With 50% stake in Karan Johar’s Dharma, Adar Poonawalla and family are India’s 4th richest with Rs 3 lakh cr wealth, follow Mukesh Ambani and Gautam Adani | Bollywood News
3 min readChennaiMar 12, 2026 02:28 PM IST
The Hurun Rich List of the year 2026 was recently released and saw Shah Rukh Khan making it to the list this year as well. Along with him, Ranbir Kapoor-starrer Ramayana producer Namit Malhotra also debuted on the list as he became a billionaire. Another person with a Bollywood connection who is also a part of the list is the co-owner of Karan Johar’s Dharma Productions, Adar Poonawalla.
Adar’s father, Cyrus S. Poonawalla, and his family were listed as the 4th richest in India for their family’s multinational biotechnology and biopharmaceutical company, Serum Institute of India. Adar Poonawalla serves as the company’s Chairman and CEO.
Cyrus is just behind Mukesh Ambani, who has the first spot on the list as the richest man in India with a wealth of Rs 9.8 lakh crore. He is followed by Gautam Adani and family with Rs 7.5 lakh crore wealth, and the third spot is occupied by Roshni Nadar Malhotra and family of HCL Technologies with a wealth of Rs 3.2 lakh crore. Meanwhile, Cyrus and his family’s wealth is accounted at Rs 3 lakh crore. According to reports, the Poonawalla family added nearly Rs 0.91 lakh crore to their fortune in the year. The healthcare sector has added the highest number of new billionaires, with 53 people entering the list.
In 2024, Adar bought a 50 per cent stake in Dharma Productions, which has been led by Bollywood producer and filmmaker Karan Johar. The company was started by Karan’s father Yash Johar in 1976. It went on to become one of the most prestigious production companies in the Hindi film industry after Karan Johar took the reins of the company.
Following the deal, Karan retains the remaining 50% ownership, valuing the company at Rs 2,000 crore. Earlier, he spoke to Curly Tales about the sale of stakes in the company and said, “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.” He added candidly about his negotiating skills, or lack thereof: “I’m the worst. I should never be in the negotiation room because I’ll always give up more and receive less.”
However, recently, Karan hinted that Adar might exit Dharma Productions in the future. Speaking to Sarthak Ahuja, he said, “I think this was a move towards diversification but with him, it’s a balance. I’m sure at some point he is looking for an exit out of this deal because he is a businessman and this is a business. But also, I think he is a lover of the arts. But he is very clear. Maybe the return at that point, after 8 or 10 years or whenever he is looking at it is not magnificently huge but enough to have satiated him, to have satiated his creativity or rather his diversification needs as well as given him that kind of glory.”
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Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only. Seek advice from a SEBI-registered financial advisor before making any investment decisions.
