Mumbai: Minister Ashish Shelar's assertion that a land's original reservation cannot be altered to only suit a particular use appears to be at odds with BMC's actions. Proposals for changes in land use have been made for multiple sites in the city and a 1,005 sq m plot housing the now defunct century-old Alexandra Theatre in Byculla and a 3,439 sq m plot in Versova meant for a fire station and a civic post are set to be the latest casualties.

BMC will move a proposal on Wednesday before its improvements committee seeking to remove the Byculla plot's cinema/entertainment reservation and rezone it for residential use.

Opposing the plan, the Kamathipura development committee on Tuesday urged BMC to retain the existing reservation and protect one of the few remaining recreational amenities in the locality.

In a letter to BMC chief Ashwini Bhide, the committee said the state govt, through MAHADA, is undertaking a group redevelopment project spread across around 34 acres in Kamathipura. It said the redevelopment will substantially alter the neighbourhood and have a significant impact on available recreational and public amenities. It said it is, therefore, important to preserve land reserved for such amenities. The committee urged the civic administration not to alter the reservation "under any circumstances".

According to BMC's proposal, the theatre has been closed since 2007 and owing to the current condition of the premises and changing trends in the entertainment sector, running it is no longer economically viable. Besides, it said, the building is in a very dilapidated condition. The proposal said an application seeking cancellation of the cinema reservation and inclusion of the plot for residential use was submitted by Sameer Qazi of the state WAQF board to deputy CM Eknath Shinde on Feb 25. The state urban development department subsequently sought BMC's opinion on the proposed change

The plot's occupant, Rafiq Patel, also submitted an application to the civic development planning department. Following scrutiny and verification by the civic departments concerned, a proposal to delete the cinema reservation is now being placed before the improvements committee. Approval of the civic House of corporators will also be required for the change.

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Mumbai: The fortunes of Alexandra Cinema, a famous single screen theatre in Nagpada, rose and ebbed like ocean tides in the last 105 years since it was founded by Ardeshir Irani and Abdulally Esoofally in 1921. Once a favourite haunt of movie-goers for its Sunday Hollywood classics, it gradually fell into disrepute for showing X-rated fare. In 2007 the last film was screened, and around 2011, Alexandra transformed into an Islamic study and prayer centre. Now it is set to be demolished to make way for a residential complex.

Audiences recall the magic of watching movies in such standalone theatres in the 1960s-70s where a samosa and ticket cost Rs 2-5 each. Spectators would freely whistle and applaud when Amitabh Bachchan beat Mohan Sherry in Trishul, laugh heartily at Mahmood’s antics in Ginny Aur Johnny, and throw coins at Jayshree T’s mujra ‘Humne maana hum pe saajan’ (Dada).

Glitzy multiplexes are a different prospect, say critics, adding tickets and food are prohibitively expensive and collective outpouring of emotion is seldom witnessed.

The Cinema Owners and Exhibitors Association of India (COEAI) provided TOI an updated list of June 2026 which shows that only 45-50 single screen cinema halls remain functional in MMR. The rest, around 125, have closed down. A requiem is being written every other week.

Owners of single screen theatres say that faulty government policies including high taxes, electricity bills, tiresome licence procedures and lack of incentives have left them suffocated. In fact, tax holidays are granted to multiplexes owned by rich corporates. The prospect of redevelopment is enticing -- only if the mandate to include a movie hall in the new premises is removed, they say.

Senior film critic Rajiv Vijayakar says, “I have watched movies in single screen theatres across India because my father had a transferable job. The atmosphere, the enthusiasm of the audience cannot be compared to a multiplex. Rarely do you see people clapping now -- maybe in some cases like Dhurandhar.”

He recalls, “Decades ago I had gone for a short three-day holiday to Mussourie, and every afternoon, I would visit a particular 50-seater theatre to watch films. I remember seeing CID 909, Shehnai and Yaadein. In Delhi I watched The Bridge On The River Kwai and Lawrence Of Arabia in Sheela Cinema, which had installed the first 70 mm screen in India. In Chennai I recall going to a nice theatre located in the basement of a building.”

Vijayakar moved to Bandra in the 1970s where Bandra Talkies and New Talkies became his standard haunt followed by Gaiety-Galaxy. “Of course it was a lovely era but let me not omit the occasional rat sightings in single screen halls,” he laughs. He recommends that the govt grant a tax holiday to single screens to revive them.

