Few Indian music companies can trace their origins to a conversation with Rabindranath Tagore, survive the collapse of shellac records, navigate Partition, endure political unrest and later reinvent themselves for the digital age.

Hindusthan Records has done all of that.Founded in 1932 by entrepreneur Chandi Charan Saha, Hindusthan Records emerged during a period when recorded sound was transforming India’s cultural landscape.

The company would go on to preserve the voices of some of the country’s most influential artists, including Tagore, Kundan Lal Saigal and Sachin Dev Burman, while building one of the most significant music archives in eastern India.The roots of the company can be traced to the bustling Dharamtola district of Calcutta in the early twentieth century.

Motilal Saha, founder of ML Shaw & Company, sold imported bicycles and gramophones at a time when recorded music was beginning to attract affluent Indian consumers. The arrival of commercial recordings by artists such as Gauhar Jan helped create demand for gramophone players, turning recorded sound into a growing business.

After Motilal Saha’s death in 1916, his son Chandi Charan Saha expanded the family’s interests beyond retail. Fascinated by emerging media technologies, he entered the cinema equipment business and established distribution networks for Zeiss Ikon projectors across South and Southeast Asia.A visit to Europe in 1931 proved decisive.

In Germany, Saha studied modern sound-recording techniques and began considering the creation of an Indian-owned recording company capable of competing with foreign firms that dominated the market.That same year, he met Rabindranath Tagore during the poet’s European tour.

According to company records, Saha shared his ambition to establish a swadeshi recording enterprise. Tagore, who had earlier participated in indigenous recording experiments during the Swadeshi movement, supported the initiative and agreed to be associated with it.

The following year, Hindusthan Musical Products & Variety Syndicate Ltd, popularly known as Hindusthan Records, was established. Tagore became one of its first shareholders and participated in its earliest recordings. The company’s inaugural release featured Tagore’s song “Tobu Mone Rekho” on one side and a recitation on the other.

Tagore’s involvement extended beyond recording. He encouraged women from respectable Bengali families to participate in sessions, helping introduce voices such as Amiya Devi, Amita Sen and Sahana Devi to middle-class audiences. He also recommended students from Santiniketan and personally approved recordings before their release.

The company’s fortunes received a major boost in 1932 when film producer BN Sarkar joined its board. Sarkar’s New Theatres studio agreed to have songs from its productions recorded and marketed by Hindusthan Records.The partnership coincided with the rise of some of Indian cinema’s most influential films.

As productions such as “Chandidas” and later “Devdas” gained popularity, demand for their songs surged. Records carrying the New Theatres elephant logo found audiences far beyond Bengal, helping establish Hindusthan Records as a national brand.The company became associated with some of the most celebrated voices in Indian music.

KL Saigal began his recording career there, while Sachin Dev Burman found an early opportunity after reportedly being rejected elsewhere because of his distinctive vocal style.”Hindusthan Records gave me my start,” became a sentiment associated with several artists whose careers were shaped by the company’s willingness to experiment beyond mainstream commercial music.

Alongside film songs, Hindusthan Records built a diverse catalogue that included classical music, devotional compositions and Rabindra Sangeet. Musicians such as Ustad Faiyaz Khan and V Balsara contributed recordings that broadened the label’s artistic range.

The post-Independence era brought challenges. Partition in 1947 reduced Bengal’s market size and weakened the economic foundations of New Theatres. Many artists relocated to Bombay, altering the geography of India’s film and music industries.The company also faced operational constraints.

Its manufacturing arrangement with the Gramophone Company limited the recording of material produced outside Calcutta, eventually ending its long association with artists who moved elsewhere, including Sachin Dev Burman.

Nevertheless, some musicians maintained close ties with the label. According to Sovan Lal Saha, son of Chandi Charan Saha, KL Saigal continued returning to Calcutta to record at Hindusthan Records even after establishing his film career in Bombay.By the 1970s, another transformation was underway. The company launched INRECO, a manufacturing venture producing vinyl records.

