After Shark Tank India wrapped up last week, a lot of fans have been missing the series that made entrepreneurship a dining table discussion. To give them a happy see-off treat, makers released a special video titled Getting Candid with the Sharks on Friday. The 30-minute special had ‘sharks’ Anupam Mittal (Shaadi.com), Vineeta Singh (Sugar Cosmetics), Peyush Bansal (Lenskart), Namita Thapar (Emcure) and Aman Gupta (boAt) talking with comedian Abish Mathew about their journey.
The ‘sharks’ not only spoke about their time on the show but also shared how Shark Tank India helped them grow as business leaders. Anupam mentioned that they had become a little cynical but meeting young, innocent, and raw entrepreneurs, their passion for business got reignited. “You need that energy. One has to keep coming in the ring every day. And these stories inspire you,” he mentioned in the show. The ‘sharks’ did not shy away from sharing a few secrets about each other and spoke about how they had found lifelong friends in one other.
The crackling chemistry between ‘sharks’
As the title suggests, the sharks were definitely at their candid best. Just seconds into the episode, and Vineeta Singh was pulling Peyush Bansal’s leg for his ‘non-glamour’ avatar and calling him ‘boring’. Aman Gupta and Namita Thapar also spoke about their bond, and the former said that now that they are friends, she often gets them food. “Aur hum woh khana nahi chahte the, (And we don’t want to eat it),” he laughed, adding that even when the food is not great, they have to lie about it. Vineeta revealed that Namita is actually strict and often forbids Aman from eating ‘thepla’ with Mexican dips.
Peyush said that he was really scared of Namita. “Not Sony TV but Namita would get so angry even if we were 10 minutes late. She would send a stinker on our WhatsApp group. I was really petrified,” he shared. Aman even revealed that once Peyush was running late, he called him up and requested that they go together so that Namita is not enraged.
Anupam Mittal’s multiple questions and baritone became a topic of discussion for the ‘sharks’. They also noted that Anupam and Peyush were the toughest to impress, while Aman was the easiest. Anupam and Aman also teased each other as the former said Aman is jealous of him, to which he replied, “Aap mein aisa kya hai jo main jalu (What do you have in you that I’ll be jealous).”
Nothing scripted
The sharks took the opportunity to clarify that nothing on the show was scripted. Stating that while fans have questioned the anger and drama on the show, Peyush Bansal said that everything was real on air. “We never got to meet the pitchers or even see their presentation beforehand. There was complete secrecy and whatever deals happened it was on spot,” he shared. Echoing this thought, Anupam mentioned that when one is putting their own hard earned money, they will try never to fool others as it will always ‘backfire’.
The sharks also spoke about how they invested more in entrepreneurs rather than their businesses. The team further lauded how Shark Tank India was an inclusive platform and gave an opportunity to people from all corners of the country.
Jugadu Kamlesh, the star
With already the title of ‘pitch of the season’ to his credit, Jugadu Kamlesh also became a star in this special episode. When Abish questioned Peyush why he chose to fund him, the Lenskart founder shared that before being sharks, they are humans. It was Kamlesh’s perseverance, honesty, hard work and most importantly, his positivity that struck a chord with him.
He also shared that Kamlesh ticked off most of his boxes as an aspiring investment, and he continues to passionately work towards his vision. The business leader also commented how if Kamlesh had a degree from a good institute and backing, people would have been looking at him as a fantastic consumer focus entrepreneur.
The investments that didn’t happen
As Namita Thapar confessed that she wished she had also invested in Jugadu Kamlesh, the host asked other sharks about their missed investments.
Peyush said that he is very happy with the deals that happened for him and wants no changes. Vineeta Singh, on the other hand, said that her mother-in-law had recently ordered pickles from “Jha Ji”, the business run by a woman from Bihar. Seeing the kind of branding and customer service she regretted not backing her business.
Aman Gupta said that he missed on investing in Kamlesh because he was not present on the shoot, Anupam Mittal joked that he has instead regretted some deals he did on the show, especially with Aman. The comment left everyone in splits as Peyush called Anupam ‘witty’.
Shark’s emotional side
Towards the end of the episode, Abish Mathew asked them what would they miss the most about Shark Tank India. Everyone agreed that it was their time shooting together. Anupam Mittal was described as the charismatic one, who has a lot of ‘tehzeeb’ and ample amount of experience. ‘Sharks’ called Peyush Bansal the emotional one, who is a visionary but quite indecisive. Namita Thapar’s caring and organized personality was lauded. Vineeta Singh, who is quite animated when talking was called the ‘matrix’ and her energy brought her the title of Superwoman. Aman Gupta was said to be a ‘yaaron ka yaar’, and quite filmy.
Peyush also shared that he would implement the things he learn on the show onto his business, and grow it further. Anupam agreed to the same and said that hanging out with the other ‘sharks’ has assured that they too get their game up.
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