Dharma Productions: Difference between revisions

{{Short description|Private Film Production founded by Yash Johar}}

{{more citations needed|date=March 2017}}

| name = Dharma Productions Pvt. Ltd

| logo_size =  

| logo_padding =  

| logo_alt =  

| logo_caption = Dharma Productions first look & logo

| key_people = Apoorva Mehta<br>Hiroo Yash Johar<br>[[Karan Johar]]

| industry = [[Entertainment]]

| products = [[Film production]]<br>[[Film distribution]]

| revenue =

| owner = [[Karan Johar]], Hiroo Yash Johar

| subsid = Dharmatic Entertainment,

Dharma 2.0,

Dharma Cornerstone Agency

| website = [http://www.dharma-production.com Dharma Productions]

| foundation = [[Mumbai]], [[Maharashtra]], India (1979)

'''Dharma Productions Pvt. Ltd.''' is an Indian [[production company|production]] and [[Distribution (business)|distribution company]] established by [[Yash Johar]] in 1979.<ref name="Punathambekar2013">{{cite book|last=Punathambekar|first=Aswin |title=From Bombay to Bollywood: The Making of a Global Media Industry|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nsiyynyoZ1AC&pg=PA73|date=24 July 2013|publisher=NYU Press|isbn=978-0-8147-7189-1|pages=73–74}}</ref> It was taken over in 2004 after his death by his son [[Karan Johar]]. Based in [[Mumbai]], it mainly produces and distributes [[Hindi language|Hindi]] films,<ref>{{cite web|title=Yash Johar, in memoriam|url=http://specials.rediff.com/movies/2004/jun/28sld5.htm|publisher=[[Rediff.com]]|date=28 June 2004|access-date=16 February 2015}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.forbesindia.com/article/special/producers-who-scored-at-the-box-office/34631/1|title=Producers Who Scored at the Box Office|website=Forbes India|language=en|access-date=5 December 2018}}</ref> In November 2018, a new sector of the company was created called Dharmatic, which will focus on producing digital content for [[Digital distribution|online distribution platforms]]

The company's first production was [[Raj Khosla]]'s ''[[Dostana (1980 film)|Dostana]]'' (1980) starring [[Amitabh Bachchan]], [[Shatrughan Sinha]], and [[Zeenat Aman]]. The film was the highest-grossing [[Bollywood films of 1980|Bollywood film of the year]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.indicine.com/movies/bollywood/dostana-to-shaandaar-dharma-productions-completes-35-years/|title=Dostana to Shaandaar: Dharma Productions completes 35 years|last=Team|first=Indicine|language=en-US|access-date=2018-12-12}}</ref>

The company then went on to produce ''[[Duniya (1984 film)|Duniya]]'' (1984)<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://bollyspice.com/rishi-kapoor-the-versatile-actor-dharma-production/|title=Rishi Kapoor the versatile actor – Dharma Production|last=developer|date=2011-11-01|website=BollySpice.com - The latest movies, interviews in Bollywood|language=en-US|access-date=2018-12-12}}</ref> and ''[[Muqaddar Ka Faisla]]'' (1987), neither of which performed well at the box office.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.movified.com/dharma-productions-ruling-the-box-office-and-winning-hearts/|title=Dharma Productions: Ruling The Box-Office And Winning Hearts -|date=2017-10-23|language=en-US|access-date=2018-12-12}}</ref> This was followed by ''[[Agneepath (1990 film)|Agneepath]]'' (1990), which was not a major box office success at that time, but would later become a cult film. It also won a [[National Film Award for Best Actor|National Film Award]] for its lead actor Amitabh Bachchan.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/bollywood/agneepath-s-release-date-out/story-WqhAaRRDjFjWQfhR5e6ZII.html|title=Agneepath's release date out|date=2011-08-29|website=www.hindustantimes.com|language=en|access-date=2018-12-12}}</ref> The company's next two films ''[[Gumrah (1993 film)|Gumrah]]'' (1993) and ''[[Duplicate (1998 film)|Duplicate]]'' (1998), which were both directed by [[Mahesh Bhatt]], met with moderate success at the box office.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.filmfare.com/features/remembering-yash-johar-15429-6.html|title=Remembering Yash Johar {{!}} filmfare.com|website=www.filmfare.com|access-date=2018-12-12}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.cinestaan.com/articles/2018/may/8/13068/20-years-of-duplicate-good-vs-evil-in-shah-rukh-khan-s-first-double-role|title=200 years of Duplicate: Good vs evil in Shah Rukh Khan’s first double role|last=Pandya|first=Sonal|website=Cinestaan|access-date=2018-12-12}}</ref>

