Asira Tarannum (MID-DAY; November 17, 2014)

Priyanka Chopra, who was apparently keen on buying the Dariya Mahal bungalow at Versova, will now have to wait even longer for her dream bungalow.

Sources now state that the deal did not work out. The star had eyed the beachfront property which is described as the last of those quaint Seven Bungalows – from which the area got its name.

A source from the industry reveals, “There were some internal issues and the parties didn’t settle for the same price even after many meetings.” The property has been rented out for film shootings for decades. The bungalow was built in the 1930s by British architect Claude Batley for a textile merchant Maneklala Chunilal Chinai.

It is learnt that the place is now owned by his successors who are keeping the matter low-key as they intend to keep the property within the family. The bungalow has 15 bedrooms and the estimated worth of the property is rumoured to be about Rs 100 crore.

The source adds, “Priyanka had met Maneklal’s grandson Harish Chinai.”

The actress has been looking for a bungalow as a home because it offers more privacy. It is also learnt that she has been considering Mayur Mahal in Juhu, also rented for shootings, as an option.

In the past Akshay Kumar and Saif Ali Khan also toyed with the idea of buying that property, but the deal did not materialise.

The actress and the owners of Dariya Mahal remained unavailable for comment.

Upala KBR (DNA; August 6, 2014)

B-Town is abuzz with the rumour that Priyanka Chopra has bought the Dariya Mahal bungalow in Versova. The actress has been on the lookout for a beachfront property for the last three years. This particular 15-bedroom bungalow is the last of the original Seven Bungalows from which the locality derived its name and was designed by British architect Claude Batley for wealthy textile merchant Maneklala Chunilal Chinai.

The bungalow is rented out for shooting and almost every A-list actor has shot there. PC is probably the only Bollywood star yet to have shot at the location, which is popular with Bollywood producers, and which was built in the 1930s.

A source says that she expressed a keen interest through common friends in meeting Maneklal’s grandson Harish Chinai so that see could see the bungalow. “She has fallen in love with it’s antiquity and it appears to be on her wishlist. However, the owners are low-key and want the property to remain in the family, so she might have to let go of this dream pad. But negotiations are on.”

The actress lives in a building in Lokhandwala but is looking for a bungalow because it offers more privacy. The estimated cost of the property is over Rs 100 crore. It is also learnt that she has been considering Mayur Mahal in Juhu, also rented for shootings, as an option. In the past actors like Akshay Kumar and Saif Ali Khan have flirted with the idea of buying that property but the deal fell through both times.

To know more about Dariya Mahal, click here