A large number of the films were co-produced with companies such as Red Chillies Entertainment and Star Studios.
Dharma Productions' first release came in 1980 with the Raj Khosla–directed Dostana, starring Amitabh Bachchan, Shatrughan Sinha and Zeenat Aman, which was a commercial success.
[2] However, their subsequent releases, Duniya (1984) and Muqaddar Ka Faisla (1987) performed poorly at the box office.
[10] In 2012, Karan Johar directed the teen romance Student of the Year, which marked the debut of Malhotra, Dhawan and Bhatt.
[11] The following year, the company co-produced the critically acclaimed drama The Lunchbox, which was nominated for the BAFTA Award for Best Film Not in the English Language.