Mumbai: In a big-ticket deal, film producer and director Dinesh Vijan of ‘Stree’ fame has booked three apartments in an under-construction skyscraper at Pali Hill, Bandra, for Rs 103 crore.

The Nargis Dutt Road building is coming up as part of a society redevelopment project undertaken by Mumbai-based developer Rustomjee. Parishram Society (now renamed Rustomjee Parishram) is one of several old buildings in Pali Hill being redeveloped into ultra-luxury apartment blocks.

According to IndexTap.com, the transaction was registered on July 25 and a stamp duty of Rs 6.2 crore was paid by the buyer. The three apartments are spread over a built-up area of 9,000 sq ft (7,791 sq ft carpet). When completed, the tower will stand 20 storeyes high.

The deal is the latest among several property transactions involving people from the film industry. In June, actor Kartik Aryaan purchased a 1,916 sq ft apartment in Juhu for Rs 17.5 crore. Last year, actor Ranveer Singh bought a sea-facing Bandra Bandstand qua druplex for Rs 119 crore.

The city's lucrative real estate market has always been a safe haven for Bollywood bigwigs to invest their millions and buy marquee properties. TOI had earlier reported that Salman Khan’s family planned to build a hotel on a prime, sea-facing plot at Carter Road, Bandra.

Actor Hrithik Roshan and his father Rakesh are big investors in the city's property market, picking up luxury apartments in prime locations. In 2020, the actor bought three floors in a residential tower on Juhu-Versova Link Road for close to Rs 100 crore. The Roshans have also invested in commercial properties, mainly in the western suburbs.

Early this year, the legal heirs of film legend Raj Kapoor monetised his one-acre bungalow property in Chembur for Rs 100 crore. It was bought by Godrej Properties, which had also purchased the Kapoor-owned R K Studios nearby.

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Mumbai: Bollywood film producer and director Dinesh Vijan has purchased a luxury duplex apartment spread over about 7,800 sq ft in a super-premium residential tower in Mumbai’s plush Pali Hill area of the Bandra suburb for nearly Rs. 103 crore.

The transaction values the house, spread across the 15th and 16 floors of the under-construction Rustomjee Parishram project, at more than Rs. 1.32 lakh per sq ft, making it one of the most expensive deals for a residential property in India.

Vijan, who left his banking job in 2004 to pursue films, is the founder of Maddock Films and has produced movies including Being Cyrus, Stree, Cocktail and Hindi Medium.

The buyer has paid more than Rs, 6.17 crore as stamp duty for the registration of the deal on Tuesday, show documents accessed through Indextap.com. Vijan bought the property directly from developer Rustomjee Group’s listed entity, Keystone Realtors. Even on the basis of the house’s built-up area of 9,077 sq ft, the deal value ranks high at Rs. 1.13 lakh per sq ft.

The project, which involves redevelopment of a housing society, is spread over nearly half an acre. The 22-storey development comprises 17 habitable floors and Vijan’s new house will be on the higher floors with a partial view of the sea. ET’s emails to Vijan and the Rustomjee Group seeking comment remained unanswered at the time of going to press Sunday.

Apart from personalities from the Hindi film industry, the micro market of Bandra and Juhu counts many industrial and corporate world biggies as its prominent residents. Mumbai, the country’s largest and most expensive real estate market, has been setting new benchmarks with property transactions. Several record setting transactions involving industrialists, CXOs, actors and sports personalities have been taking place in the country's commercial capital for the last few quarters.

Swati Deshpande (THE TIMES OF INDIA; September 16, 2020)

Mumbai: Actor Kangana Ranaut has sought Rs 2 crore in damages for the loss suffered due to the ‘illegal’ demolition by the BMC on her Pali Hill bungalow last week, reports Swati Deshpande.

In her amended petition served on the BMC before midnight on Monday, Ranaut claimed the demolition was “premeditated...with malice” and for “extraneous political reasons”. The BMC razed “40%” of the bungalow “including valuable chandeliers, sofa and rare artworks’’, the actor said, adding that as she used the space for work, her fundamental right to work is violated, as is her constitutional right to property.
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Mumbai: Challenging BMC’s 24-hour demolition notice as “hasty and high-handed…illegal and an abuse of power”, actor Kangana Ranaut questioned the absence of the civic body’s ‘detection report’ dated September 5 in her amended petition. She contended that the same day, she had “stirred a controversy” by making a statement “critical of Mumbai Police”. Ranaut said her statements had “caused angst to a political party, which is part of the state government”. “The same party is the ruling party in the municipal corporation”, said the petition.