The challenge of OTT and web series is not the sole hurdle. Nitin Datar, past president of COEAI, spells out a series of factors that have brought the curtains down on single screen theatres.

“The first cause would be the [unfavourable] policies of the govt of Maharashtra, like very high property tax, electricity rates and [cumbersome] licence renewal. Then, multiplexes which were the new entrants were given a tax holiday for a period of five years, and in that duration, they earned around Rs 15-20 crores. But when our single screens asked govt for a similar incentive to compete with multiplexes, we were denied it and left high and dry,” he says.

“Thereafter the Maharashtra govt gave a tax free scheme like multiplexes to theatres in the state -- except in corporation areas like Mumbai and Pune. But after GST was introduced, govt discontinued this policy. Meanwhile exhibitors had spent a huge amount on renovation -- and they came into losses. Then the govt almost put compulsion on single screen theatres to go for digital projection and computerized ticketing. So first we used to sell paper tickets, now it was computerized. And the benefit of this was taken by agencies who monopolized the process,” Datar says.

If that were not enough, big distributors and producers were acting like a “monopoly” cartel. “Due to pressure by multiplexes, they did not supply films to all the single screen theatres,” he says.

COEAI and other associations requested the govt for subsidy and loans so single screens could survive and compete, to no avail.

Datar is presently renovating his own Uday Cinema in Ghatkopar into a commercial complex, including two screens in the mandatory cinema hall.

A high profile revival in recent years was that of Eros Cinema, Churchgate, in Jan 2024. A spokesman for Metro Realty which owns the theatre said, “The redevelopment of Eros was a capital intensive and challenging project, envisioning adaptive reuse of spaces in an iconic heritage building. It now houses an IMAX cinema, flagship store and ten dining options.” Similar financial backing is often not available to single screens in non-prime locations.

Kapil Bhopatkar’s family has owned Bharatmata Cinema in Lalbaug since 1941. The hall underwent a full makeover in March. Bhopatkar says, “The challenges for a single screen are multiple. Firstly we have no control over the content that we screen. I don’t make the films that I exhibit at Bharatmata. After all only if the film does well, the theatre does well. Moreover, we pay unusually high electricity bills because we are charged at a commercial rate. We pay huge sums in property taxes and of course there are vast upgradation costs. We need some kind of govt support and ease of licencing regulations. Those owners who want to exit the business and apply for change of user should be allowed to go.”

Bharatmata has been revamped in a tie-up with 1 Cinema, Rajat Haksar and Sunil Patil. “Ours is a heritage structure so we retained the exterior but changed the interiors -- chairs, AC, a bigger screen, better sound and 2K projections.”

Even as newer direct to home technology and OTT overtakes the cinematic experience, several generations of film lovers long for that one Drive-In or Navrang that did not force them to break the piggy bank.

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Mumbai: As a proposal to change the reservation of the plot housing the shut Alexandra Cinema in Byculla to a residential plot is pending before the BMC improvement committee, questions have been raised over whether the reservation for other cinema/theatre plots will similarly be changed merely because the theatres have remained closed.

While demanding that the proposal regarding Alexandra Cinema be kept in abeyance or rejected, Congress improvement committee member Meher Haidar has demanded that the status of all cinema theatre reservations/designations under DP-2034 be made public. She has also sought a comprehensive white paper on the cancellation/amendment of reservations for RGs, PGs, open spaces and other public amenities. “This is a serious attack on public interest in the city’s planning,” Haidar said.

She pointed out that DP-2034 contains 119 cinema theatre reservations/designations, covering a total area of 3,09,284 sq m. “If the designation of one closed cinema theatre is cancelled today, will this not create a precedent for owners of other shut cinema theatres to seek cancellation of reservations for their plots?” she asked.

Shiv Sena (UBT) member Visakha Raut, who opposed the proposal, said multiplexes are beyond the reach of the common man. “Besides, you need to preserve cinemas in certain areas, including in the vicinity of Alexandra Cinema, for people from the lower- and middle-income groups,” she said. Shiv Sena (UBT) member Sachin Padwal said, “This will create a precedent, and what entertainment options will people in that particular area have?”

As per provisions of DCPR-2034, at the time of redevelopment of such plots, a cinema/theatre facility has to be provided over 30% of the plot area or with a minimum seating capacity of 300 seats, whichever is less. “If a cinema theatre is closed, it can be modernized and restarted. Then why is the reservation itself being cancelled?” Haidar asked.