The Dharma Productions used to be the most sought-after starting banner for any star in the industry but now, with the very generation that it helped inspire, they are being pushed aside. Karan Johar’s proteges Suhana Khan, Khushi Kapoor, and Agastya Nanda have chosen not to debut with him but with Excel Entertainment and Zoya Akhtar. The next Deol scion seems to be headed toward Aditya Chopra’s YRF, and not Dharma. After Ibrahim Ali Khan’s debut, very few new talents seem to be interested in being associated with KJo’s once-hallowed brand.
Dharma’s ties with Bollywood’s potentates seem to be loosening through the years. Deepika Padukone has not signed with them, Alia Bhatt- the studio’s golden girl-has snubbed them with multiple offers, and Shah Rukh Khan, who once epitomized the Dharma name, has shifted on to other collaborations. Of the old guard, only Varun Dhawan barely registers in their lineup.
Dharma’s reach in the country has diminished, although some short-lived nostalgia remains internationally. Real-life mid-budget rom-coms and OTT content have gained audience preference against glossy big-screen extravaganzas. What used to work -extravagant sets, emotional drama, glory -comes across as overkilled. Their genre fatigue must be overturned; they, too, do not want another love story; they need reinvention.
Dharma once defined the Bollywood dream from Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham to Student of the Year. Today, it is in danger of becoming a burial place of that dream. Competing studios, T-Series and Maddock Films, churn out endless smashes while the Dharma ship flounders to keep afloat. Karan Johar must turn this ship a full 180 degrees if it is to survive; fewer rom-coms, gutsy genres, and real storytelling. Otherwise, it will soon become a LLC associated only with its past.
Also Read: How Tamannaah Bhatia Is Changing Bollywood’s ‘Item Song’ Formula
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