{"id":2304897,"date":"2026-02-28T11:30:23","date_gmt":"2026-02-28T11:30:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/?p=2304897"},"modified":"2026-02-28T11:30:23","modified_gmt":"2026-02-28T11:30:23","slug":"shah-rukh-khans-passion-for-kolkata-knight-riders-built-real-business-value-karan-johar-on-businesses-celebrities-as-co-founders","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/shah-rukh-khans-passion-for-kolkata-knight-riders-built-real-business-value-karan-johar-on-businesses-celebrities-as-co-founders\/","title":{"rendered":"Shah Rukh Khan\u2019s passion for Kolkata Knight Riders built real business value: Karan Johar on businesses, celebrities as co founders"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>As consumer brands increasingly seek <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.businesstoday.in\/trending\/entertainment\" target=\"_blank\">celebrities<\/a> as co-founders rather than brand ambassadors, structuring the right deal has become critical. In a conversation with investment banker Sarthak Ahuja, filmmaker and entrepreneur Karan Johar offered rare insight into how celebrity equity partnerships should be designed \u2014 and why many fail.<\/p>\n<p>Johar was candid about his own strengths and limitations. \u201cThe word business acumen is spoken of and associated with me\u2026 I\u2019d like to say that I\u2019ve always been a creatively driven artist,\u201d he said, recalling moments during structured deals where complex terminology overwhelmed him. \u201cMy instinct is my superpower.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>That instinct, he suggested, is central to evaluating celebrity co-founder structures.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" allowfullscreen=\"\" frameborder=\"0\" height=\"558\" src=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/embed\/feed\/update\/urn:li:share:7432787583102910464?collapsed=1\" title=\"Embedded post\" width=\"504\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><strong>Equity must match engagement<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Johar pointed to a powerful case study \u2014 Shah Rukh Khan\u2019s partnership with Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) \u2014 to explain what makes celebrity ownership work.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShah Rukh Khan also bought a cricket team when it started decades ago. Look at the valuation today. Why is it? It\u2019s because Shah Rukh Khan is obsessed, passionate and sincerely active about his liaison with KKR. He\u2019s not just adding presence in that stadium or giving his name to that partnership. He strategises, he engages, he obsesses, he gives hours of his time. That is why it is such a profitable venture for him.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The takeaway for founders: meaningful equity must be tied to meaningful involvement. A celebrity who lends only visibility should not command co-founder-level equity. True ownership \u2014 often 10% to 30% in early-stage consumer ventures \u2014 should be structured with vesting tied to engagement and long-term contribution.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Authenticity over optics<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Johar stressed that consumers immediately detect superficial partnerships.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen you\u2019re actually really passionate about what you\u2019re selling\u2026 you\u2019re not just saying, \u2018Oh, I\u2019m a movie star, so I should start a beauty brand,\u2019\u201d he said. \u201cWhen you don\u2019t give your whole and soul and time and energy\u2026 the consumer catches it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He cited Katrina Kaif and Alia Bhatt as examples of celebrities who go beyond optics.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cKatrina Kaif genuinely with Kay Beauty \u2014 she genuinely engages. I\u2019m telling you the success stories. I know what Alia puts into Ed-a-Mamma,\u201d Johar said. \u201cMy first thing is how engaged will you be? How active are you genuinely? Are you fake engaging? Are you just posting videos? Are you just doing live Instagram videos? Are you just adding your name? Are you just doing paid partnerships but not having equity deals with it? Are you genuinely genuinely engaged?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The distinction, he implied, determines valuation outcomes. Brands where celebrities merely market the product often plateau. Those where they function as real equity partners \u2014 involved in product, positioning and strategic decisions \u2014 compound.<\/p>\n<p>For founders, this reinforces the need to structure equity with accountability. Vesting schedules, milestone-linked equity grants and defined operational involvement protect both sides. Visibility alone cannot justify founder-level ownership; measurable engagement must.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Capital gains vs. cash payouts<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Ahuja also raised a practical question: should celebrity co-founders receive annual payouts or primarily capital gains?