‘Answerable To Adar Poonawalla’

In 2024, Karan Johar surprised everyone by selling 50% stake of Dharma Productions to Adar Poonawalla’s company, Serene Productions, for ₹1000 crore. Now, Karan and Adar are equal partners in Dharma, while Karan Johar remains Executive Chairman and Apoorva Mehta is CEO.
Why Karan Made the Deal
On the Game Changers podcast, Karan explained that Adar and his wife Natasha are close friends. One day, Adar called and said he was interested in investing. At first, Karan wasn’t sure since this was not Adar’s business field, but Apoorva Mehta convinced him, saying Adar was smart, compassionate, and had a vision to expand.
Karan said the investment helped Dharma open a distribution arm and plan something big in the music business. He added that with a partner, “you become more accountable,” but they have not lost creative control.
‘Profitability is Important’
Karan admitted that now, every decision has to consider profitability. He shared that he recently made Homebound, a film that critics loved but had a limited audience. He said he isn’t sure if he can make such films again because showing profits is now necessary. “It will hurt me, but that’s the reality,” he added.
About Dharma Productions
Dharma Productions, started by Yash Johar in 1976, is one of India’s biggest film studios. Today, it is co-owned by Karan Johar and Adar Poonawalla. Their latest film is Sunny Sanskari ki Tulsi Kumari, starring Varun Dhawan, Janhvi Kapoor, Rohit Saraf, and Sanya Malhotra.
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