Filmmaker Karan Johar, who also runs Dharma Cornerstone Artist Agency (DCAA), has described talent management as a largely unrewarding profession. In a recent interview, Karan spoke candidly about insecurity within the acting community and pointed out how frequently artistes switch representation. Thus, the producer, director said that loyalty is rare in the entertainment industry.
Without naming any individual, he remarked that instability has become the norm. “Every two years, people are shifting from one agency to another because they are so insecure that they feel we are time-bound. Nobody is loyal in this business; actors just keep hopping and skipping. So you put two years of your life into a talent and they suddenly move somewhere else and then they don’t like it there and they want to come back to you. This is a vicious circle,” Karan said in an interview with Sarthak Ahuja.
Elaborating on the challenges of the profession, Karan said talent management goes far beyond contracts and negotiations. “If you look at talent management as a business opportunity, nothing is going to happen. After being in the business for 31 years, I have become zen about success and failure because I feel like my joy and sorrow cannot be the result of my success and failure, because then I will be in an ICU,” he said, adding that the job largely involves “handling people, egos, insecurities and it’s not easy.
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He also suggested that traditional commission-based models are no longer sustainable, which is why many agencies are now opting for equity partnerships with their artistes. “Just commission on artists is going to give you nothing because artists are nobodies. They are absolutely nobodies, voh kisi ke nahi hain,” Karan stated bluntly.
