The cinema landscape in Bollywood has considerably changed in the recent years. Gone are the days of stereotypical stories, boy-meets-girl love stories, evil stepmother narratives and the angry young man out for revenge saga. Today’s stories are more real, earthy and have managed to tap the pulse of the audience and Dharmatic Entertainment, the digital extension of Karan Johar’s Dharma Productions is leading from the forefront in this regard. The content studio focuses on delivering distinctive stories across fiction and non-fiction formats.
Dharmatic Entertainment is pushing out original stories when it comes to films instead of harping on remakes. In the past few years the content studio has managed to give some applause-worthy content which appeal to the young as well as the old. From Kiara Advani’s Guilty to the anthology Ajeeb Daastaans, to the variety show Fabulous Lives of Bollywood Wives or the recently released Meenakshi Sundareshwar, the stories are raw, real and relatable.
Kiara’s short in Lust Stories directed by Karan proved to be her breakout moment and ever since that she has not looked back, having proved her mettle once again with Shershaah. Guilty was an experimental project for the digital space that gave space for young talents to exhibit their potential. It was also one of the earliest stories centred on the #MeToo movement that rocked India and the media industry in 2018.
Dharmatic Entertainment’s varied array has provided distinctive projects for talented artists. Ajeeb Daastaans saw a bevy of stars right from Jaideep Ahlawat, Fatima Sana Shaikh, Nushrratt Bharuccha, Abhishek Banerjee, Konkana Sen Sharma, Aditi Rao Hydari, Shefali Shah and Manav Kaul shell out interesting and diverse stories with their shorts. The anthology also brought several acclaimed filmmakers like Neeraj Ghaywan, Kayoze Irani, Shashank Khaitan and Raj Mehta under one roof to showcase the art of their own distinctive style of storytelling in Ajeeb Daastaans.
The Fabulous Lives of Bollywood Wives brought the audience up, close and personal with glamour in tinsel town. Featuring Maheep Kapoor, Bhavana Pandey, Seema Khan, and Neelam Kothari, the series took us into the unfiltered lives of the wives of Bollywood celebs and showed the trials, tribulations and joy of their lives. Following the fabulous response of the show another season is in the works that will stream once again on Netflix.
KJo’s Dharma Productions is also not left behind as it has managed to gain strength from its own digital forays. Janhvi Kapoor starrer Gunjan Saxena: The Kargil Girl, released on Amazon Prime Video told the courageous tale of IAF fighter pilot Gunjan Saxena who helped evacuate soldiers wounded during the 1999 Indo-Pakistan Kargil War. The production house followed it up with the year’s blockbuster hit Shershaah starring Sidharth Malhotra and Kiara in the lead. The film is based on the heroic tale of Captain Vikram Batra, who was instrumental in leading India to victory in the Kargil War. His bravado and courage earned him India’s highest gallantry award, Param Vir Chakra posthumously as he was killed during the battle.
The production house has now released a refreshing romantic love story of a newly married couple dealing with a long-distance relationship in Meenakshi Sundareshwar. Starring Abhimanyu Dassani and Sanya Malhotra in the lead the film has already received rave reviews for its relatable story, the pangs of being away from your beloved and the ups-and-downs of married life. The film also boasts of exquisite cinematography and presenting Tamil Nadu’s cultural capital, Madurai in a beautiful way.
Next on the slate for Dharmatic Entertainment is Findina Anamika that will be Madhuri Dixit’s digital debut. The highly-anticipated project will present the actress in a never-seen-before avatar and promises to be an intriguing thriller.
