Uncovering Urban Legacies: Icons of Mumbai – Photo Studios, Film Studios, and Music Stores

Uncovering Urban Legacies: Icons of Mumbai – Photo Studios, Film Studios, and Music Stores 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.