Pitch to Get Rich Show: Big Stars, Bigger Dreams
“Pitch to Get Rich” is the new business reality show making waves on JioCinema, putting Bollywood heavyweights Akshay Kumar and Karan Johar in roles you don’t usually see—the ones helping India’s dreamers turn business ideas into real money. The basic setup? Brilliant (sometimes brash) entrepreneurs from all over the country come to pitch their startups or products in front of a panel hoping to land investment, mentorship, and a place on the national stage. If it sounds a little like “Shark Tank,” well, sure. But the vibrant, occasionally chaotic Indian flavor—plus Akshay’s mischievous one-liners—gives it its own personality right from the jump.
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When Karan Johar interrupts a pitch to admit he doesn’t understand “phygital” (that’s physical plus digital, apparently), it’s hard not to grin. There’s a kind of unpredictability here—one moment, seriously impressive fintechs; the next, a college kid selling biodegradable fashion jewelry, almost talking too fast, like the judges might vanish if he pauses for breath.
What’s Different: Bollywood Meets Boardroom?
The show’s a turbo-charged business pageant, but what hits first is the energy. This panel isn’t your typical grim boardroom set. It’s all color, banter, and reactions that feel unscripted—Akshay rolling his eyes, Karan poking fun at investor jargon, guest judges flipping from tough to teary in sixty seconds flat.
Akshay Kumar, for instance, refuses to throw money at obviously half-baked tech pitches, but then lights up when a woman entrepreneur from Surat presents a homemade probiotic drink that “saved her mother’s gut.” Suddenly, the conversation pivots—from ROI and scale to “what about packaging” and “will aunties trust you?” It’s real talk, and the sort of back-and-forth you hear at Indian family dinner tables.
The show’s production leans bright rather than intimidating. There’s laughter, but also cases where things go so off-script that you don’t know if they’ll wrap up with handshakes or a food fight.
Big Moments: Surprise, Humor, and the Really Weird Pitches
If you watch only for the business, you’ll stay for the curveballs. Episode one’s viral moment? Someone tries to sell “aroma-infused smart yoga mats” that (allegedly) beam calming mantras straight to your phone. Akshay reads out the price, then sits back, staring at the ceiling. “For this much, the mat should do the yoga for me,” he deadpans.
There’s a nice unpredictability—sometimes the panel goes for the underdog, sometimes they grill slick-talking MBAs who look like they’ve watched one too many TED Talks. Every so often, someone comes on with a pitch so gloriously odd you can’t help but root for them. Are all the ideas good? Absolutely not. But occasionally, a wild card—think: affordable solar lights for street food vendors—pulls serious interest and actual offers.
Why India Was Ready for This?
We’ve had talent shows and singing contests for decades, but most families don’t sit together and watch someone pitch their vegan snack startup at prime time. Now, suddenly, startup culture is mainstream. And it feels like a bit of a social shift. Maybe it’s because the job market is so competitive and every other cousin is dreaming of going viral with an app, but “Pitch to Get Rich” taps directly into this collective ambition, and does it with a wink.
There’s something uniquely Indian in the blend of hustle, humor, and hope. Sure, you get the occasional jargon overload—“synergy,” “runway,” “pivot”—but you also get debates over family recipes, grandparent co-founders, and the odd judge getting emotional when someone succeeds against the odds.
The crowd favorite so far: A mother-son team with a home-based spice blend that Karan Johar says “reminds me of my childhood.” There’s money on the table, but—perhaps even more valuable—instant meme status and massive Instagram followings for every pitch that even halfway works.
Does It Actually Help Entrepreneurs?
That’s the million-rupee question, isn’t it? Look, most reality shows chase drama, and “Pitch to Get Rich” is no different. But beneath the soundbites, a few things are clear:
- Winning investments here mean serious exposure. Startups get hammered on everything from packaging to pricing, and sometimes, what seems like a rejection on-air turns out to be a real-world turning point later.
- The judges occasionally get brutally honest—sometimes even to the point of making you wince at home. But when there’s praise, it feels deserved, not choreographed.
Even off-camera, past Indian reality shows with business angles have propelled small businesses into the mainstream. One suspects the same for at least a few brave souls who walk onto this set. One contestant who didn't get a deal told Variety, “I left with no funding, but five lakh followers—and at least two new major retail contracts.”
