For decades, Mukesh Mills has been an integral part of the city’s imagination. Bollywood turned its abandoned sheds into everything from 1960s Bombay to suitably sinister backdrops for horror films. Fashion designers found its wooden beams and Mangalore tiles delivered the sort of atmosphere that elevated a fashion show. And somewhere along the way, the Colaba mill also acquired a second identity: one where it was populated by ghosts. Now, the owners are trying to give the 10-acre property another life.

About three acres of its overgrown waterfront land have been cleared and flattened, creating a large open space between Sassoon Docks and the naval establishment at INS Shikra. The work took about a week and, for now, “It’s a blank space,” says 47-year-old Ashish Agarwal, who has overseen the mill’s affairs since 2016-17. “You could put up a little hangar and hold an indoor event or have an open-air event.”

The open-ended approach shows the unusual position in which Mukesh Mills finds itself. Its future is still tied to a long-running dispute over redevelopment, while its present is increasingly being defined by the creative industries that discovered it after its industrial life ended.

The mill was once a working textile operation with its own dock. In 1975, Agarwal’s grandfather bought it, and the family operated it until January 1982, when Mumbai’s textile strike brought work at the mill to a halt. A fire followed, and operations never resumed.

Its ruins later became part of Bollywood lore. “Bollywood came calling,” says Agarwal. “They loved this kind of moody vibe.” Amitabh Bachchan’s Jumma Chumma De De from Hum is among the location’s most recognisable appearances. More recently, productions including Matka King have recreated other eras of Mumbai there.

The supernatural mythology grew alongside the film shoots. Stories about strange voices, possessions and unexplained incidents became lore. Agarwal is sceptical of the mythology. Even the best-known documented celebrity account is less dramatic: Bipasha Basu has recalled repeatedly forgetting her lines. A caretaker subsequently suggested that she tie her hair, and a religious ritual was performed. “It’s more like a whole body of lore that has been created around the place,” Agarwal says. “Out of maybe 500 movies shot here, most of these stories probably boil down to four or five movies with supernatural themes.”

The new three-acre clearing is part of an attempt to make the property useful beyond film production. Over the past year, Mukesh Mills has hosted a food, art and culture festival, product launches, fashion events and private celebrations. Five of its 10 structures are currently usable; the others are not. The chimney, beams, pillars and industrial details are being retained where possible.

The family estimates that aside from films, series, advertisements and shoots, the use of the space for events rose from about 10 in 2025 to around 25 this year. “Bombay is discovering it,” Agarwal says. “One event brings new people to the property, who then imagine what else they could do there. The way to think about Mukesh Mill is that it has been evolving for 150 years. It started as a mill, so it was filled with mill workers. Then it became filled with film crews. We are adding the events layer. We hope it becomes a place that creatives see as a blank canvas.”