Mumbai: Gulshan Kumar, who once started his career as a juice shop owner and then became a ‘cassette king’, was born 5 May 1956. The founder of the T-Series, Gulshan, is a person who is still in the collective memory of people.
Gulshan caught public eye when he played an important role in building a cassette empire in the country. However, another reason he is remembered is for his painful death later on.
On his birth anniversary, let us tell you how Gulshan, popularly known as Cassette King, climbed the stairs of success and how he was brutally murdered.
Gulshan Kumar Dua (full name) was the son of Chandrabhan Kumar Dua, a fruit juice vendor who worked on the streets of the Daryaganj neighbourhood in the heart of Delhi.
Since childhood, Gulshan was fond of music and so he used to record original songs in his own voice and sell them for a low price in Delhi before migrating to Mumbai.
Gulshan was murdered 12 August 1997. It is believed that he was moving very fast towards success and that apparently made a lot of enemies. There came a time when a huge ransom was demanded from him, but he refused.
Reports believe that sharp shooters were called in to kill him. Outside Mumbai’s Jeeteshwar Mahadev Mandir, miscreants opened fire on Gulshan.
After the murder, his entire family was shattered and all the responsibility fell on son Bhushan. Bhushan took over the father’s hard-earned business and today T-Series is one of the largest music companies in the country.
Gulshan also showed his generosity. He donated a part of his wealth to social service. He established a still-room at ‘Vaishno Devi’ which still provides food for pilgrims.
Son Bhushan married actress Divya Khosla at the Vaishno Devi temple itself. Gulshan also has two daughters Tulsi Kumar — who is a playback singer — and Khushali Kumar.