Incidentally, four of the films named above, namely ''[[Duniya (1984 film)|Duniya]]'' (1984), ''[[Muqaddar Ka Faisla]]'' (1987), ''[[Agneepath (1990 film)|Agneepath]]'' (1990) and ''[[Gumrah (1993 film)|Gumrah]]'' (1993) were based on the same broad theme, which may be termed the [[Count of Monte Christo]] theme, where the protagonist is falsely accused and imprisoned for a crime which he did not commit and emerges from jail to exact vengeance from those who had framed him.

In 1998, the same year as ''Duplicate,'' Dharma Productions also released ''[[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.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/bollywood/kuch-kuch-hota-hai-turns-20-shah-rukh-khan-kajol-rani-mukerji-reunite-at-celebrations-see-pics-videos/story-jDl4B7ecixWXwXZG0TbgeO.html|title=Kuch Kuch Hota Hai turns 20, Shah Rukh Khan, Kajol, Rani Mukerji reunite at celebrations. See pics, videos|date=2018-10-16|website=www.hindustantimes.com|language=en|access-date=2018-12-12}}</ref> The film won several awards, including the [[National Film Award for Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment]] and the [[Filmfare Award for Best Film]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.indiatimes.com/entertainment/bollywood/karan-johar-gets-sentimental-on-kuch-kuch-hota-hais-15th-anniversary-106950.html|title=Karan Johar Gets Sentimental On Kuch Kuch Hota Hai's 15th Anniversary|date=2013-10-16|website=indiatimes.com|language=en|access-date=2018-12-12}}</ref>

The company's next film was Karan Johar's ensemble melodrama ''[[Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham...]]'' (2001) featuring a large ensemble cast including Amitabh Bachchan, [[Jaya Bachchan]], Shah Rukh Khan, Kajol, [[Hrithik Roshan]], and [[Kareena Kapoor]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.indiantelevision.com/aac/y2k12/aac1170.php|title=Dharma Productions celebrates 11 years of Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham|date=2012-12-17|website=Indian Television Dot Com|language=en|access-date=2018-12-12}}</ref> The film became a huge commercial success in India, and it became the all-time biggest earner in the overseas markets at the time of its release. This was followed by [[Nikhil Advani]]'s tear-jerking 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 commercial success and critical acclaim.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.mid-day.com/articles/karan-johar-gets-nostalgic-as-kal-ho-naa-ho-turns-15/20026152|title=Karan Johar gets nostalgic as Kal Ho Naa Ho turns 15|date=2018-11-28|website=mid-day|language=en|access-date=2018-12-12}}</ref>

Dharma's next release was the natural horror film ''[[Kaal (2005 film)|Kaal]]'' (2005), which received mixed to positive reviews from critics.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.business-standard.com/article/companies/one-place-in-india-where-dharma-succeeds-114051400029_1.html|title=One place in India where Dharma succeeds|last=Malvania|first=Urvi|date=2014-05-14|work=Business Standard India|access-date=2018-12-12}}</ref> This was followed by [[Karan Johar]]'s ensemble musical romantic drama ''[[Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna]]'' (2006) featuring a large ensemble cast led by Amitabh Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan, [[Abhishek Bachchan]], Rani Mukerji, Preity Zinta and [[Kirron Kher]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Kabhi-Alvida-strikes-box-office-gold-abroad/articleshow/1899253.cms|title='Kabhi Alvida' strikes box-office gold abroad - Times of India|website=The Times of India|access-date=2018-12-12}}</ref> The film dealt with the controversial subject of marital infidelity and dysfunctional relationships.

