Mumbai: Adar Poonawalla, billionaire CEO of Serum Institute of India (SII), has acquired a 50% stake in Karan Johar's Dharma Productions, one of the country's leading film production houses. The deal, valued at Rs 1000 crore, will see Poonawalla's Serene Production acquire a 50 percent stake in the production house, with Johar retaining the remaining 50 percent.

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."

Karan Johar, Executive Chairman of Dharma, emphasised that Dharma Productions has been synonymous with heartfelt storytelling that captures the essence of Indian culture. “My father dreamed of creating films that would leave a lasting impact, and I've dedicated my career to expanding that vision. Today, as we join forces with Adar, a close friend and an exceptional visionary and innovator, we're poised to elevate Dharma's legacy to new heights. This partnership represents a perfect blend of our emotional storytelling prowess and forward-thinking business strategies,” he said.

The prominent Bollywood producer and filmmaker also mentioned that this collaboration opens up new possibilities for creating content that resonates across borders and generations. Karan Johar will continue to serve as Executive Chairman and creative head, while Apoorva Mehta remains the CEO of Dharma Productions.

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Udupi: A delegation of the High Court Bench Struggle Committee met and submitted a petition to the Karnataka High Court Chief Justice Vibhu Bakhru at the Circuit House urging the opening of a High Court Bench in the coastal belt as well as a Mobile High Court Bench in Mangaluru.

MLC and convener of the Committee Ivan D’Souza, who spoke to the Chief Justice on the occasion, explained that the people of the coastal belt find it difficult to travel to Bengaluru to fight a petition in the High Court. The problem only aggravated during monsoon. D’Souza added that there was a delay in clearing the cases of Udupi, Chikkamagaluru and Kodagu districts, which was causing further inconvenience to the people.

The MLC, who pointed out that Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had also shown his preference for establishing a High Court Bench in the coastal region, requested for an approval to establish a Mobile High Court Bench first.

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Responding to this request, Chief Justice Bakhru assured to take action on the request as soon as possible.

The delegation included Mangalore Bar Association President Raghavendra HV, Dakshina Kannada Principal Government Pleader MP Noronha, General Secretary Sridhar H, Udupi Bar Association President Reynold Praveen Kumar, General Secretary Chandrashekhar Shetty, Vice-president Devadas V Shettigar and Brahmavar Bar Association President Kadoor Praveen Shetty.