If you are a follower of Bollywood music and films, you must have come across the name T-Series, and the man behind the largest music label and movie studios is Gulshan Kumar. He single-handedly changed the music scenario of Bollywood, from Kumar Sanu to Sonu Nigam, the greatest artists of the Hindi film industry were scouted and launched by Kumar. The ‘great old music label’ HMV in India was effectively overthrown when the audio cassette format was introduced by T-Series under Gulshan Kumar. He was successful in converting music into a million-dollar business that initially started by selling cassettes at a low price. Here’s the story of the man who changed the music game for Bollywood forever.
Gulshan Kumar’s early life
Gulshan Kumar Dua, an Indian businessman, film and music producer, and the creator of the Super Cassettes Industries Limited (T-Series) music label was born in 1951 to a Punjabi-Hindu family. His father was a fruit juice vendor in the Dayarganj neighbourhood of New Delhi. Kumar had a knack for music from a very young age and chose it as a career path when his family bought a store selling inexpensive audio cassettes and records, it signaled the beginning of a massive music empire.
Beginning of T-Series
Gulshan established the audio cassette manufacturer Super Cassettes Industries in 1983 which later evolved into the music label T-series that is known today. In the early 1990s, T-Series played a significant part in resurrecting the Indian music industry. Kumar hired vocalists like Anuradha Paudwal, Mohammed Aziz, Kumar Sanu, and Alka Yagnik to perform cover songs of well-known songs for little to nothing compared to what professional singers would charge.
Kumar also paid attention to the distribution network, which used to be made up of posh record shops in affluent areas. Apart from these the cassettes were also sold in neighbourhood shops, and local music shops.
Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak
The company’s first bona fide hit occurred in 1988 with the release of the album Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak, even though they were developing a reputation for distributing copied music using Copyright Act exemptions. The soundtrack’s commercial success changed the company’s direction. And T-Series made a significant entry with the smash single Aashiqui (1990). The group’s success with Dil Hai Ke Manta Nahin was similar, but they focused more on album creation. Kumar expanded his record label into what would grow to become the largest music label in the nation by dabbling in production, distribution, and sales.
Gulshan Kumar’s death
The music mogul was killed by hired killers in 1997. Abdul Rauf, also known as Daud Merchant, was found guilty of killing Gulshan Kumar in 2002. After receiving a release from the Bombay High Court in 2009, he left India. In 2016, he was extradited from Bangladesh. He is currently being held at Mumbai’s high-security Arthur Road prison as per a Hindustan Times report.
The legacy created by Gulshan Kumar is at present taken over by Bhushan Kumar, his son who is the Chairman and MD of T-Series. T-Series YouTube channel has the highest number of subscribers which is 247 million as of 2023.