Discover the inspiring journey behind Made In India: A Titan Story Xerxes Desai. Explore how JRD Tata’s vision and Titan’s rise changed Indian watchmaking forever.
Made In India: A Titan Story revisits the extraordinary journey of Titan and the people who turned an ambitious dream into one of India’s most iconic brands. Led by JRD Tata’s vision and brought to life through Xerxes Desai’s relentless pursuit of excellence, the series shows how Indian manufacturing challenged global standards. Featuring strong performances by Jim Sarbh and Naseeruddin Shah, this six-episode story celebrates innovation, teamwork, and the rise of a brand that generations proudly wore.
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Made In India: A Titan Story Xerxes Desai – The Visionary Who Changed How India Measured Time | Pulse by Anubhav
There are some brands people buy and forget. Then there are brands that quietly become part of life. Titan belongs to the second category.
With Made In India: A Titan Story now streaming, many viewers are going back to a story that is much bigger than watches. It is a story about belief, ambition, Indian manufacturing, and one man who refused to accept that world-class products could only come from abroad.
At the centre of this journey stands Xerxes Desai — the man who transformed an idea into one of India’s most iconic consumer brands.
The six-episode series brings this journey alive through Jim Sarbh as Xerxes Desai and Naseeruddin Shah as JRD Tata, reminding viewers that sometimes revolutions do not arrive with noise. Sometimes they arrive on a wrist.
Made in India – A Titan Story
About Made in India – A Titan Story
Official Trailer
Episodes (6)
The Watch Project
Demonstration
Flying Saucer
The Real Value
Universal Language
Twenty Two
Who Was Xerxes Desai? The Man Behind Titan’s Extraordinary Rise
Before Titan became a household name, India’s watch market looked very different.
Most watches available were functional but lacked identity. Imported watches were expensive, premium choices were limited, and owning a stylish watch often felt out of reach for middle-class families.
That was the gap Xerxes Desai noticed.
Born with a sharp eye for design and business, Desai built experience across multiple Tata companies before taking on what looked like an impossible challenge — creating an Indian watch brand that could compete globally.
But his thinking was different.
For him, a watch was never just about showing time.
It represented milestones. Exams. Promotions. Weddings. First salaries. Memories.
That philosophy eventually became the soul of Titan.
The Partnership That Started Everything
Titan officially began in 1984 as a joint venture between Tata Group and Tamil Nadu Industrial Development Corporation (TIDCO).
JRD Tata believed India could build products equal to global standards.
Xerxes Desai believed Indians deserved products they could feel proud of.
Together, they created something that changed the consumer landscape forever.
How Titan Started From Hosur and Became a Global Name
The early days were anything but glamorous.
Titan’s manufacturing base was developed in Hosur, Tamil Nadu, where teams were trained from scratch. Local graduates, engineers, and first-time workers became craftsmen capable of building precision watches.
Then came one of the boldest decisions of that era.
Titan embraced quartz technology.
At a time when mechanical watches dominated, Titan introduced slimmer designs, cleaner aesthetics, and modern manufacturing.
The first watch arrived in 1987.
Soon after, Titan opened its first showroom in Bengaluru.
Within just a few years, the company crossed the million-watch sales milestone.
That moment changed everything.
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Why Titan Became More Than Just a Watch Company
Titan understood something most brands still struggle to understand.
People do not buy products.
They buy meaning.
That thinking led Titan to expand beyond one identity and build experiences for different generations.
Some of the biggest turning points included:
Fastrack Changed Youth Culture
Launched in 2003, Fastrack became bold, playful and independent.
It gave younger consumers something different from traditional watches.
Raga Redefined Watches for Women
Titan introduced Raga as a design-first collection that blended elegance and everyday wear.
It helped create a dedicated category instead of treating women as a side audience.
Edge Pushed Engineering Limits
Titan later introduced Edge, becoming globally recognised for ultra-thin watchmaking and proving Indian engineering could compete internationally.
Made In India: A Titan Story Review – Why Jim Sarbh Feels Perfect as Xerxes Desai
One reason the series stands out is commitment to detail.
Jim Sarbh reportedly avoided using a wig and instead shaved part of his head regularly to match Xerxes Desai’s appearance.
That commitment shows.
His performance captures both sides of Desai — the dreamer and the relentless builder.
Meanwhile, Naseeruddin Shah brings calm authority to JRD Tata’s role and shows how leadership sometimes means trusting people before the world believes in them.
The series avoids turning business history into lectures.
Instead, it focuses on ambition, setbacks, decisions and teamwork.
That makes the story feel human.
The Real Legacy of Xerxes Desai
Xerxes Desai passed away in 2016, but his thinking still lives through Titan.
Today, Titan sells across multiple countries and continues expanding into design, innovation and premium watchmaking.
But perhaps his biggest achievement was not building a watch company.
It was proving an Indian brand could dream globally without losing its identity.
That is what Made In India: A Titan Story Xerxes Desai leaves behind.
Not just nostalgia.
But a reminder that world-class ideas can begin anywhere.
Even in a factory town.
Even in a country people underestimate.
And sometimes, on something as simple as a watch.
— Pulse by Anubhav
FAQs About Xerxes Desai
Made In India: A Titan Story – FAQs
Everything you should know about Titan’s inspiring journey