Karan Johar recently shared his experience during the meetings that led to the sale of a 50% stake in his company, Dharma Productions, to billionaire Adar Poonawalla’s Serene Productions for Rs 1,000 crore. The filmmaker admitted that the process left him “traumatised” as he struggled with the business language.
Karran Was Left ‘Traumatised’ Due To His Unfamiliarity With Business Jargon
In an interview with CNBC TV18, Karan said he was unfamiliar with many of the terms used in the meetings. “I didn’t know I had a value. I found out,” he confessed. The filmmaker noted that he didn’t understand terms like “put,” “call,” “drag,” and “tag” that were thrown around.
He explained how Adar would use these terms in ways that left him confused. “He kept saying, ‘I’m going to drag and you’re going to tag.’ I know ‘drag’ in a totally different way. I know what a ‘tag’ is in the price tag I pay in the retail zone,” Karan said.
Karan also spoke about the moment when he realised the true value of his work. Looking at the business side of things, he saw Excel sheets full of numbers and felt the weight of the deal. “Your reality is staring at you. You think you’ve done something so wide and vast, and then there’s a value put,” he reflected.
Karan Johar On How The Acquisition Made Him More Accountable
Despite feeling overwhelmed, Karan was still struck by the magnitude of the Rs 1,000 crore deal, wondering if the price was justified.
Although the business side was tough, Karan had great respect for Adar Poonawalla’s approach to the deal. “The dynamism displayed by Adar Poonawalla was almost inspirational to me,” he said.
Karan recalled how Adar took charge and sealed a big part of the deal in a Zoom call. “He had a few questions he wanted answered and then he said, ‘Okay, where do we sign?’ And we’d been deliberating for years!” Karan admitted that Adar’s quick and confident approach was very different from his own more cautious style.
Karan also mentioned how Adar’s involvement in Dharma Productions has made him more accountable. He shared how Adar’s way of doing business has given him “exciting sleepless nights” and made him more responsible than ever before. He said Adar’s influence has made him more accountable to the company than even his late father, Yash Johar, or his childhood friend and Dharma CEO, Apurva Mehta.
The sale marks a major change for Dharma Productions, founded by Karan’s father in 1980. After his father’s passing in 2004, Karan took over the company. Now, with Adar’s acquisition, a new chapter begins for Dharma Productions.
(Also read: Will Shah Rukh Khan Finally Reunite With Karan Johar For A New Film Project After 8 Years?)
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