Anupam Mittal calls stubborn Shark Tank India 5 pitcher ‘khula saand’, Varun Alagh says he won’t be able to get married | Television News
4 min readNew DelhiFeb 13, 2026 06:06 PM IST
Shark Tank India Season 5’s latest episode saw an entrepreneur from Lucknow who came in to pitch his business selling pre-owned books via his website. Kaushik Gupta from Lucknow proudly declared that he started his company in 2019 with just Rs 2000, and even challenged that his website has more books than Amazon. Varun Alagh, who was one of the sharks on the panel, during this episode was shocked at this claim and was curious to find out the number of books he had on his platform. As Kaushik shared that he has 3,500 books, Varun scoffed at his response.
Kushik came in to seek Rs 10 lakh in exchange of 10 percent of his company, valuing it at Rs 1 crore. He shared that he has been doing this business for the last six years, and only manages to sell books worth Rs 15,000 per month. But since his father runs a successful garment business, he is not worried about his expenses, and has no urgent need for expanding his profits.
Varun Alagh says, ‘Aise toh shaadi nahi hogi yaar’
As Kaushik explained his business, he shared that he is currently focusing on getting together pre-owned academic books that he plans to sell at a competitive rate, which would be affordable for students. When asked about his own education, Kaushik shared that he dropped out of college and couldn’t take the exams as he had a fever. When Anupam Mittal and Varun Alagh asked, “You were not interested in studies? Wanted to start your own business?” He nodded and admitted that this was a part of the reason.
Varun suggested that he should become a seller on Amazon as people visit them to buy books anyway, and with a huge catalog of pre-owned books, he could have a massive business there, but Kaushik was insistent that he wants to make his own brand. Varun joked and said, “Aise toh shadi nahi ho payegi yaar (You won’t get married this way),” implying that he wasn’t making enough money to be independent. But Kaushik promptly replied that he was going to get engaged soon. He also said, “Ghar ka akela ladka hu toh pata hai ki papa ki dukan toh mere paas aayegi (I am the only son so they know I will inherit my father’s business.)”
Anupam Mittal calls pitcher ‘khula saand’
Anupam also joined in and said, “Isliye khula saand ban ke ghum raha hai (That’s why you are walking around like a bull).” He also said that Kaushik was wasting his time and not registering the fact that this business, in its current shape, would never be successful. Varun, again, asked, “You are competing with Amazon?” But Kaushik said, “Meri Amazon se ladayi nahi hai (I am not fighting with Amazon).” And insisted that he wants to make his own brand of pre-owned books.
Varun and Anupam were the first ones to bow out of the negotiations. Kunal Bahl, Vineeta Singh and Namita Thapar also followed suit. As Kaushik walked out of the tank, Anupam gave him one of his own books titled ‘Ego is the Enemy’ and said, “You read this. Perhaps, your stubbornness will decrease.”
