Pooja Dadlani, who has been managing superstar Shah Rukh Khan for the last 12 years, has previously also managed actress Deepika Padukone and barely anyone knows about it. Read on for this tea.

Did you know during Om Shanti Om, Pooja was Deepika's manager and not SRK's? (Twitter/@iamdeepikaP, Instagram/@poojadadlani02)


Did you know during Om Shanti Om, Pooja was Deepika’s manager and not SRK’s? (Twitter/@iamdeepikaP, Instagram/@poojadadlani02)

In today’s era, not just the stars but their managers have also become equally famous, and Pooja Dadlani is one such name. The lady is known to have been managing Shah Rukh Khan’s business affairs, IPL team Kolkata Knight Riders, and Red Chillies Entertainment. While she is known to be associated with the superstar ever since, many don’t know she also managed a big Bollywood actress.

Did Pooja Dadlani also manage Deepika Padukone?

Yes! Mrs Dadlani became Khan’s manager in 2012, but before that worked as a talent manager for several other actors. Farah Khan once revealed that Pooja was managing Deepika Padukone at the time she made her debut. In an old interview with Mashable India, the filmmaker was shown a picture from Om Shanti Om’s set and was asked to spill details about it.

In the picture, Pooja was sitting right behind Deepika Padukone, and Farah was quick to add, “’Pooja Dadlani ko dekh rahe ho piche. She was Deepika’s manager at that time.”

She further detailed the picture and revealed that her assistants were teaching steps to SRK while Deepika’s parents had also arrived on the set. If the internet digs well, there are several pictures of Pooja with Deepika available.

More about the Manager’s game

While Deepika soon after moved on with Karishma Prakash as her manager until 2020, SRK onboarded Pooja on his team in 2012, which was reportedly led by Karuna Badwal earlier. There’s no update regarding who is currently managing Deepika at KWAN – the talent agency the actress is signed up with.

On the personal front, Pooja tied the knot with Hitesh Gurnani in 2008, who heads a Mumbai-based jewelry brand named Lista Jewels as its director. Pooja and Hitesh together have a daughter named Reyna Gurnani.

Talking about the work front of Deepika, then she was most recently seen in a pan-India science fiction film titled Kalki 2898 AD. It also stars Amitabh Bachchan, Kamal Haasan, Prabhas, and Disha Patani in pivotal roles and is so far the highest-grosser of 2024. She will be next seen in Rohit Shetty’s Singham Again, which is eyeing for a Diwali release this year.