On September 9, the Shiv Sena-ruled BMC had started demolition of alleged unauthorised constructions at Ranaut’s Bandra bungalow a few hours before her scheduled arrival to Mumbai. On Monday, she returned to her hometown in Himachal Pradesh.

On September 10, Ranaut’s advocate Rizwan Siddiquee had informed the HC that he would, by Monday, amend the 29-page petition filed hastily against the demolition notice.

In the 92-page amended petition, Ranaut has not sought restoration by the BMC, but an interim order to permit her to “make the bungalow capable of use”. The actor’s plea is also to quash the “perverse’’ and “false and vague’’ demolition notice of September 7 and demolition order of September 9 and restrain the municipal body from following through.

She said that the intention to “illegally” invoke section 354A, which empowers the BMC to stop ongoing work and provides for a 24-hour notice, was “to deprive her of a fair opportunity to respond to the notice” or pursue legal rights for regularisation, if required. The BMC said “unlawful work was ongoing”. She denied it.

Under Section 351 of the BMC Act, action can be taken against “completed work”, Ranaut’s petition said.

She added that though BMC alleged 14 illegal works, it shows only one person carrying out “waterproofing work”. Citing “stark contradiction’’ between the inspection report and handwritten notes, she said the report said “unauthorised construction…amalgamation work in progress”, while the notes “merely record internal renovation, finishing work is found in progress”. 

If the actor can prove in court that the structure was legal and authorised by civic body, she will be entitled to damages
Vinod Kumar Menon (MID-DAY; September 10, 2020)

The BMC may have to redo the demolished parts of actress Kangana Ranaut's Pali Hill office if she establishes that the construction was authorised, say legal experts. Experts added that the high court's stay on demolition of buildings until September 30 is not applicable to Kangana's office.

Senior criminal lawyer Dinesh Tiwari said, "If the demolition is found illegal, the BMC will have to reconstruct the structure and pay damages. The BMC's act is of political vendetta, the possibility of heads rolling under public pressure cannot be ruled."

Senior property lawyer Vinod Sampat echoed similar concerns. "BMC should adopt a uniform policy. There are times when notices are issued and for years together, they sleep on them. One fails to understand the hurry shown in this case. This act appears to have been done due to political pressure," Sampat said.

On The HC Stay
Sampat also clarified, "The argument that the demolition could not have been carried out due to a Bombay High Court order staying demolition till September 30, does not hold because the order is applicable only to those cases which have a stay issued earlier. Ranaut's property is neither C1 nor dilapidated. She did not get an order from court before BMC issued the notice. Hence, the ward office's action can be held as justified."

"The BMC has power to take action against unauthorised constructions after a notice is issued. They can enter a premises forcibly to take action as per the due process of law. Also, the presence of the owner is immaterial as, under the BMC Act, owners are occupiers of the premises and their representatives present are caretakers, to whom the notice is binding," he said.

Modifications Get Regularised
Advocate Godfrey Pimenta of the Watchdog Foundation said, "The BMC usually does its homework in such matters. However, not giving sufficient time to the party concerned to present his/her side is unheard of, unless there's some influence."

Also, alleged 'illegal' modifications are usually regularised at the Building Proposal Department by paying requisite charges. "If the architect does not make a submission in this regard, which is the case here, it is sufficient reason for BMC to take such uncalled abrupt action," Pimenta said.

He added that the haphazard act of the H West ward cannot be selective. He gave the instance of Behrampada, Bandra East where slums have grown vertically to fourth- and fifth-floor levels, where fires have also occurred but action is not taken as it impacts vote banks.

It has also been alleged that the demolition team damaged parts which were not illegal, furniture and fixtures for which the actor's lawyer is expected to file a criminal and civil case.

At Bombay HC
A writ petition was filed in high court before the division bench of Justices S J Kathawalla and R I Chagla by Ranaut's lawyer, Rizwan Siddiquee. The BMC was represented by senior lawyer A Y Sakhare. The court observed that the sketch in the notice is unclear and the unauthorised work cannot be seen.

The court observed that Section 354A of the BMC Act (invoked in the September 7 notice), sets out the 'power of Commissioner to stop erection of building or work commenced or carried on unlawfully.' The court observed that from the works set out in the notice, it is clear that the unauthorised works have not come up overnight.

"However, all of a sudden, the Corporation appears to have overnight woken up from its slumber, issued notice to the petitioner, that too when she is out of the State, directing her to respond within 24 hours, and not granting her any further time, despite written request, and proceeding to demolish the said premises upon completion of 24 hours," the court observed.

