“We have two distinct personalities, and we are handling two distinct bits of the business; credit to him [Johar] for not being an overbearing person and trying to continuously control,” Dharma Productions CEO Apoorva Mehta told Moneycontrol.
Dharma Productions, one of the leading production houses in India had an eventful 2018, courtesy the success of films like Raazi, Dhadak, Simmba and 2.0. From small to medium size films to big-budget ventures, Dharma is taking big strides with strong-concept films as well as large-screen spectacles.
Even though it was a small-ticket film, Raazi managed to cross the Rs 100 crore mark. Simmba followed suit, with the film's success spilling over to 2019. This helped the first quarter of the year to score as much as Rs 1,171 crore, higher than 2018, which reported Rs 914 crore in the opening three months.
Dharma had also presented Rajinikanth-starrer 2.0, which came close to entering Rs 200 crore (Hindi version) at the Indian box office.
Success is always a group effort, and at Dharma, it is the healthy partnership between Karan Johar and CEO, Apoorva Mehta that is helping the production house maintain its dominance in the film industry.
If Johar is the heart of Dharma Productions, then Mehta is the brain. This is because Johar takes care of creative decisions while Mehta looks at the business aspects of the company.
In a chat with Moneycontrol, Mehta said, “We have a very distinct taste and that allows us to make a very successful partnership. He [Johar] looks at the creatives, and the business stems from the creative. I look after the finance, distribution and the entire infrastructure that goes into making the film. He has little interest in the non-creative aspects. On the other hand, I do not have the patience to be on the set or sit for long narrations. So, that way the lines are well marked.”
“We have two distinct personalities, and we are handling two distinct bits of the business; and credit to him for not being an overbearing person and trying to continuously control,” he added.
Apoorva, who had landed his first job at Yash Raj Studios, joined Dharma in 2006. The production house has scaled up the number of releases from two to three films in a year in 2006 to four-five, Mehta told Moneycontrol.
In addition, the company strength has also increased. “When I had joined, it was a team of 20-25. Now, we are a team of 140-150,” said Mehta.
But, it has not been an easy journey for Mehta.
“Challenges were tremendous. When I had joined the company, Karan’s father was no longer around. I came to a company where I didn’t understand processes and systems because I had no exposure to working in India in businesses. The business knowledge was zero, no experience of working in India and absolutely zero experience in making films.”
However, in the last 14 years under Mehta's leadership, Dharma has been able to produce as many as 30 films, which is significant growth for the company.
The studio has also co-produced many ventures with firms like UTV Motion Pictures, Red Chillies Entertainment and Fox Star Studios.
Dharma is not only focusing on producing films but is doing a mix of things. It has forayed into distribution with Dharma 2.0 and digital space with Dharmatics.
Plus, Dharma Productions has presented many regional language films.
“We are presenting films from the south and other languages. We did Marathi film Bucket List, Robot 2.0, and Baahubali. Regional is growing tremendously; our idea is to support content,” Mehta said.
Dharma is known to make premium films but these films attract big budgets. According to film trade analyst Sarita Singh, most of the Indian studios are bleeding as they run behind huge budgets. Mehta looks at it in a different way.
“It is not necessarily about a big budget. It is about a budget that works for the film. A high-concept film works but you also enjoy a thrilling spectacle on the screen. There is a reason why these films get large numbers. To get such numbers, you have to get a spectacle on the screen and that requires investment. The narrative needs to look in a way so that the film is an experience for the audience in theatres. And that requires money,” Mehta explains.
Dharma is betting big on its Christmas release Brahmastra, which is a big-screen spectacle starring Alia Bhatt and Ranbir Kapoor. Heavy on visual effects, the film is riding on an investment of Rs 150 crore.
When it comes to technology in Indian films, not a lot of money is invested as big stars take up the major chunk of the investment.
Mehta agrees, “It is true that the big actors tend to take large portions of the budget in terms of fees. But that is changing. Films like 2.0, Saaho and Brahmastra have been allocated high budgets for VFX. Because there is a belief that we have to invest in the spectacle. We have to give larger-than-life experiences and that requires money. Traditionally, it has been like that but people are seeing the value in creating experiences.”
“Technology is the most important for Dharma. With Brahmastra, we are hoping to create a project that has not been seen in cinema before,” added Mehta.
While the company is expecting big numbers from its multi-starrer, it did face few lows this year with Kalank and Student of the Year 2.
Alia Bhatt and Varun Dhawan-starrer Kalank did pack good numbers on day- one (Rs 21.60 crore). But later, the film was termed a disappointment by film trade analysts. Another missed opportunity this year has been Student of the Year 2, which has pocketed Rs 70.66 crore by its third weekend.
“We are proud of the film we made. The audiences chose otherwise," said Mehta, who is looking forward to the release of two more films this year.
“We have Bhooth with Vicky Kaushal and we have Good News, which is a comedy with Akshay Kumar. The idea is to make films in different genres.”
Asserting that horror is an under-explored genre, Mehta added, “We are hoping to change that. For the first time, Dharma Productions is making a horror film. We are known to make family dramas. So, it is a sign of changing times,” said Mehta.
