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Dharma Productions

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Dharma Productions Pvt. Ltd.
Dharma Productions
IndustryEntertainment
Founded1979 (1979) in Mumbai, Maharashtra
FounderYash Johar
Headquarters
Mumbai
,
Maharashtra
Key people
Products
Owner
Subsidiaries
  • Dharmatic Entertainment
  • Dharma 2.0
  • Dharma Cornerstone Agency
  • DharmaShow Live TV & Movies
Websitedharma-production.com

Dharma Productions Pvt. Ltd. is an Indian film production and distribution company established by Yash Johar in 1979.[1] It was taken over in 2004, after his death, by his son, Karan Johar. Based in Mumbai, it mainly produces and distributes Hindi films.[2][3]

In July 2016, a new sector of the company was launched called Dharma 2.0, which focuses on producing advertising commercials.[4] Another subsidiary of the studio was created in November 2018, called Dharmatic Entertainment, which produces film and television content for online distribution platforms.[5]

History

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1980–1998

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The company's first production was Raj Khosla's Dostana (1980) starring Amitabh Bachchan, Shatrughan Sinha, and Zeenat Aman. The film was the highest-grossing Bollywood film of the year.[6]

The company then went on to produce Duniya (1984)[7] and Muqaddar Ka Faisla (1987), neither of which performed well at the box office.[8] This was followed by Agneepath (1990), which was not a commercial success at that time, but would later become a cult film. It also won a National Film Award for its lead actor Amitabh Bachchan.[9] The company's next two films Gumrah (1993) and Duplicate (1998), which were both directed by Mahesh Bhatt, met with moderate success at the box office.[10][11]

1998–2009

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In 1998, the same year as Duplicate, Dharma Productions also released the romantic comedy-drama Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, which was the directorial debut of Karan Johar, the son of Yash Johar, owner of the production company. The film, starring Shah Rukh Khan, Kajol, Rani Mukerji and Salman Khan, proved to be a phenomenal success and this opened a whole new chapter in the history of the company.[12] The film won several awards, including the National Film Award for Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment and the Filmfare Award for Best Film.[13]

Karan Johar
Karan Johar has directed seven feature films and has produced all of the company's films since his father's death in 2004.

The company's next film was Karan Johar's ensemble family drama Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham... (2001) featuring a large ensemble cast including Amitabh Bachchan, Jaya Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan, Kajol, Hrithik Roshan, and Kareena Kapoor.[14][15] This was followed by Nikhil Advani's romantic comedy-drama Kal Ho Naa Ho (2003) starring Jaya Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan, Saif Ali Khan and Preity Zinta. Both of these films earned widespread critical acclaim and emerged as major commercial successes, ranking as the top domestic and overseas earners in their respective release years.[16]

Dharma's next release was the natural horror film Kaal (2005), which received mixed reviews from critics.[17]

This was followed by Karan Johar's musical romantic drama Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna (2006) featuring a ensemble cast of Amitabh Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan, Abhishek Bachchan, Rani Mukerji, Preity Zinta and Kirron Kher.[18] Exploring themes of marital infidelity, adultery and dysfunctional relationships, the film opened to polarizing reviews from critics and audiences upon release; however, it emerged as a major commercial success at the domestic box-office, and became the highest-grossing Indian film of all time overseas at the time of its release. It has since been regarded as a cult classic and ahead of its time, due to its central theme, storyline, and characterizations.

Dharma's next release was Tarun Mansukhani's commercially successful romantic comedy Dostana (2008) starring Abhishek Bachchan, John Abraham, and Priyanka Chopra.[19] This was followed by Ayan Mukerji's coming-of-age comedy-drama Wake Up Sid (2009) starring Konkona Sen Sharma and Ranbir Kapoor, and[20] Rensil D'Silva's counter-terrorism thriller Kurbaan (2009) starring Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor.[21]

2010–present

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Dharma's first release of 2018 was Meghna Gulzar's spy thriller Raazi starring Alia Bhatt and Vicky Kaushal, based on Harinder Sikka's novel Calling Sehmat. The film was a critical and commercial success. Later that year came Shashank Khaitan's romance Dhadak (2018), which launched the careers of lead actors Ishaan Khatter and Janhvi Kapoor. This was an adaptation of the Marathi film Sairat (2016). In November 2018, a new sector of the company was introduced called Dharmatic, focusing on producing digital content for online distribution.[22]

In 2019, Anurag Singh's Kesari, a period drama based on the Battle of Saragarhi, starring Akshay Kumar and Parineeti Chopra in lead roles. The film earned Rs. 200 crores worldwide in the box office and is currently Kumar's highest grossing film.[23]

Johar receiving the National Film Award for Shershaah, c. 2023

Dharma released the biopic Gunjan Saxena: The Kargil Girl starring Jahnvi Kapoor in the lead on August 12, 2020. On 12 August 2021, it released the biographical film based on the life of Capt. Vikram Batra, Shershaah which won several accolades including the National Film Award – Special Jury Award and the Filmfare Award for Best Film.[24]

