Shark Tank India Season 5 is in a fiery mode after it saw some intense face-offs between pitchers. The show’s judges surely know how to make a deal. From Anupam Mittal‘s ‘Cheque faad dunga [I’ll tear up the cheque’] threat to Aman Gupta’s trendy and unfiltered comments, the latest episode had viewers on the edge of their seats.
Catching on to one of the biggest social media trends of 2025, the boAt founder quipped, “Wah Shampy Wah,” during PaperPro’s pitch, a milk testing company.
On the latest episode of Shark Tank India Season 5, Paper Pro founder Dhruv Tomar pitched a milk adulteration testing kit and asked for Rs 1 crore for 5 per cent equity, taking the valuation to Rs 20 crore. He then explained how his motivation stemmed from shock, more than profit. The Sharks then tested his product and found the shocking revelation that the milk received at home might actually be mixed with chemicals like detergent, soda, salt, and more.
Paper Pro’s Shark Tank India pitch
Paper Pro founder Tomar passionately expressed his business model and how he targeted distribution centres as a B2B model. However, his paper testing kits are just a hyperlocal way that cannot match up to high-tech machines in bigger centres, worth more than Rs 1 crore. He claimed, “Maharashtra received 85 per cent adulterated milk and 97 per cent in Rajasthan.”
Their milk adulteration testing kit is not only patented but also made with high precision. “Ek glass doodh peoge? [Will you have a glass of milk?]” remarked Mittal to break the tension, to which Tomar smartly replied, “Test karne ke baad [Only aft testing].”
When Paper Pro went wrong?
One of Paper Pro’s brains, Tomar revealed, was Parul, who has a biotech platform is the chief Technical Officer (CTO). Mittal was quick to question how much she was paid. Tomar replied that she was being paid Rs 30,000 a month with 5 per cent in ESOPs. Shocked by this division, Mittal remarked, “Parul is the key person here, it seems. Do you think she is still with your Rs 30,000 or 5 per cent?” raising a crucial query.
“If the technology is that great, what will you do if she leaves,” he questioned. In fact, JetSetGo founder Kanika Tekriwal added to Mittal’s concern, “She will make a better innovation somewhere else, Paper Pro by Parul.”
Shark Tank judge Kunal Bahl also raised a valid question as he asked why the company wasn’t named ‘Milk Pro’. Tomar, who came prepared, replied that “We have already devised paneer testing,” expressing his intent to diversify into other adulteration tests. He shared that his firm can even test household products like ghee, honey, and even pesticides.
Co-founder battles, Sharks fizzle
However, the business distribution was the tipping point for Tomar’s rejection. The Paper Pro pitcher revealed that his silent co-founder, Rajat Jain, is from Dehradun. Shark Tank veterans Aman Gupta and Anupam Mittal quickly recognised ‘Spandan’, Rajat Jain’s personal venture of a pocket-sized ECG device, which also featured on Shark Tank India Season 1.
Mittal was shocked and exclaimed, “Rajat owns 50 per cent and he didn’t come?” who has invested nearly Rs 3 lakh, combined with Tomar’s Rs 2 lakh investment. Flipping the entire narrative, Aman Gupta was left shocked by this distribution. He remarked, “Kamaal hai! Wah Shampy Wah!”
As investors started backing out with Mohit Yadav citing a fragmented market and Tekriwal not signing up for the expertise, the Shaadi.com founder made an offer only to ‘test’ Paper Pro’s leadership, both Tomar and Rajat. Amid this fiery round of to-and-fro, Aman Gupta was reminded of Sholay’s dialogue. Applying the famous Thakur dialogue to the situation, he exclaimed, “Yeh Parul mughje de de Tomar!” as he pointed out the Rs 30,000 compensation she received. He then shared, “I would rather give Rs 10 lakh and 20 per cent equity to Parul and get paneer tested, rather than giving you Rs 1 crore for 5 per cent.”
Anupam Mittal’s test for Tomar
Impressed by his inspiration, Mittal still decided to make an offer. “Are you a little naive? Do you not know worldliness? You are giving half your company to a sleeping partner for Rs 3 lakh rupees… This is the biggest mistake you could make.”
For a B2B model, he presented his offer and suggested changes to his existing model which could replace the Rs 1.5 crore machine, and replace the manual process entirely. He then offered to acquire 22.5 per cent equity for Rs 1 crore from Rajat’s shares, as Tomar would retain dominance. Since it involved his co-founder’s share of the business, he decided to consult him.
As he walked out of the room, Aman Gupta remarked, “He’s a naive kid.” Declining the deal, it cleared the doubts as Tomar envisioned to discuss the recapitalisation.