Amit Jain shares behind-the-scenes anecdotes from the Shark Tank India set, including Aman Gupta’s musical performances and Namita Thapar’s homemade meals.
Shark Tank India features real business pitches, but the cheques given immediately after a deal are fake—at least in terms of being linked to the investors’ accounts. Amit Jain shared some interesting behind-the-scenes insights into how the popular TV show is produced.
In an interview with Bhanu Pathak on his YouTube channel, Car Dekho’s Amit Jain was asked about how the promised investment by a shark on the show reaches the investors once they are handed the cheque. Jain, surprised by the question, laughed and said, “Those cheques are fake, buddy!”
“They are symbolic cheques. They are not linked to my account. They are formatted by Shark Tank. It’s personalized, with the company name, my signature, and the amount, but not my bank account! The cheque signifies that a deal has happened. Then the due diligence happens, papers are called, and whatever you said on the show will be verified,” he added.
The entrepreneur also revealed what happens behind the scenes when the camera isn’t rolling. During shorter shoot breaks, Amit Jain said the team of judges assembles in the lounge area. “Namita (Thapar) brings her home-cooked food. She’s like the ‘mother’ in the group. So we munch on her food, there’s a small pantry. It’s a small area, but there’s a lot of fun happening. Dance, music, Aman (Gupta) brings his speakers, plays music at full volume, and people dance. On the show, you’re competing, but not when you’re in the lounge.”
Amit Jain also spoke about how he is an involved investor, who is hands-on with the pitches he is involved in. The businessman said he has given his cell phone numbers to them, so whoever wants to get in touch can directly do so.
“You’ll never hear about me not paying attention. If I’ve invested in a startup, I also give my time. If I invest in someone, before their pitch or rolling, I meet them. So we spend one and a half hours before that, where I can guide them on how to prepare before it airs. I make sure that I meet every single investee company before airing, tell them to make inventory, work on the website, track numbers,” he added.