<\/p>\n<p>Johar\u2019s own entrepreneurial journey offers insight. Speaking about his jewellery venture Tyaani, he explained why passion guided his choice.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI wanted to pursue Tyaani because I knew that\u2019s my passion hugely,\u201d he said, recalling childhood memories tied to jewellery. \u201cJewellery was something that I really wanted to get because it\u2019s my passion.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He described Tyaani as \u201cmass premium\u201d \u2014 high-drama Polki jewellery positioned to look far more expensive than it is. \u201cI\u2019m a big believer in drama because that\u2019s the cinema I sell. Polki is drama.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The implication is clear: if a celebrity truly believes in the product, long-term capital appreciation should outweigh short-term endorsement payouts. Early-stage ventures, especially, should minimize heavy fixed compensation and focus on equity upside tied to business growth.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Define deliverables clearly<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Celebrity co-founder agreements must specify:<\/p>\n<p>Minimum content and campaign commitments<\/p>\n<p>Participation in store launches and key events<\/p>\n<p>Involvement in product curation and brand strategy<\/p>\n<p>Time allocation per quarter<\/p>\n<p>Capital participation, if any<\/p>\n<p>Without structured expectations, founders risk paying for halo value without operational leverage.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Business meets instinct<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Johar acknowledged that he does not approach ventures from a purely technical lens. \u201cIf anyone is expecting technicalities from me\u2026 my apologies,\u201d he said. But his core principle remains consistent.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTo sell a product successfully, first you have to put your heart in it. Second, you have to have genuine interest in what you\u2019re selling. And thirdly, you have to have awareness of your consumer.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>For entrepreneurs seeking celebrity co-founders, the formula is demanding but straightforward: equity must vest, incentives must align with exit value, and engagement must be real.<\/p>\n<p>As the Shah Rukh Khan\u2013KKR example shows \u2014 and as Katrina Kaif and Alia Bhatt\u2019s ventures demonstrate \u2014 fame may open the door. But obsession, authenticity and ownership build enduring business value.<\/p>\n<div class=\"jeg_video_container jeg_video_content\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Secrets of the Celebrity Business | Karan Johar | Founder\u2019s Office with Sarthak Ahuja\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/SMCOBmE4MOg?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><em> \u2018 The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n<p><em> \u2018 Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.businesstoday.in \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>As consumer brands increasingly seek celebrities as co-founders rather than brand ambassadors, structuring the right deal has become critical. In a conversation with investment banker Sarthak Ahuja, filmmaker and entrepreneur Karan Johar offered rare insight into how celebrity equity partnerships should be designed \u2014 and why many fail. Johar was candid about his own strengths [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2304898,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[25173],"tags":[446550,446556,446553,446559,446547,446548,446554,446557,446560,446562,446558,446545,446549,446546,446552,446561,446551,446555],"class_list":["post-2304897","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-artists","tag-alia-bhatt-ed-a-mamma-growth","tag-capital-gains-vs-endorsement-fees","tag-celebrity-brand-ownership-india","tag-celebrity-business-case-study-india","tag-celebrity-co-founder-deals-india","tag-celebrity-equity-partnerships","tag-co-founder-equity-structure","tag-consumer-brand-celebrity-founders","tag-equity-vs-brand-ambassador-model","tag-founder-celebrity-engagement-strategy","tag-ipl-team-valuation-kkr","tag-karan-johar-business-interview","tag-katrina-kaif-kay-beauty-success","tag-shah-rukh-khan-kkr-valuation","tag-startup-celebrity-partnerships","tag-startup-deal-terms-for-celebrities","tag-structuring-celebrity-equity-deals","tag-vesting-schedule-for-celebrities"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Shah-Rukh-Khans-passion-for-Kolkata-Knight-Riders-built-real.jpeg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2304897","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2304897"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2304897\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2304899,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2304897\/revisions\/2304899"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2304898"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2304897"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2304897"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2304897"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}