Spaces of image, spectacle, and
sound have long shaped how Bombay understood itself. In modest studios tucked
into Kalbadevi lanes and Girgaon bylanes, on sprawling lots in Malad and
Andheri where celluloid empires rose and crumbled, and behind counters stacked
with vinyl and cassettes in Kala Ghoda and Dadar, the city's cultural
imagination was forged, frame by frame, reel by reel, record by record.
For the seventh
episode of our Icons series, we turn to three kinds of
establishments that transformed how the city saw, told its stories, and
listened. From the enduring legacy of neighbourhood photo studios like Indian
Art Studio and Hamilton Studios to the sprawling film sets of Bombay Talkies,
Ranjit Movietone, and RK Studios, these spaces shaped not only popular culture
but also the aspirations and identities of the city itself. Behind their fading
facades lie stories of freedom fighters, film stars, family rituals, and the
rise of India’s entertainment capital. Alongside these visual worlds existed
another cherished urban institution, the music store. From iconic destinations
like Rhythm House to long-standing neighbourhood establishments such as
Maharashtra Gramophone, Mumbai’s record shops were once spaces of discovery,
conversation, and collective listening.
Join us as we trace the stories behind the studios and stores that framed
Bombay’s cultural identity and imagination.
is a Mumbai-based bilingual author who writes in English and Gujarati languages. His Gujarati book on Mumbai city, titled 24 x 7 = Mumbai has been critically acclaimed. Its Foreword is written by the well-known filmmaker Shyam Benegal. Gangar is a former curator of film programs of the Kala Ghoda Artfest and the Kochi Muziris Biennale. He was the founder consultant curator of the National Museum of Indian Cinema. The film theory Cinema Prayoga imagined and developed by him is being recognized across the world. For his work in India’s film society movement he was awarded in Berlin by the International Federation of Cine Clubs. He is also a recipient of the FFSI Vijaya Mulay Lifetime Achievement Award. Gangar has contributed his essays in the books BOMBAY: Mosaic of Modern Culture edited by Sujata Patel and Alice Thorner, and BOMBAY and MUMBAI: The City in Transition, edited by Sujata Patel and Jim Masselos – both published by the OUP.
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work begins with a passage of deciphering, knowing and feeling for the subject. As an observer, he hascontinually studied the city space, recording a living society and the politics of the everyday. He works with an intuitiveapproach and a sensibility for detail, drawing upon the setting, fact, observation, cinema and sound. Yet the workings ofchance and instinct are integral to his practice. The substance of his work shapes as much from the frames he captures, asfrom those he doesn’t. The city of Mumbai has been the focus of his work for the past 20 years. Everything he has learned and understood as aphotographer, he owes to the streets of Mumbai; they never cease to amaze him. It is the only city he has known.His work spans street photography, portraiture, editorial and documentary photography. After studying Applied Art at theL.S.Raheja School of Art, Mumbai, Guptay initially worked with Time-Out Mumbai and later went on to be Photo Editorwith People Magazine. As an independent photographer he has worked on diverse and interesting assignments withvarious publications and corporates such as GQ, The New York Times, ID Magazine, OPEN, The Outlook, Tehelka, CRY,BBC Radio One, ICICI Bank and Tata Consultancy Services.
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is a Mumbai-based journalist with two decades of experience covering art, design, and culture. Her work explores different facets of visual culture and the people shaping it: their stories, influences, rituals, and spaces. Her writing has been published across more than 15 publications globally, including It's Nice That, Makeshift, Architectural Digest India, Kyoorius, Campaign India, The Indian Express, Motherland, and Open Magazine, among others. Alongside her editorial work, she has collaborated with brands and organisations on content strategy and storytelling projects. She is the founder and editor of The Floating Magazine, an independent visual arts publication devoted to long-form conversations with artists and curators from around the world, now an archive of over 100 conversations.
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is an industrial entrepreneur whose career has been closely linked with the development of India’s plastics and automotive components sectors. Trained in engineering at Boston University, USA, he gained early experience with manufacturing companies in the United States before joining Bright Brothers Limited in 1971. His entrepreneurial vision led to the establishment of Eterna Plastics & Trading Company in Dubai in 1978, which grew into a leading manufacturer of plastic housewares and packaging products in the UAE. He later promoted Brite Automotive & Plastics Ltd., strengthening the company’s presence in the automotive plastics industry. Beyond business, he has played an active role in industry institutions. He has served on the Executive Committee of the Automotive Component Manufacturers Association (ACMA), chaired its Raw Material Committee, and was President of the Organisation of Plastic Processors of India (OPPI). Currently Chairman and Managing Director of Bright Brothers Limited, he lives and works in Mumbai.
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