VACCINE maker Serum Institute of India CEO Adar Poonawalla-led Serene Productions said it will pick 50 per cent stake in Karan Johar’s film production and distribution units.
Serene Productions has entered into a binding agreement to invest Rs 10 billion (£91.39m) in production house Dharma Productions and Dharmatic Entertainment (Dharma), the company said in a statement.
Serene Productions values Dharma at Rs 20 billion (£182.79m), the statement said.
Dharma is owned 90.7 per cent by Karan Johar and 9.24 per cent by his mother, Hiroo, Economic Times reports.
“We hope to build and grow Dharma and scale even greater heights in the years to come,” Poonawalla said on the investment.
On the investment by Serene Productions, Johar said, “This partnership represents a perfect blend of our emotional storytelling prowess and forward-thinking business strategies. It’s about honouring our roots while embracing the future of global entertainment.”
Under the new structure, Johar as the executive chairman will spearhead the company’s creative vision, while Apoorva Mehta, in his role as the chief executive officer, will work with Johar in steering the strategic direction and overseeing the operations, the statement said.
The collaboration aims to further transform content creation, distribution, and audience engagement by integrating advanced technologies and pioneering production methods, it added.
The development comes at a time when India’s entertainment industry has experienced significant expansion, driven by surging digital penetration and a diverse audience seeking high-quality content across multiple platforms, with growing global relevance, the company said.
(Agencies)
Agatha Christie boarding the EET Salon at lunchtime on the train from Bulawayo to the Cape. In 1922 Agatha Christie set sail on a 10-month voyage around the world. Her husband Archie had been invited to join a trade mission to promote the British Empire Exhibition and Agatha was determined to go with him The Christie Archive Trust
Agatha Christie under a tree on Honolulu beach after surfing, 1922. Agatha and her husband Archie were permitted to take a short holiday away from the 1922 trade mission and chose Honolulu where they learnt how to surf on longboards. Here Agatha purchased a surf suit in the local style, better suited to the demands of surfing than her swim attire for bathing in Torquay. The Christie Archive Trust
Agatha Christie relaxing during a sightseeing tour, Tajoura, Libya, 1955. Agatha and her second husband, archaeologist Max Mallowan had invited Agatha's daughter Rosalind and grandson Mathew to join them on a tour of the ancient sites of Leptis Magna and Sabratah during December 1955. The Christie Archive Trust
Kenneth Branagh as Hercule Poirot in Murder on the Orient Express, 201720th Century Studios
Still from Murder on the Orient Express, 201720th Century Studios
Still from And Then There Were None, 2015, BBC Agatha Christie Limited
Still from And Then There Were None, 2015, BBCAgatha Christie Limited
Still from And Then There Were None, 2015, BBCAgatha Christie Limited
Agatha Christie’s Remington typewriter from 1937 The Christie Archive Trust
Agatha Christie’s Remington typewriter from 1937The Christie Archive Trust
Agatha Christie’s study notes for her pharmaceutical exam taken in 1917The Christie Archive Trust
Letter from Agatha Christie to her second husband Max Mallowan, in December 1930. Agatha writes to Max describing her return home from their honeymoon, on the Orient Express. Documenting how the train had been halted by floods and her fellow travellers' reactions, this event would inspire her to write Murder on the Orient Express a few years later.The Christie Archive Trust
Cover of typescript ofHouse of Beauty, Agatha Christie’s first short story written when she was just a teenager.The Christie Archive Trust
Box for Tabloid Veronal tablets,1910-1940 Science Museum Group
Chemical storage bottle and glass stopper, labelled ‘POISON phosphorus P’,1907-1912Science Museum Group
Empty poison bottle for aconite, iodine and chloretone solution,1925-1960Science Museum Group
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