After selling 50% of Dharma, KJo enters film distribution: Report
What's the story
Karan Johar, the ace filmmaker and head of Dharma Productions, is reportedly venturing into the film distribution business. This move follows a major partnership in late 2024 with Adar Poonawalla, CEO of Serum Institute of India, who bought a 50% stake in Dharma Productions and Dharmatic Entertainment for ₹1,000 crore. Per Bollywood Hungama, this new venture will turn Dharma into a full-fledged studio, handling both film production and distribution.
New appointment
Bhumika Tewari to lead distribution at Dharma Productions
Bhumika Tewari, former head of distribution at Zee Studios, has been roped in to spearhead the distribution of in-house films at Dharma Productions, the report said. Tewari's previous work with Johar on films such as Good Newwz (2019) and Kesari (2019) has laid a strong groundwork for this new position. An industry insider commented on Johar's strategy, saying he is "following in the footsteps of Yash Chopra and Aditya Chopra's Yash Raj Films (YRF)."
Future plans
Dharma Productions's distribution wing may also handle external films
Just like YRF's strategy of distributing films from other banners, Dharma Productions's distribution wing is also expected to do the same. However, it remains unclear when this expansion will happen and if Dharma will distribute films only in India or also have an overseas presence. Johar will kick off 2025 with Dhadak 2, starring Siddhant Chaturvedi and Triptii Dimri, and an untitled period legal drama with Akshay Kumar, R Madhavan, and Ananya Panday.