Indian cinema and songs are inseparable — a love affair that’s lasted for generations. Long before today’s glossy music videos and chartbusters, filmmakers were already turning melodies into magic.

Take Mughal-e-Azam, for instance, the legendary track Jab Pyar Kiya To Darna Kya was filmed at a time when movies were made for just a few lakhs, yet this one song alone cost millions! That’s how deep India’s obsession with cinematic music runs; grand, passionate, and unforgettable.

Even today, films made under banners like Karan Johar’s Dharma Productions or Yash Chopra’s YRF treat every song like a festival; shot in breathtaking international locations, produced with extravagant budgets, and turned into timeless hits.

But do you know which film holds the record for having the most songs ever made? If you’re thinking of Hum Aapke Hain Koun, DDLJ, Taal, Mohabbatein or Rockstar, think again. The record belongs to a film released way back in 1932, and it had an astonishing 72 songs!

The film, titled Indar Sabha, was directed by JF Madan and starred Jahanara Kajjanbai and Master Nisar in the lead roles.

Jahanara, daughter of the celebrated courtesan Suggan Begum, gained immense fame for her role in this musical epic.

According to the Guinness Book of World Records, Indar Sabha holds the record for the highest number of songs in a feature film, though some reports list 69 or 71 songs instead of 72.

Released just a year after India’s first talkie Alam Ara, the film ran for a lengthy 211 minutes, largely due to its musical sequences. Based on a play by Agha Hasan Amanat, Indar Sabha followed the traditional style of early stage performances, where even character introductions were sung rather than spoken.

According to The Cambridge Guide to Asian Theatre, the original play featured 31 ghazals, 9 thumris, 4 holi songs, 15 traditional melodies, two chauboles, and five chhandas. The Limca Book of Records also mentions that each character in the film had their own dedicated song.

Interestingly, the Urdu play Indar Sabha, first staged in 1853, is recognised as the first complete Urdu stage play and was even translated into German.

To put things in perspective, Sooraj Barjatya’s Hum Aapke Hain Koun had 14 songs, Subhash Ghai’s Taal featured 12, and Imtiaz Ali’s Rockstar also had 14.

Even after 93 years, Indar Sabha’s musical record remains unbroken.