The partnership between Karan Johar and Bunty Sajdeh at Dharma Cornerstone Agency (DCA) is coming to an end, marking a significant shift in Bollywood's talent management landscape. After five years of collaboration, both parties are set to operate independently. An official announcement regarding the separation is expected soon.

Dharma Cornerstone Agency, established in 2020 as a joint venture between Karan Johar’s Dharma Productions and Bunty Sajdeh’s Cornerstone, quickly rose to prominence in the talent management industry. DCA represented a wide array of prominent entertainment figures, including Tiger Shroff, Ananya Panday, Janhvi Kapoor, Tripti Dimri, Aditya Roy Kapur, Neha Kakkar, Jubin Nautiyal, Ibrahim Ali Khan, and Shanaya Kapoor.

Sources indicate that tensions between Johar and Sajdeh arose following Adar Poonawalla's Serene Productions acquiring a 50% stake in Dharma Productions and Dharmatic Entertainment earlier this year. This ₹1,000-crore investment led to a reshuffling of internal dynamics and ultimately fueled the divergence between the two DCA founders.

Post-split, Dharma Cornerstone will be restructured into Dharma Creative Agency. Bunty Sajdeh, on the other hand, will continue independently. The documentation process for the separation is currently underway.

Karan Johar acknowledged the amicable parting, stating, "Bunty and I have been dear friends for many, many years… We took a leap into the professional zone with DCA …. After that, Dharma took a major step by selling a stake and creating a large entertainment conglomerate… That move needed us to integrate all our verticals under one large umbrella." He further added that they mutually agreed to part ways while maintaining their strong friendship.

Industry insiders suggest that the relationship between Johar and Sajdeh began to strain after Poonawalla's investment, which granted Serene Productions a 50% stake in Johar's companies and positioned Karan Johar as Executive Chairman. While the investment was a major boost for Dharma's ventures, it seemingly created friction within the talent management joint venture.

With Dharma taking full control of the talent management LLP by acquiring Cornerstone's 45% stake, the company plans to integrate talent management into its content strategy. This move is viewed as a strategic decision to align talent management, training, and development more closely with Dharma's film and digital content pipeline.

Bunty Sajdeh will continue independently with Cornerstone, focusing on a roster that spans sports and entertainment. Sajdeh, known for his experience in talent management, has worked across both sports and entertainment for nearly two decades. He founded Cornerstone in 2008 and is known for managing Virat Kohli for many years, helping shape the cricketer's brand.

The split signifies a realignment in Bollywood’s talent management business, with both entities now poised to compete independently. For Dharma, the rebranded Dharma Creative Agency is expected to consolidate talent representation around its in-house ecosystem. For Sajdeh, continuing with Cornerstone allows him to retain autonomy and focus on a diverse roster.

DCA reported a turnover of ₹110 crore for the fiscal year 2025, an increase from ₹77 crore in FY24. However, the net profit saw a marginal decrease, standing at ₹12 crore for FY25 compared to ₹14 crore in the previous year.