Dharma's next release was [[Tarun Mansukhani]]'s commercially successful romantic comedy ''[[Dostana (2008 film)|Dostana]]'' (2008) starring Abhishek Bachchan, [[John Abraham (actor)|John Abraham]], and [[Priyanka Chopra]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.idiva.com/news-entertainment/4-things-they-got-wrong-in-dostana-and-that-one-thing-they-got-so-right/17078117|title=4 Things They Got Wrong In ‘Dostana’, And That One Thing They Got So Right|date=2018-11-14|website=iDiva.com|access-date=2018-12-12}}</ref> This was followed by [[Ayan Mukerji]]'s coming-of-age film ''[[Wake Up Sid]]'' (2009) starring [[Konkona Sen Sharma]] and [[Ranbir Kapoor]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/videos/entertainment/hindi/ranbir-kapoor-and-alia-bhatt-starrer-brahmastra-to-release-on-christmas-2019/videoshow/66614121.cms|title=Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt starrer 'Brahmastra' to release on Christmas 2019 {{!}} Hindi Movie News - Bollywood - Times of India|website=timesofindia.indiatimes.com|access-date=2018-12-12}}</ref> [[Rensil D'Silva]]'s counter-terrorism thriller ''[[Kurbaan (2009 film)|Kurbaan]]'' (2009) starring Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/hindi/bollywood/photo-features/bollywood-movie-posters-that-created-controversies/Kurbaan/photostory/61644045.cms|title=‘Kurbaan’ - Bollywood movie posters that created controversies|website=The Times of India|access-date=2018-12-12}}</ref>

In 2010, Dharma produced Johar's romantic comedy, as well as ''[[I Hate Luv Storys]]'' (2010) starring [[Sonam Kapoor]] and [[Imran Khan (Bollywood actor)|Imran Khan]]. Later that year, the production house produced the family drama ''[[We Are Family (2010 film)|We Are Family]]'' (2010), a Hindi remake of the 1998 American film ''[[Stepmom (1998 film)|Stepmom]]'', starring Kajol, Kareena Kapoor and [[Arjun Rampal]].

The company's first film of 2012 was [[Karan Malhotra]]'s ''[[Agneepath (2012 film)|Agneepath]]'', a retelling of Dharma's [[Agneepath (1990 film)|1990 film of the same name]]. It featured Hrithik Roshan and [[Sanjay Dutt]] in the roles originated by Amitabh Bachchan and [[Danny Denzongpa]] respectively, while Priyanka Chopra and [[Rishi Kapoor]] played principal roles not in the original film. This was followed by [[Shakun Batra]]’s offbeat romantic comedy ''[[Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu]]'' (2012) starring Kareena Kapoor and Imran Khan. After this came Karan Johar's coming-of-age comedy-drama ''[[Student of the Year]]'' (2012), which marked the debut of its three lead actors [[Sidharth Malhotra]], [[Alia Bhatt]] and [[Varun Dhawan]].

Dharma's first release of 2013 was the teen comedy ''[[Gippi]]''. This was followed by Ayan Mukerji's coming-of-age romance ''[[Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani]]'' (2013) starring Ranbir Kapoor, [[Deepika Padukone]], [[Aditya Roy Kapur]] and [[Kalki Koechlin]]. The film became one of the [[List of highest-grossing Bollywood films|highest-grossing Bollywood films of all-time]].{{citation needed|date=September 2019}} Dharma was also one of the many production houses associated with the drama ''[[The Lunchbox]]'' (2013) starring [[Irrfan Khan]], [[Nimrat Kaur]], and [[Nawazuddin Siddiqui]]. They then released Punit Malhotra's romantic comedy ''[[Gori Tere Pyaar Mein]]'' (2013) starring Kareena Kapoor Khan and [[Imran Khan (Bollywood actor)|Imran Khan]].

