| | 1 | '''1940: Key Events''' |
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| | 3 | * The All-India Muslim League adopts the ‘Pakistan resolution’ at Lahore. |
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| | 5 | * The harmonium is banned from All-India Radio: its tempered scale, adapted from the organ, is considered antithetical to the shruti or the microtones that give Indian music its continuous scale. |
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| | 7 | * Only decades later would this commonly used musical instrument be allowed on radio again. |
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| | 10 | * Film Advisory Board is set up by the government and is granted monopoly over raw stock. |
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| | 12 | * Intensification of censorship of films likely to support the independence movement with images or words. |
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| | 14 | * P. K. Atre, Master Vinayak and others start Navyug Chitrapat with public finance. |
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| | 16 | * Mehboob makes Aurat, the original version of Mother India. |
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| | 18 | * Himansu Rai dies, and Devika Rani takes over Bombay Talkies. |