However, political unrest in West Bengal and industrial disruptions created financial difficulties.”I was up to my ears in loan and I had to flee from Calcutta,” Sovan Lal Saha recalled in later years, describing the pressures faced by the business during that period.

The emergence of cassette technology further disrupted traditional record companies. Piracy compounded the industry’s challenges, forcing many established firms to rethink their business models.Ironically, another technological revolution helped revive the company.

The rise of mobile phones created demand for ringtones, providing a new source of revenue. Sovan Lal Saha said the income allowed the company to recover financially and rebuild operations.In the digital era, Hindusthan Records again adapted. It digitised its catalogue, launched a YouTube presence and repackaged archival material for contemporary audiences.

Historical recordings were combined with educational content exploring Bengali theatre, classical music traditions and devotional culture.The company’s latest expansion moved beyond music altogether. In January 2026, Hindusthan Records entered publishing, launching books on Bengali theatre history, Kali worship traditions and the stories behind Tagore’s recordings.

Music lovers visiting the Kolkata Book Fair were able to purchase decades-old recordings preserved on modern digital storage devices, a striking contrast to the shellac discs that first carried the company’s music nearly a century ago.

For Hindusthan Records, survival has depended on a repeated willingness to adapt. From gramophones and shellac records to vinyl, cassettes, mobile phones, YouTube and publishing, the company has repeatedly reinvented itself while preserving a significant part of India’s musical heritage.

The film stars Ranbir Kapoor as Prince Rama, an incarnation of the deity Vishnu, alongside Yash as Ravana, the demon king of Lanka. The narrative follows Rama’s exile, the abduction of his wife, and the ensuing conflict with Ravana, a central storyline in the epic dating back thousands of years.

Speaking at CinemaCon in Las Vegas, the filmmakers said they are seeking to make the story accessible to international audiences. Yash said he had worked to portray Ravana with emotional depth, noting that relatability would be key to engaging viewers beyond India.The production, with a combined budget of up to $500 million for two films, ranks among the most expensive in Indian cinema.

Promotional material for “Ramayana” was showcased alongside major Hollywood releases at the industry event, reflecting its global ambitions.Producer Namit Malhotra said the film would blend large-scale fantasy elements with human drama, drawing inspiration from international productions such as The Lord of the Rings and Gladiator.

The first installment is scheduled for release on November 8 in India and the United States, timed with Diwali, with a sequel planned for 2027.

Malhotra said the project aims to merge storytelling traditions and cinematic techniques from both Eastern and Western industries, describing it as an effort to create a globally resonant experience.

The film, directed by Kaouther Ben Hania, recounts the death of five-year-old Hind Rajab during Israel’s war with Hamas. Manoj Nandwana of Jai Viratra Entertainment, the film’s Indian distributor, said a member of the Central Board of Film Certification told him the release would “hamper India’s relations with Israel,” though he added no formal written rejection had been issued.

Nandwana said that after screening the film for the board, it became clear it would not be cleared for theatrical release. He questioned the decision, noting the film had been screened internationally, including in Israel.

The film had earlier been shown at an international festival in Kolkata in November, according to the distributor.

India’s certification process requires approval from the Central Board of Film Certification for public exhibition, with decisions sometimes reflecting broader sensitivities tied to law and order or diplomatic considerations.

New Delhi has strengthened strategic ties with Israel in recent years across defence, agriculture, technology and cybersecurity, while continuing to support Palestinian statehood in line with its longstanding foreign policy.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Israel last month, his second trip since 2017, shortly before Israel and the United States launched airstrikes on Iran, underscoring the evolving geopolitical context.

Opposition lawmaker Shashi Tharoor criticised the move, calling it “disgraceful” and arguing that restricting films over potential diplomatic sensitivities undermines freedom of expression in a democracy.

“The Voice of Hind Rajab” was nominated for Best International Feature at this year’s Academy Awards but did not win. It received the Silver Lion grand jury prize at the Venice Film Festival, where it drew strong audience reactions at its premiere.