In 2014, Dharma produced three romantic comedies, all directed by first-time directors. The first was Vinil Matthews's ''[[Hasee Toh Phasee]]'' (2014) starring [[Parineeti Chopra]] and Sidharth Malhotra, which Dharma co-produced with [[Phantom Films]]. They then teamed with [[Nadiadwala Grandson Entertainment]] to produce Abhishek Varman's ''[[2 States (2014 film)|2 States]]'' (2014) starring [[Arjun Kapoor]] and Alia Bhatt, a film adaptation of [[Chetan Bhagat]]’s [[2 States: The Story of My Marriage|novel of the same name]]. After this came [[Shashank Khaitan]]’s ''[[Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania]]'' (2014) starring Varun Dhawan and Alia Bhatt. After these three romantic comedies came Rensil D'Silva's black comedy ''[[Ungli]]'' (2014).

In July 2015, Dharma distributed the Hindi-dubbed version of [[S. S. Rajamouli]]'s epic film ''[[Baahubali: The Beginning]]'' (2015), which was originally filmed in [[Telugu language|Telugu]] and [[Tamil language|Tamil]]. Upon its release, the film became a major commercial and critical success and currently ranks as one of the [[List of highest-grossing Indian films|highest-grossing Indian films of all-time]].<ref name="boi">{{cite web |title=Top Grossers All Formats Worldwide Gross |url=https://www.boxofficeindia.com/all_format_worldwide_gross.php |website=[[Box Office India]] |access-date=5 May 2019}}</ref> In August 2015, the company released Karan Malhotra's ''[[Brothers (2015 film)|Brothers]]'', an adaptation of the 2011 American film ''[[Warrior (2011 film)|Warrior]]'', starring Superstar [[Akshay Kumar]] and Sidharth Malhotra in the lead roles with [[Jacqueline Fernandez]] and [[Jackie Shroff]] playing supporting roles. Dharma also collaborated with Phantom Films to co-produce [[Vikas Bahl]]'s romantic comedy ''[[Shaandaar]]'' starring [[Shahid Kapoor]] and Alia Bhatt, which was released one month later.

March 2016 saw the release of Shakun Batra's family drama ''[[Kapoor & Sons]]'' starring Rishi Kapoor, [[Ratna Pathak Shah]], [[Rajat Kapoor]], [[Fawad Khan]], Sidharth Malhotra, and Alia Bhatt. This was followed in September 2016 by [[Nitya Mehra]]'s romantic drama ''[[Baar Baar Dekho]]'', a co-production with [[Excel Entertainment]] starring [[Katrina Kaif]] and Sidharth Malhotra. In October 2016, Karan Johar's musical romantic drama ''[[Ae Dil Hai Mushkil]]'', featuring [[Anushka Sharma]], Ranbir Kapoor, [[Aishwarya Rai Bachchan]] and Fawad Khan in the lead roles, was released. This was followed in November 2016 by [[Gauri Shinde]]'s coming-of-age film ''[[Dear Zindagi]]'', which Dharma co-produced with [[Red Chillies Entertainment]] and Hope Productions. Starring Alia Bhatt and Shah Rukh Khan, the film addresses themes of mental health and wellness.

In January 2017, Dharma released [[Shaad Ali]]'s romantic comedy ''[[OK Jaanu]]'' starring Aditya Roy Kapur and [[Shraddha Kapoor]], a Hindi-language remake of [[Mani Ratnam]]'s Tamil film ''[[O Kadhal Kanmani]]'' (2015). This was followed by Shashank Khaitan's ''[[Badrinath Ki Dulhania]]'' (2017) starring Varun Dhawan and Alia Bhatt. The film was a follow-up to 2014's ''Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania''. In April 2017, the company distributed the Hindi version of ''[[Baahubali 2: The Conclusion]]''. It became the [[List of highest-grossing films in India|highest-grossing film in India]].<ref name="boi"/> The next was Abhay Chopra's mystery thriller [[Ittefaq (2017 film)|Ittefaq]], an adaptation of [[Yash Chopra]]'s [[Ittefaq (1969 film)|1969 film of the same name]]. Co-produced with Red Chillies Entertainment and BR Films, the film starred [[Akshaye Khanna]], Sidharth Malhotra and [[Sonakshi Sinha]] in the lead roles.

