-1761729407266.webp)
- By Tapapriya Dutta
- Wed, 29 Oct 2025 02:52 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
Karan Johar sold a 50 per cent stake in Dharma Productions to Adar Poonawalla last year for Rs 1,000 crore. The production house is the legacy created by his father, Yash Johar. Recently, the filmmaker shared that he does not regret selling the stake and reflected on how he built the company from scratch after his father passed away. Though he proudly called himself the creative source in this union, he also felt that he should not be the right person to be in the negotiating room. He also claimed that he always gave up more and receive less.
In a recent conversation with Curly Tales, Karan Johar said, “My business acumen is not the sharpest. You may not believe me, but it’s true. So, Apoorva Mehta, who’s the CEO of my company and also my best friend, we grew up together, went to the same school, the same college. He’s the business mind behind Dharma, Dharmatic, Dharma 2.0, DCA, everything that we do. He’s the business brain, and I’m the creative source.”
The filmmaker also recalled the time when his father passed away. Johar continued, “My father, who passed away in 2004, was a film producer. I’ve learned all my mantras of life, all my philosophies, and everything I know about living a life within the movie business from him. But when he passed away, I was a little lost, I don’t have siblings, and there wasn’t family who could help me run this. So, I called on Apoorva, who left his job and business in London and moved back to India. From then on, it’s been 20 years of us working together, 20 years of building Dharma Productions and creating it into what it is today.”
Recommended For You
Also read: Bhuvan Bam Teams Up With Karan Johar’s Dharma Productions For Bollywood Debut: ‘Sapne Dekho Doston…’
In 2024, Karan sold 50 per cent stakes to Adar Poonawalla’s Serene Productions, which entered into a binding agreement to invest Rs 1,000 crore into Dharma Productions and Dharmatic Entertainment. After the deal, Karan retained the remaining 50 per cent ownership, which has the value of Rs 2,000 crore. While speaking to Curly Tales about the sale, Karan Johar said, “Not at all. It was the right decision for growth too, because I knew that 50 crore would become 1,500 crore if I had that 50% investment. I knew what I could do with that investment, how I could grow and take my company in a much more forward-moving direction.”
The filmmaker candidly talked about his negotiating skills and added, “I’m the worst. I should never be in the negotiation room because I’ll always give up more and receive less.”