Janhvi Kapoor Did Homebound for Free, Crew Took Pay Cut: Dharma Productions Creative Head Says They ‘Rarely Make Losses’ Dharma Productions’ creative

Dharma Productions’ recent releases Dhadak 2 and Homebound may have underwhelmed at the box office, but the studio insists they didn’t incur losses. Despite their modest collections, both films were made on controlled budgets and received critical acclaim.

‘We’re Safe Number-Wise’: Somen Mishra on Budgeting

In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter India, Somen Mishra, Dharma’s creative head and producer of both films, said that tight budgeting helped ensure profitability.

“Dhadak 2 and Homebound are two of the most tightly budgeted films ever made at Dharma. So, number-wise, we’re safe,” Mishra explained. “On Homebound, everyone took a pay cut—from writers to HoDs—and Janhvi Kapoor worked for free. I told the writers that for the next one, I’ll make up for it, and everyone understood. That’s why we could make it cheaper. The box office was never a concern for these two films,” he added.

Mishra noted that Dharma Productions rarely makes a loss because most projects recover costs through non-theatrical revenue streams before release.

“Most of the time, we recover costs from chartbuster music, digital, and satellite rights. Suppose a film’s budget is ₹100 crore—we check if we can recover ₹80 crore from non-theatrical sources. Then our risk is only 20 per cent. So, most of the time, we’re covered,” he said.

Box Office and Critical Reception

Dhadak 2, directed by Shazia Iqbal and starring Siddhant Chaturvedi and Triptii Dimri, earned ₹29 crore at the box office. Despite the modest returns, it received strong reviews and trended on Netflix six weeks after its theatrical release.

Neeraj Ghaywan’s Homebound, marking his directorial comeback, earned around ₹3 crore from a limited release but went on to become India’s official entry for the Oscars this year. The film stars Ishaan Khatter, Vishal Jethwa, and Janhvi Kapoor.