Juhi Chawla’s husband J Mehta recalled $ 75 million KKR investment with Shah Rukh Khan: ‘People said that I was crazy’. Hindi film news
In 2007, Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan entered the cricket world with the purchase of Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), a franchise in the Indian Premier League. But he was not alone in a high venture. She co-owned the team with her red chilli entertainment partner Juhi Chawla and her husband, industrialist J Mehta.At that time, the trio added a layer of Bollywood glamor to the newborn T20 league, attracted media attention, even though the team itself was not the top artist at the beginning. Years later, J Mehta considered that many people consider a gambling, investing in a format that does not yet prove his business power.J Mehta says it was a risk of $ 75 million during difficult timesIn a conversation shared on the Institute for Management Development (IMD) YouTube channel, Mehta revealed that his decision to invest came at a time when his own business was facing financial difficulties.“Amidst all this, when we were also going through a difficult time, I got a chance to invest in cricket,” he shared. He admitted that the people around him thought that he was making a big mistake. “Everyone said that you are crazy, completely crazy. I said,” Look, I really believe it. I want to do it. “The acquisition of KKR franchise is priced at $ 75 million. Mehta recalled that he and his companions were among the few people who understood the financial ability behind the business model. “Others were actually taking documents and not understanding the business model. When you saw the business model, it was a cash flow model,” he explained.‘I have the best investment’Although the initial investment was important, Mehta believed that paying the future of T20 cricket was a small price. He said, “Investment was very small and I really believed that it was going to roam. Cricket is going to grow up like American football in America or football in Europe.”Turning back, he considers this step as a masterstroke: “This is the best investment I have made.”
Professional knowledge from Mehta’s visitJehm, depicting his professional experiences, offered some major takeaairs. He said, “First, don’t take too much debt because we came into a debt trap and almost destroyed us,” they accepted. He emphasized the importance of creating a strong team, continuously learning and being ahead of the curve. “Try and rent the best people … keep yourself informed what is going on,” he advised.Over the years, KKR has turned from a team that is more known to its celebrity owners, who have won the championship title thrice compared to winning the match in one of the most successful franchises of the IPL. And for J Mehta, that $ 75 million “pant” became a trick of inheritance-building, one that redefined sports investments in India.