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]]''. Later that year came Shashank Khaitan's romantic drama ''[[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 2019, [[Anurag Singh (director)|Anurag Singh]]'s ''[[Kesari (2019 film)|Kesari]]'', a period drama based on the [[Battle of Saragarhi]], starring Akshay Kumar and [[Parineeti Chopra]] in the lead roles. The movie earned 200 crores worldwide in the box office and is Akshay Kumar's highest grossing film.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://m.mid-day.com/articles/its-official-parineeti-chopra-to-play-the-female-lead-in-akshay-kumars-kesari/18917184|title=It's official: Parineeti Chopra to play the female lead in Akshay Kumar's Kesari|date=10 January 2018|access-date=12 August 2018}}</ref> This was followed by Abhishek Varman's period romantic drama ''[[Kalank]]'' featuring [[Madhuri Dixit]], Sonakshi Sinha, Alia Bhatt, Varun Dhawan, Aditya Roy Kapur, and Sanjay Dutt. Then comes [[Good Newwz]] starring [[Akshay Kumar]], [[Kareena Kapoor Khan]], [[Diljit Dosanjh]], [[Kiara Advani]] directed by debutant Raj Mehta which released on 27 December 2019.

In November 2018, a new sector of the company was introduced called Dharmatic, focusing on producing digital content for online distribution.<ref name = "Dharmatic">{{Cite web|url=https://www.timesnownews.com/entertainment/news/bollywood-news/article/karan-johar-launches-new-digital-division-at-dharma-productions/322679|title=Karan Johar launches new digital division at Dharma Productions|date=28 November 2018|website=Times Now News|access-date=28 November 2018}}</ref>

 

[[Rohit Shetty]]'s cop drama ''[[Sooryavanshi]]'', [[Ayan Mukerji]]'s superhero film ''[[Brahmastra]]'', Collin D'Conha's ''[[Dostana 2]]'', [[Vishnuvardhan (director)|Vishnuvardhan]]'s war action drama ''[[Shershaah]]'', Karan Johar's multi-starrer epic period film ''Takht'', [[Shakun Batra]]'s untitled romantic drama starring [[Deepika Padukone]], [[Ananya Panday]], [[Siddhant Chaturvedi]], Raj Mehta's comedy ''Jug Jugg Jeeyo'', [[Shashank Khaitan]]'s action romance ''Yoddha'', South director [[Atlee Kumar]]'s pan India mass action movie, and Karan Johar's another directorial venture starring [[Ranveer Singh]] with [[Alia Bhatt]] are among the upcoming productions of Dharma.<ref>{{cite news|url = https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/bollywood/takht-karan-johar-alia-bhatt-ranveer-singh-janhvi-kapoor-5298675/ |title = Takht: Karan Johar ropes in Alia Bhatt, Ranveer Singh, Janhvi Kapoor, Kareena Kapoor and others for his next directorial |date = 9 August 2018|work = The Indian Express |access-date = 12 August 2018 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/news/bollywood/breaking-karan-johars-dharma-productions-bhushan-kumars-t-series-come-together-strike-mega-deal-ranveer-singhs-takht/|title=BREAKING: Karan Johars Dharma Productions and Bhushan Kumars T-Series come together; strike a mega deal for Ranveer Singhs Takht|website=Bollywood Hungama}}</ref>

A biopic film of [[R. N. Kao]] has been announced by Johar too.

Dharmatic Entertainment, Dharma's digital arm, have also released a drama film ''Guilty'' on 6 March 2020 directed by [[Ruchi Narain]] and starring [[Kiara Advani]] After that a film titled Meenakshi Sundareshwar starring [[Sanya Malhotra]] and Abhimanyu Dasani's will also release on Netflix.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.thehindu.com/entertainment/streaming-giant-netflix-inks-multi-year-exclusive-deal-with-karan-johar/article29386023.ece|title=Streaming giant Netflix inks multi-year, exclusive deal with Karan Johar|last=Joshi|first=Namrata|date=2019-09-11|work=The Hindu|access-date=2019-09-11|language=en-IN|issn=0971-751X}}</ref> A web series starring [[Madhuri Dixit]], is all set to release on [[Netflix]] soon.

 

[[Category:Bollywood]]