In 2024, Adar Poonawalla, CEO of Serum Institute of India, acquired a 50% stake in Karan Johar’s Dharma Productions for approximately ₹1000 crore.[25]

Filmography

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Main article: List of Dharma Productions films

Dharmatic Entertainment

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In November 2018, Dharma Productions launched a new subsidiary called Dharmatic Entertainment.[26] Johar revealed the focus of the division would be on developing and producing digital content for online distribution platforms.[27] He furthermore announced that he and Apoorva Mehta, who also serves as the chief executive officer of Dharma Productions, would be jointly heading the unit,[28] with Somen Mishra (head of creative development at the parent company) and former journalist Aneesha Baig, heading and overseeing fiction and non-fiction content.[29]

In September 2019, Dharmatic Entertainment signed a multi-year exclusive content deal with Netflix India under which the studio would develop and produce a range of fictional and non-fictional series and films for the streaming platform, which would be released as originals.[30]

Film

[edit]
Year Title Director Platform Producer(s) Notes Ref.
2020 Guilty[a] Ruchi Narain Netflix Karan Johar
Apoorva Mehta 		Debut production venture [31]
2021 Ajeeb Daastaans[a] Shashank Khaitan
Raj Mehta
Neeraj Ghaywan
Kayoze Irani 		Anthology film [32]
Searching for Sheela[a] Shakun Batra Karan Johar
Apoorva Mehta
Somen Mishra 		Documentary film on Ma Anand Sheela [33]
Meenakshi Sundareshwar[a] Vivek Soni [34]
2024 Ae Watan Mere Watan Kannan Iyer Amazon Prime Karan Johar
Apoorva Mehta 		Biographical film [35]
Shauna Gautam's untitled project† Shauna Gautam Netflix Karan Johar
Apoorva Mehta 		[36]

Television

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Year Title Director Platform Producer(s) Notes Ref.
2020—present Fabulous Lives of Bollywood Wives[a] Uttam Domale Netflix Karan Johar
Aneesha Baig
Ankur Poddar
Hetvi Karia
Apoorva Mehta 		Reality series [37]
2022 The Fame Game[a] Sri Rao
Bejoy Nambiar
Karishma Kohli 		Karan Johar
Apoorva Mehta 		[38]
2022—present Koffee with Karan[b] Jahnvi Obhan Disney Plus Hotstar Karan Johar
Apoorva Mehta
Aneesha Baig 		Talk show
(season 7–) 		[39]
2024 Showtime Mihir Desai
Archit Kumar 		Karan Johar
Apoorva Mehta
Somen Mishra
Love Storiyaan Rahul Badwelkar
Collin D'Cunha
Akshay Indikar
Shazia Iqbal
Hardik Mehta
Archana Phadke
Vivek Soni 		Amazon Prime Video Documentary series
Gyaarah Gyaarah Umesh Bist ZEE5 Karan Johar
Apoorva Mehta
Guneet Monga
Achin Jain 		Remake of Signal (South Korean TV series) [40]
Call Me Bae Colin D'Cunha Amazon Prime Video Karan Johar
Apoorva Mehta
Somen Mishra

