Karan Johar recently discussed the difficulties associated with producing big-budget films. He emphasised that securing funding for such projects is challenging and identified the journey to financial recovery as the biggest hurdle. He stated, “The bigger the money spent, the larger the journey to recovery.”
While appearing on CNBC TV18’s Global Leadership Summit, the filmmaker further explained that funding massive productions isn’t feasible for a single production house, which is why Dharma Productions often collaborates with other studios. He shared, “If I make a film that is over 250 crores, 200-300 crores, it’s not possible to fund that totally at our stage, even now,” adding, “Even when we made big hits, we were always sharing the profit.”
Johar noted that middle-budget films often do better and generate more earnings. He said, “The real money comes from middle-budget films,” which can be funded by a single production house. He pointed out that films with budgets of around Rs 65 to 80 crore can be more profitable than big-budget films.
“Those are the films that you can actually fund entirely on your own and you can enjoy and reap the benefits of that big breakthrough profit that is to happen. As much more when everybody thinks bigger the film, bigger the money made, it’s not always true,” he said.
During the event, Karan Johar discussed his recent production, Kill, and its success at the box office. He said, “When we had a breakthrough film like ‘Kill’ that made waves internationally, it was an electrifying moment for us. With deals struck at the Toronto International Film Festival, the film is now being remade in English and dubbed in multiple languages—a true testament to the global reach of Indian storytelling”.
