Music tycoon Gulshan Kumar was an entrepreneur who reshaped the Indian music and film industry through his company T-Series. T-Series’ dominance was built on affordable cassettes, strategic innovation, and loopholes in copyright laws, reflecting his vision and shrewdness. Rising from humble beginnings, he built an empire that continues to dominate the film world.
Early Life
Gulshan Kumar was born on May 5, 1951, in New Delhi, India. Gulshan Kumar Dua was the son of a fruit juice vendor. His family traced their roots to the Jhang region of West Punjab. They migrated to Delhi after the 1947 partition. His father, Chandrabhan, sold fruit juice in Delhi’s Daryaganj market. From a young age, Kumar assisted his father, learning the intricacies of running his business.
Kumar dropped out of school after the tenth grade and started working at his uncle’s shop before he took over his family’s small business. Kumar’s passion for music was evident even during these early years. He would spend hours listening to cassettes on borrowed audio players. His affinity for devotional music also took root during this time.
Gulshan Kumar – Super Cassettes
The turning point came when his family acquired a shop selling records and inexpensive audio cassettes. This venture, though modest, laid the groundwork for what would become a vast music empire. Kumar’s keen business acumen and his ability to spot opportunities in the seemingly mundane act of selling cassettes would propel him towards his future success.
The early 1980s were a time of fierce competition, piracy, and legal battles within the music sector. Kumar, undeterred by these obstacles, began selling pirated Bollywood songs.
However, his vision extended beyond the immediate gains of piracy. Recognizing the potential in the cassette business, he started manufacturing low-cost audio cassettes. In 1983, he founded Super Cassettes Industries Limited, later known as T-Series, in Delhi. The company initially focused on producing affordable cassettes of devotional music, a largely untapped market. His strategy of selling cassettes at low prices disrupted the industry, challenging giants like HMV (now Saregama).
T-Series moved its base to Mumbai as profits grew, marking Gulshan’s full entry into Bollywood. In 1985, he debuted as a music producer with the film Lallu Ram, releasing its soundtrack under T-Series.
Gulshan Kumar Exploited The Loopholes
Kumar’s methods were wildly successful but brought him into conflict with established copyright laws and industry practices. He successfully exploited a loophole in the Indian Copyright Act. The law says that only a nominal royalty would be given to the original producer, if the singers and the musical orchestra are different. T-Series produced and sold countless cover versions of well-known records. This strategy allowed T-Series to sell cassettes at a fraction of the cost of their competitors, significantly undercutting the market and disrupting the status quo.
It was severely criticised by the content creators who originally made that music. But that did not deter him from producing thousands of cover versions of older songs, often sung by new singers.
Kumar’s approach drew the ire of the Indian music industry. T-Series’ aggressive pricing strategy and innovative distribution network, which extended to neighbourhood stores and street vendors, posed a direct threat to the traditional music distribution channels. The company’s success was seen as a challenge to the established order, leading to intense legal battles over copyright infringement and royalties.
Gulshan Kumar – The Producer
Under Kumar’s visionary leadership, T-Series revolutionised the Indian music scene. He started with the direct-to-video movie “Lal Dupatta Malmal Ka (1989),” a musical. The label’s breakthrough came with the release of the soundtrack for the film ‘Aashiqui‘ in 1990, which became an unprecedented hit and set new standards for music production in Bollywood. Its soundtrack, composed by Nadeem-Shravan, included hits like “Dheere Dheere Se,” making it a cultural phenomenon.
Gulshan Kumar produced films like “Bahaar Aane Tak,” “Dil Hai Ke Manta Nahin,” “Ayee Milan Ki Raat,” “Meera Ka Mohan,” “Jeena Marna Tere Sang,” “Sangeet,” “Aaja Meri Jaan,” and “Bewafa Sanam.” He also directed “Bewafa Sanam,” starring “Kishan Kumar,” his brother. Most of the songs of “Bewafa Sanam” were recreations of Pakistani singer “Ataullah Khan,” who was a rage in the 1980s and early 90s. Although it was a fictional story, the film was presented as the true story of Ataullah.
Gulshan married Sudesh Kumari in the early 1970s. They had three children: son Bhushan Kumar and daughters Tulsi Kumar and Khushali Kumar. Bhushan now serves as T-Series’ Chairman and Managing Director.. Tulsi and Khushali are playback singers. Gulshan Kumar was also linked with veteran singer Anuradha Paudwal, which they never acknowledged. Paudwal was the lead singer of T-series and decided to sang exclusively for the company.
Tragic Death
Tragically, Gulshan Kumar’s life was cut short when he was assassinated on August 12, 1997. His untimely death sent shockwaves through the nation. Kumar had been getting threat calls from the underworld for quite some time and was provided security by the government. On the day of the incident, his bodyguard called him sick.
Nadeem, a famous musician, “Nadeem-Shravan,” was accused by the police of the killing. His killer, Rauf Merchent “Raja,” confessed to the crime and was sentenced to life imprisonment.
Nadeem fled to the UK and denied his involvement in the “extradiction case.” In a London High Court case, police failed to establish a connection between the crime and Nadeem. The House of Lords (United Kingdom) and the Sessions Court in Mumbai also cleared Nadeem of the charge.
After Gulshan Kumar
After his death, his brother Krishan Kumar and son Bhushan Kumar took over the rights to T-Serries, which now has over 60% of the market share in India. The series also has the honour of being the biggest “YouTube channel” in the world. Interestingly, a company that made itself with the help of other musicians work, is now known for its ruthless use of copyright and giving strikes to everyone who uses its songs, even in a passing manner.
Gulshan Kumar’s ability to identify and leverage market opportunities transformed T-Series into a dominant force in the industry. However, his tactics also made him a controversial figure, with some accusing him of contributing to the piracy problem that plagued the music industry at the time.
Gulshan Kumar on IMDB
