Archive · 5 Nov 2025
Shah Rukh Khan Rescued Dharma Productions, Preventing Father's Demise: Viveck Vaswani
Once upon a time, a big movie company called Dharma Productions was having a lot of trouble and might have had to close down.
The father of the man who ran it, Yash Johar, was very sad.
A director named Mahesh Bhatt said he would make a new movie for free, but only if a very popular actor named Shah Rukh Khan was in it.
Shah Rukh Khan didn't really want to work with Mahesh Bhatt at first.
But his friend, Viveck Vaswani, told Shah Rukh how much Yash Johar needed this movie.
Shah Rukh, being a good friend and a kind person, agreed to help.
Even though Mahesh Bhatt wasn't on set much, Shah Rukh and Karan Johar, Yash's son, worked together to make the movie happen, which was called 'Duplicate'.
This helped Dharma Productions a lot and saved the day!
Filmmaker Viveck Vaswani recounted how Shah Rukh Khan's agreement to star in a Mahesh Bhatt-directed film for Dharma Productions helped the production house during a financial crisis.
Dharma Productions faced significant losses with films like 'Agneepath' and 'Gumrah', putting them on the verge of collapse.
Mahesh Bhatt offered to direct a film for Dharma Productions free of charge, with the condition that Shah Rukh Khan be cast in the lead role.
Shah Rukh Khan initially expressed reluctance to work with Mahesh Bhatt but agreed to do the film after learning about Yash Johar's dire financial situation and the impact on his health.
The film that resulted from this situation was 'Duplicate', with Shah Rukh Khan and Karan Johar playing significant roles in its making, although Mahesh Bhatt was reportedly not heavily involved on set.
- Who
- Viveck Vaswani, Karan Johar, Yash Johar, Shah Rukh Khan, Mahesh Bhatt
- What
- Viveck Vaswani recalled how Shah Rukh Khan agreed to star in a film directed by Mahesh Bhatt for free for Dharma Productions, saving the production house from financial ruin.
- When
- Before the success of 'Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge' and prior to Karan Johar's directorial debut with 'Kuch Kuch Hota Hai'.
- Where
- Bollywood film industry
- Why
- Dharma Productions was facing a spate of failures, and Yash Johar was in a difficult financial situation. Mahesh Bhatt offered to direct a film for free if Shah Rukh Khan was cast, a condition that led to Shah Rukh's involvement and the eventual making of 'Duplicate'.
- Producer who recalled the incident
- Viveck Vaswani
- Production House facing financial crisis
- Dharma Productions
- Director offered to work for free
- Mahesh Bhatt
- Condition for free direction
- Lead role for Shah Rukh Khan
- Film that resulted from the situation
- Duplicate
- Actor's initial reluctance
- Shah Rukh Khan did not want to work with Mahesh Bhatt