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| Dharma Productions | |
| Industry | Entertainment |
| Founded | 1976 (1976) inMumbai,Maharashtra |
| Founder | Yash Johar |
| Headquarters | Mumbai ,Maharashtra |
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| Products | |
| Owner |
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| Subsidiaries |
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| Website | dharma-production.com |
Dharma Productions Pvt. Ltd. is an Indian filmproduction anddistribution company established byYash Johar in 1976.[1] It was taken over in 2004, after his death, by his son,Karan Johar. Based inMumbai, it mainly produces and distributesHindi films.[2][3]
In July 2016, a new sector of the company was launched called Dharma 2.0, which focuses on producingadvertising commercials.[4] Another subsidiary of the studio was created in November 2018, called Dharmatic Entertainment, which produces film and television content foronline distribution platforms.[5]
The company's first production wasRaj Khosla'sDostana (1980), starringAmitabh Bachchan,Shatrughan Sinha, andZeenat Aman. The film was one of the highest-grossing Bollywood films of the year.[6]
The company then went on to produceDuniya (1984)[7] andMuqaddar Ka Faisla (1987), neither of which performed well at the box office.[8] This was followed byAgneepath (1990), which did not emerge as a commercial success at that time but was later regarded as acult film. It also won aNational Film Award for its lead actor, Amitabh Bachchan.[9] The company's next two films,Gumrah (1993) andDuplicate (1998), which were both directed byMahesh Bhatt, met with moderate success at the box office.[10][11]
In 1998, the same year asDuplicate, Dharma Productions also released the romantic comedy-dramaKuch Kuch Hota Hai, which was the directorial debut ofKaran Johar, the son ofYash Johar, owner of the production company. The film, starringShah Rukh Khan,Kajol,Rani Mukerji, andSalman 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 theNational Film Award for Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment and theFilmfare Award for Best Film.[13]
The company's next film was Karan Johar's family dramaKabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham (2001), featuring anensemble cast including Amitabh Bachchan,Jaya Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan, Kajol,Hrithik Roshan, andKareena Kapoor.[14][15] This was followed byNikhil Advani's romantic comedy-dramaKal Ho Naa Ho (2003), starring Jaya Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan,Saif Ali Khan, andPreity 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 filmKaal (2005), which received mixed reviews from critics.[17]
This was followed byKaran Johar's musical romantic dramaKabhi Alvida Naa Kehna (2006), featuring an ensemble cast of Amitabh Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan,Abhishek Bachchan, Rani Mukerji, Preity Zinta, andKirron Kher.[18] Exploring themes ofmarital infidelity, emotional dissatisfaction, and dysfunctional relationships, the film opened to mixed-to-positive reviews from critics and audiences upon release; moreover, 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 acult classic and ahead of its time due to its central theme, storyline, and characterizations.[citation needed]
Dharma's next release wasTarun Mansukhani's commercially successful romantic comedyDostana (2008), starring Abhishek Bachchan,John Abraham, andPriyanka Chopra.[19] This was followed byAyan Mukerji's coming-of-age comedy-dramaWake Up Sid (2009) starringKonkona Sen Sharma andRanbir Kapoor,[20] andRensil D'Silva's counter-terrorism thrillerKurbaan (2009) starring Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor.[21]
Dharma's first release of 2018 wasMeghna Gulzar's spy thrillerRaazi, starringAlia Bhatt andVicky Kaushal, based on Harinder Sikka's novelCalling Sehmat. The film emerged as a critical and commercial success. Later that year came Shashank Khaitan's romanceDhadak (2018), which launched the careers of lead actorsIshaan Khatter andJanhvi Kapoor. This was an adaptation of the Marathi filmSairat (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'sKesari, a period drama based on theBattle of Saragarhi, starred Akshay Kumar andParineeti Chopra in lead roles. The film earned Rs. 200 crores worldwide in the box office and is currently Kumar's highest-grossing film.[23]
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Dharma released the biopicGunjan Saxena: The Kargil Girl starring Jahnvi Kapoor in the lead on August 12, 2020. On 12 August 2021, it released thebiographical film based on the life of Capt.Vikram Batra,Shershaah, which won several accolades, including theNational Film Award – Special Jury Award and theFilmfare Award for Best Film.[24]
In 2024,Adar Poonawalla, CEO ofSerum Institute of India, acquired a 50% stake in Karan Johar's Dharma Productions for approximately ₹1000 crore.[25]
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 foronline 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 with Somen Mishra (head of creative development at the parent company) and former journalist Aneesha Baig heading and overseeingfiction andnon-fiction content.[28][29]
In September 2019, Dharmatic Entertainment signed a multi-year exclusive content deal withNetflix 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 asoriginals.[30]
| 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 onMa Anand Sheela | [33] | ||
| Meenakshi Sundareshwar[a] | Vivek Soni | [34] | ||||
| 2024 | Ae Watan Mere Watan | Kannan Iyer | Amazon Prime | Biographical film | [35] | |
| 2025 | Nadaaniyan | Shauna Gautam | Netflix | Karan Johar Apoorva Mehta Somen Mishra Adar Poonawalla | Romantic comedy | [36] |
| Aap Jaisa Koi | Vivek Soni | Romantic drama | [37] | |||
| 2026 | Accused | Anubhuti Kashyap | Thriller Drama | [38] |
| 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 | [39] |
| 2022 | The Fame Game[a] | Sri Rao Bejoy Nambiar Karishma Kohli | Karan Johar Apoorva Mehta | [40] | ||
| 2022—present | Koffee with Karan[b] | Jahnvi Obhan | Disney Plus Hotstar | Karan Johar Apoorva Mehta Aneesha Baig | Talk show (season 7–) | [41] |
| 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 ofSignal (South Korean TV series) | [42] | |
| Call Me Bae | Colin D'Cunha | Amazon Prime Video | Karan Johar Apoorva Mehta Somen Mishra | |||
| The Tribe | Omkar Potdar | Karan Johar Apoorva Mehta Aneesha Baig | ||||
| 2025 | Do You Wanna Partner | Archit Kumar Colin D'Cunha | Karan Johar Adar Poonawalla Apoorva Mehta |
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| Other | |
