Who is Adar Poonawalla? What is his net worth? Why is he venturing into entertainment—especially with one of the biggest production houses in the country? Let's find out
In Pic: Adar Poonawalla
Adar Poonawalla is making headlines for acquiring 50% share of Karan Johar's Dharma Productions. Considering Adar now owns 50% of Dharma Productions, he is the co-owner of Karan Johar's production house. But who is Adar Poonawalla? What is his net worth? Why is he venturing into entertainment—especially with one of the biggest production houses in the country? Let's find out.
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Personal life & education
Adar Poonawalla is the son of Cyrus Poonawalla. The businessman is married to Natasha Poonawalla, an entrepreneur and fashion enthusiast. Natasha has good connections in Bollywood - she is friends with Kareena Kapoor, Karisma Kapoor, Malaika Arora, and others. She is also a regular at fashion events across the globe. Adar and Natasha have two children.
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Adar Poonawalla was educated at The Bishop's School (Pune) and St Edmund's School (Canterbury), followed by the University of Westminster.
Adar Poonawalla: Business, net worth, and most expensive purchase
Poonawalla joined the Serum Institute of India in 2001, and 10 years later, in 2011, he became the CEO of the company. He is also a board member of the GAVI Alliance, the global vaccine alliance. In 2014, he launched the polio vaccine in the country, which instantly became a bestseller for the company. Reports stated that in the same year, Adar concentrated on working on vaccines against dengue, flu, and cervical cancer.
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In 2022, Adar's father was ranked the 4th richest person in India on the Forbes India Rich List with a net worth of $24.3 billion. In October 2024, Poonawalla and his family were ranked ninth on Forbes’ list of India’s 100 richest tycoons, with a net worth of $24.5 billion.
In 2023, Adar made one of his most extravagant purchases, acquiring the most expensive property in London, valued at Rs 1,446 crore.
Adar Poonawalla - The Vaccine Man
Adar is the CEO of Serum Institute of India, the company that made Covishield, the first COVID-19 vaccine in India to receive emergency use approval for public use. According to media reports, Adar once mentioned that he moved to London because of the threats demanding COVID-19 vaccine. He was even provided Y-category security by the government.
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About Adar acquiring Dharma's 50% share
Adar Poonawalla-led Serene Productions today announced that it has entered into a binding agreement to invest Rs 1,000 crore into Karan Johar’s Dharma Productions and Dharmatic Entertainment (collectively, "Dharma"), India’s leading production house. Through this investment, Serene Productions will hold a 50% stake in Dharma, with Karan Johar retaining the remaining 50% ownership.
Talking about the partnership, Adar Poonawalla said, "I am delighted to have the opportunity to partner with one of the most iconic production houses in our nation, along with my friend Karan Johar. We hope to build and grow Dharma and scale even greater heights in the years to come."
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