We will tell you about the story of the man who forever changed Bollywood's music scene.
If you're into Bollywood music and films, you've likely heard of T-Series. The man behind this massive music label and film studio is Gulshan Kumar who revolutionised the Bollywood music industry. T-Series, under his leadership, introduced the audio cassette format in India, overtaking the long-established HMV label.
Today, we will tell you about the story of the man who forever changed Bollywood's music scene.
1. Founder of T-Series
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Gulshan Kumar Dua, born in 1951 to a Punjabi-Hindu family, was an Indian businessman and the founder of T-Series.
2. Son of a fruit vendor
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Born in 1951 into a Punjabi Hindu family, Gulshan Kumar Dua was the son of a fruit juice vendor in Delhi's Daryaganj neighborhood. His family had fled from the Jhang region of West Punjab due to the anti-Hindu riots during the 1947 Partition.
3. How T-Series started
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When his family opened a store selling inexpensive audio cassettes and records, it marked the start of what would become a massive music empire.
Gulshan Kumar founded Super Cassettes Industries in 1983, which later became the well-known T-Series music label. In the early 1990s, T-Series was pivotal in reviving the Indian music industry. Kumar enlisted vocalists such as Anuradha Paudwal, Mohammed Aziz, Kumar Sanu, and Alka Yagnik to record cover versions of popular songs at minimal costs compared to professional rates.
4. Death
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Gulshan Kumar Dua was murdered on August 12, 1997, outside the Jiteshwar Mahadev Mandir, a Hindu temple dedicated to Lord Shiva, which he visited daily. He was shot 16 times.
He was murdered by hired killers in 1997. Abdul Rauf aka Daud Merchant, was found guilty of his murder in 2002. After being released by the Bombay High Court in 2009, Merchant fled India.
In 2016, he was extradited from Bangladesh and is currently imprisoned at Mumbai's high-security Arthur Road prison, according to a Hindustan Times report.
5. Legacy
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From a young age, Dua worked with his father and was a devout worshipper of Shiva and Vaishno Devi. He sang many religious songs and ran a free meal service (Prasad) for devotees at the Vaishno Devi Temple starting in 1983. This service, which continues even after his death in 1997, is still widely respected across India, now managed by his son Bhushan Kumar.
Gulshan Kumar's legacy is now carried on by his son Bhushan Kumar, who is the Chairman and Managing Director of T-Series.
