Meet man, whose company built India's underwater metro, funded Mughal-e-Azam film, he is...

The Shapoorji Pallonji Group, an Indian conglomerate headquartered in Mumbai, is known for its diverse operations across various industries including construction, real estate, textiles, and biotechnology. The group was founded by Pallonji Mistr. Now the leadership has been passed to Shapoor Mistry.

The group's legacy in Mumbai's architecture is notable. It has been instrumental in constructing iconic buildings such as the Hong Kong Bank, Grindlays Bank, Standard Chartered Bank, Reserve Bank of India, Bombay Stock Exchange, and the Taj Intercontinental. Additionally, the company built the Al Alam Palace in Oman in 1972.

Shapoorji Pallonji Group's construction arm, Afcons, was behind India's first underwater metro in Kolkata. 

Beyond construction, the group has made cultural contributions. In 1960, it funded the film *Mughal-e-Azam*, then the most expensive Bollywood movie. Over forty years later, it invested Rs 5 crore to digitally remaster the film. 

Shapoor Mistry saw this as a tribute to his grandfather’s dream of colourizing the film. In 2016, the group further honoured the film by co-producing a Broadway-style musical adaptation, in partnership with the National Centre for the Performing Arts (India), directed by Feroz Abbas Khan.