Earlier this week, the Netflix docuseries ‘The Romantics’ started streaming on the OTT platform on Valentine’s Day. Helmed by Smriti Mundhra, it celebrates the legacy of one of Indian cinema’s finest filmmakers Yash Chopra, his prodigal son Aditya Chopra, and their production house YRF through various celebrity interviews and archival footage ranging from Amitabh Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan, Aamir Khan, Hrithik Roshan, Ranveer Singh, Karan Johar, and Ranbir Kapoor, to name a few.
‘The Romantics’ turned out to be an emotionally charged nostalgic delight not just for diehard fans of Yash Chopra’s school of filmmaking but also for ardent cinephiles in general. The series is still trending on the Netflix top ten TV shows list and its streaming success proves that such documentaries about the legacy of Indian films and Indian film production houses and their architects are here to stay.
After ‘The Romantics’, yet another massive and untapped opportunity lies for OTT platforms to capitalize on the massive craze and love amongst Indians for films. So, after YRF being the focal point of ‘The Romantics’, a section of hardcore film enthusiasts have expressed their willingness to see a similarly executed docuseries which focuses on another big Indian production house. We’re talking about Dharma Productions which was founded by Yash Johar and is currently being led by his son Karan Johar.
Akin to YRF, Dharma Productions carries an interesting past replete with several ups and downs. Right from their first production – Raj Khosla’s ‘Dostana’ to more recently Ayan Mukerji’s ‘Brahmastra’, it has been a hell of a ride for the eminent production company.
Considering its prolific filmography, the story of Dharma Productions and the creators behind can make a perfect recipe for an emotional, entertaining, and gripping docuseries on the lines of Netflix’s ‘The Romantics’.
And what better platform than Netflix to become the streaming home for a potential docuseries on Dharma Productions as well. Because firstly, Netflix has a wide reach and secondly since the OTT giant has already backed ‘The Romantics’, conceptualizing another instalment in a multi-season series format should be a good idea. And if ‘The Romantics’ helmer Smriti Mundhra can create it, that would be great.
Obviously, there are many more reputed production houses in India other than YRF and Dharma. But after a YRF-based series, a behind-the-scenes at Dharma Productions could be a good way to carry forward the idea of celebrating the legacy of Indian cinema which can be witnessed by contemporary OTT audiences. Netflix and Smriti Mundhra – the ball is in your court now.