Karan Johar, the celebrated filmmaker and mastermind behind Dharma Productions, recently opened up about the monumental sale of his production house to billionaire businessman Adar Poonawalla’s Serene Productions for a staggering ₹1,000 crore. The deal, which shocked the industry, left Karan reflecting on his journey and grappling with the business side of filmmaking.
In a candid statement, Karan revealed the emotional toll of the transaction:
“I didn’t know I had a value. I was traumatised at so many of those meetings. I’m a creative person—I don’t know what the ‘put’ and ‘call,’ the ‘drag’ and ‘tag’ that Adar kept talking about meant. I know ‘drag’ in a very different way. I know what a ‘tag’ is in a retail outlet. I had no idea what was happening when those Excel sheets came in front of me. Your reality is staring at you. You think you’ve done something vast, and then there’s a value put on it. So, when people tell Adar, ‘You’ve paid so much money!’ I say, ‘Has he really?’”
Karan also spoke about how this acquisition has reshaped his role at Dharma Productions:
“Adar’s acquisition has made me more responsible and accountable towards my company—more so than even my childhood friend and CEO of Dharma, Apurva Mehta, or my late father, Yash Johar.”
On whether the name of Dharma Productions would change, Karan humorously acknowledged the memes and jokes circulating online that refer to it as “Serum Productions.” However, he made it clear that the iconic brand name will remain intact:
“I’ve seen all the memes, and they’re hilarious, but I have no intention of renaming Dharma Productions.”
This deal has not only cemented the legacy of Dharma Productions but also underscores the growing intersection between creativity and commerce in Bollywood. As Karan Johar navigates this new chapter, fans can expect more groundbreaking films and innovative storytelling from the powerhouse production house.
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