THE EMPIRE

50 FILMS IN 25 YEARS. HOW KARAN JOHAR TOOK HIS FATHER'S MEDIUM-SIZED BUSINESS AND TURNED IT INTO THE BOLLYWOOD BEHEMOTH THAT IS DHARMA PRODUCTIONS

- NAMRATA ZAKARIA

Can Karan Johar ever not be in the news? It is almost impossible. Ever since he introduced himself to us in 1998 with his first film, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, under his father Yash Johar’s banner—Dharma Productions—Karan Johar has been front and centre of all things entertainment. For over 25 years, he has been a director, producer, talk show host, reality TV judge, businessman and investor, entertainer, envelope-pusher, controversy-chaser, Bollywood representative and more.

Dharma Productions clocked 25 years under Johar in 2023. It also clocked in its 50th production, a film directed by him after seven long years. Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani was among the many hits in a blockbuster year and won him more critical acclaim than any film he has made.

Johar, 51, is not your average multi-hyphenate. The Hindi film industry has not seen a tour de force like him. Johar has turned his father Yash’s medium-sized business into a mega empire. Johar’s Dharma produced 50 films in half the years; launched Dharma 2.0, an ad film arm in 2016; Dharmatic Entertainment in 2018 for OTT content; and Dharma Cornerstone Agency or DCA, a talent management agency that manages most young stars, in 2020.

“Dharma under Karan Johar was a startup before we knew what startups were,” says director Shakun Batra, smiling. The 40-year-old has made three films and a documentary under the production house. “Karan was a young kid who hired a bunch of young kids, backed their ideas and stories and created a great entrepreneurship,” he says. “Karan and his partner Apoorva Mehta were not even 40 when they started backing other people.”