References

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Footnotes

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  1. ^ a b c d e f Netflix original.
  2. ^ As a Hotstar Special on Disney+ Hotstar.
  1. ^ Punathambekar, Aswin (24 July 2013). From Bombay to Bollywood: The Making of a Global Media Industry. NYU Press. pp. 73–74. ISBN 978-0-8147-7189-1.
  2. ^ "Yash Johar, in memoriam". Rediff.com. 28 June 2004. Retrieved 16 February 2015.
  3. ^ "Producers Who Scored at the Box Office". Forbes India. Retrieved 5 December 2018.
  4. ^ Singh, Prashant (11 July 2016). "Karan Johar enters ad world with Dharma 2.0". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 27 August 2022.
  5. ^ Jha, Lata (28 November 2018). "Karan Johar launches digital content company Dharmatic Entertainment". Mint. Retrieved 27 November 2018.
  6. ^ Team, Indicine. "Dostana to Shaandaar: Dharma Productions completes 35 years". Retrieved 12 December 2018.
  7. ^ developer (1 November 2011). "Rishi Kapoor the versatile actor – Dharma Production". BollySpice.com - The latest movies, interviews in Bollywood. Retrieved 12 December 2018.
  8. ^ "Dharma Productions: Ruling The Box-Office And Winning Hearts -". 23 October 2017. Retrieved 12 December 2018.
  9. ^ "Agneepath's release date out". www.hindustantimes.com. 29 August 2011. Retrieved 12 December 2018.
  10. ^ "Remembering Yash Johar | filmfare.com". www.filmfare.com. Retrieved 12 December 2018.
  11. ^ Pandya, Sonal. "200 years of Duplicate: Good vs evil in Shah Rukh Khan's first double role". Cinestaan. Archived from the original on 22 June 2020. Retrieved 12 December 2018.
  12. ^ "Kuch Kuch Hota Hai turns 20, Shah Rukh Khan, Kajol, Rani Mukerji reunite at celebrations. See pics, videos". www.hindustantimes.com. 16 October 2018. Retrieved 12 December 2018.
  13. ^ "Karan Johar Gets Sentimental On Kuch Kuch Hota Hai's 15th Anniversary". indiatimes.com. 16 October 2013. Retrieved 12 December 2018.
  14. ^ "Dharma Productions celebrates 11 years of Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham". Indian Television Dot Com. 17 December 2012. Retrieved 12 December 2018.
  15. ^ "Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham... – Movie". Box Office India.
  16. ^ "Karan Johar gets nostalgic as Kal Ho Naa Ho turns 15". mid-day. 28 November 2018. Retrieved 12 December 2018.
  17. ^ Malvania, Urvi (14 May 2014). "One place in India where Dharma succeeds". Business Standard India. Retrieved 12 December 2018.
  18. ^ "'Kabhi Alvida' strikes box-office gold abroad". The Times of India. 17 August 2006. Retrieved 12 December 2018.
  19. ^ "4 Things They Got Wrong In 'Dostana', And That One Thing They Got So Right". iDiva.com. 14 November 2018. Retrieved 12 December 2018.
  20. ^ "Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt starrer 'Brahmastra' to release on Christmas 2019". timesofindia.indiatimes.com. Retrieved 12 December 2018.
  21. ^ "'Kurbaan' - Bollywood movie posters that created controversies". The Times of India. Retrieved 12 December 2018.
  22. ^ "Karan Johar launches new digital division at Dharma Productions". Times Now News. 28 November 2018. Retrieved 28 November 2018.
  23. ^ "It's official: Parineeti Chopra to play the female lead in Akshay Kumar's Kesari". Mid Day. 10 January 2018. Retrieved 12 August 2018.
  24. ^ ""Very honoured, very humbled": Karan Johar as 'Shershaah' wins National Film Award". The Print. 17 October 2023. Retrieved 17 October 2023.
  25. ^ Bureau, The Hindu (21 October 2024). "Karan Johar's Dharma Productions sells 50% stake to Adar Poonawalla for ₹1,000 crore". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 21 October 2024. {{cite news}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  26. ^ "Karan Johar launches Dharma Productions' new digital content division, Dharmatic Entertainment". Firstpost. 28 November 2018. Retrieved 10 July 2022.
  27. ^ "Karan Johar launches new digital division called 'Dharmatic'". Tribune India. 28 November 2018. Retrieved 10 July 2022.
  28. ^ "Karan Johar starts a new digital division called Dharmatic Entertainment". Scroll. 28 November 2018. Retrieved 10 July 2022.
  29. ^ "Dharmatic: Karan Johar Launches New Digital Division". TheQuint. 28 November 2018. Retrieved 10 July 2022.
  30. ^ "Netflix Inks Content Partnership With Karan Johar's Bollywood Studio". The Hollywood Reporter. 10 September 2019. Retrieved 10 July 2022.
  31. ^ "Guilty trailer: Kiara Advani plays a feisty musician in Netflix film, fans say 'Preeti has turned into Kabir Singh'". Hindustan Times. 18 February 2020. Retrieved 19 February 2020.
  32. ^ "Karan Johar unveils teaser of Netflix anthology Ajeeb Daastaans which is set to premiere on April 16". Bollywood Hungama. 19 March 2021. Retrieved 19 March 2021.
  33. ^ Ramnath, Nandini (22 April 2021). "'Searching For Sheela' review: A quest that goes nowhere (and probably never intended to)". Scroll.in. Retrieved 25 April 2021.
  34. ^ "Sanya Malhotra and Abhimanyu Dassani join hands for Meenakshi Sundareshwar". The Indian Express. 25 November 2020. Retrieved 11 February 2021.
  35. ^ "Sara Ali Khan starrer Ae Watan Mere Watan to release on March 22: Report". Bollywood Hungama. 23 January 2024. Retrieved 23 January 2024.
  36. ^ "Ibrahim Ali Khan and Khushi Kapoor kick off rom-com journey with Karan Johar". Bollywood Hungama. 21 January 2024. Retrieved 22 January 2024.
  37. ^ "Netflix's 'Fabulous Lives of Bollywood Wives': Reality series promises ultimate guilty pleasure". The Hindu. 13 November 2020. Retrieved 11 July 2022.
  38. ^ "Madhuri Dixit makes OTT debut with 'The Fame Game'; releases today on Netflix". Business Today. 25 February 2022. Retrieved 11 July 2022.
  39. ^ "Koffee with Karan Season 7 teaser: Host Karan Johar promises a 'bigger, better and more beautiful' experience. Watch video". The Indian Express. 19 June 2022. Retrieved 11 July 2022.
  40. ^ "After Suspicious Partner, Kim Hye-soo and Lee Je-hoon's K-drama Signal to get an Indian remake". India Today. Retrieved 24 April 2024.
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