Supporting Role

Years later,the classroom scene repeated itself. Only this time the stakes were higher. Johar,an established filmmaker by now,having delivered hits such as Kuch Kuch Hota Hai and Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham,needed someone to steer his company Dharma Productions,as his father,Yash Johar,was ill. He called on Mehta,and they met in London,where the latter was handling the international operations of Yash Raj Films. All it took for Johar was to pop the question and Mehta knew what he had to do. We met in the afternoon. I was stunned for a while when Karan asked me to join his company. Though I did take a day to mull it over,the decision was made the moment he asked. I couldnt say no to him, says Mehta.

Johar credits the rise of Dharma Productions to his collaboration with Mehta. Losing my father when I was just 32 was my biggest emotional loss. He was also the guiding light of my company. Without him,I felt ill-equipped to deal with life and business. I had to carry on because I wanted to take his vision forward. Besides my mother,I only have two cousins who Im close to. I had to depend on friends to get over the loss. Apoorva came to my rescue he left his job in London and took charge of the company. We have built Dharma together, he says.

For someone whose idea of films was just watching them in a theatre,as Dharmas CEO,Mehta had to get his hands dirty and fast. His training ground was Johars Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna,his most wholesome learning experience. I had never been on a film set for more than 15 minutes. My mother didnt think it was a cool profession but there I was in New York,handling Indian cinemas stalwarts. It was daunting,but because we could do it,we got the confidence that we could go big, says Mehta.

The decision to build Dharma into a major player came about gradually. Says Johar,When Papa passed away,Kaal was just about to take off. I wanted to back off but we went ahead and did it. It was a turning point,which is why even though Im not creatively proud of Kaal,it is important since we learnt to work together. Since Mehta joined,the banner has launched many directors like Nikhil Advani,Soham Shah,Punit Malhotra,Rensil DSilva,Ayan Mukherjee,Tarun Mansukhani,etc. It is now launching new acting talent with the upcoming Student of the Year,which marks the debut of three actors.

They are friends but when it comes to work,they have clearly marked out their turf. Johar wears the creative hat while Mehta is the finance,business,marketing and production head. The drill at Dharma is simple: the big ideas are discussed,Johar takes decisions as to where he wants to put in his money,and Mehta streamlines his vision and makes sure it earns dividends. Its not that he cant say no but Mehta says its tough to rein in Johars creative aspirations once he sets his heart on something. Karan is so creatively driven,it is always a battle between commerce and creativity. Once in a while,I do get lucky and tell him a flat ‘no’ and to his credit,he does listen, says Mehta.

Johar has self-confessedly always dreamt big. Earlier,it was his father who put his celluloid dreams into action; now its Mehta. While Johar says his oldest friend is truly responsible for deftly handling all us mad hatters in the company, Mehta feels he is the voice of doom at Dharma. He admits there are days they dont feel like seeing each other. Karan always says that I complain too much. Its a task to get him to sit down with me for half an hour but he needs to get a lecture on budgeting now and then, says Mehta. The secret of their successful partnership is that they dont get into each others zone. I start where he ends, says Mehta,as they plot the next chapter for Dharma.