It further observed that the manner in which the BMC acted, prima facie smacks of malafide. It asked the BMC to respond by 3 pm on Thursday.

"We cannot help but mention here that if the MCGM would act with similar swiftness qua the numerous unauthorised constructions in this city, the city would be a completely different place to live in," the high court concluded.

Sena-run civic body's decision to demolish Kangana Ranaut's home office after her vitriolic attack seems so harebrained that even Sharad Pawar, MVA ally and master tactician, is irked
MID-DAY (September 10, 2020)

After the war of words between actor Kangana Ranaut and Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut, the action in the ugly drama following Sushant Singh Rajput's death moved on ground, with the BMC initiating demolition of the actor's office it deemed illegal. Ruling partner Sharad Pawar said the timing of the action will raise more questions than answers.

The civic body started demolishing the alleged illegal constructions done at actress Kangana Ranaut's Pali Hill office on Wednesday morning but was stopped in its tracks by the Bombay High Court by noon which issued a stay order.

Meanwhile, there were 52,154 complaints against illegal structures across the city between January 2016 and July 2019, as per BMC's reply to an RTI application. Till last year, the BMC acted on 12,157 complaints.

On Wednesday, a team from the H West ward broke the wall and gate of the office during the demolition. Ranaut had approached the court challenging the notice and sought a stay. The high court also questioned the BMC on why it entered the property when the owner was not present at home.

An inspection of the office was done on Monday and a stop-work notice was pasted outside it on Tuesday morning. The notice was served under Mumbai Municipal Corporation Act which gives citizens 24 hours to produce relevant permissions.

On Tuesday evening, Ranaut's lawyer, in his reply to the BMC, asked for more time for the actress to furnish relevant information. On Wednesday, the corporation stuck a fresh notice saying it was not satisfied with the response and that the demolition will be carried out at her own risk and cost.

NCP chief and MVA architect Sharad Pawar said on Wednesday, "The timing of the demolition would raise doubts in the current situation (the actor's row with the Shiv Sena). I do not know the nature of the structural illegality of the office space and illegal work isn't a new thing in the city."

Opposition leader Devendra Fadnavis said, "This is an act of revenge and cowardice. You cannot use government force to maim a person who speaks against you. This has never happened in the history of Maharashtra and the people here will never accept such an act."

94k Plaints In 43 Months
In its reply to an RTI application by activist Shakil Ahmed Shaikh, the BMC said they have received 94,851 complaints of illegal structures in the past three years.

In the span of 43 months from 2016 to 2019, 42,697 were duplicate complaints. Out of the 52,154 unique complaints, maximum complaints were received from L (Kurla) ward at 4,966. K west (Andheri W, Vileparle W) ward received 3,680 complaints and P North (Malad) ward had 3,690 complaints.

The corporation closed 7,230 complaints without notice and issued notices to 21,873 structures. Out of these, 5,461 structures were demolished and 12,157 complaints were closed till July 2019.

"Shiv Sena is taking action against Ranaut's office just to retaliate. There were so many disasters due to illegal constructions — Kamala Mills fire, Bhanu Farsan Mart, Hotel City Kinara, Sai-Siddhi buildings. But the BMC is not keen on taking action against these illegalities," said Shaikh. He added that the BMC spends at least Rs 20 crore on demolitions annually. And annually, an average of 15,000 structures are served notices, while demolition is carried out against 10 to 20 per cent of them.

14 Booked For Protests
While local police were deployed at the actress's office during the demolition to prevent law and order problems, a DCP rank officer was a part of the team that escorted the actress from the airport to her Khar residence.

"It is our duty to protect every citizen and we are committed to it. After her arrival, there were a lot of people protesting against her so we escorted her from another gate of the airport," a senior IPS officer told mid-day.

Police teams continue to be deployed at the actress's office and residence.

Khar police also registered a case against 14 people for unlawful assembly and violating the lockdown as they protested against BMC's demolition drive outside the office. According to the police, they were allegedly brought by a national TV news reporter to demonstrate in support of Ranaut. The protesters came with placards with the slogans #BharatForKangna #IndiaForKangna #WarriorsForSSR. "We are investigating the role of a journalist who brought them at the spot for his coverage. The TV channel was carrying the news with the same hashtags as seen on the protesters' placards," the officer added.

No Quarantine
Mayor Kishori Pednekar said that BMC's action is for the illegal structure and there is nothing wrong in it.

Also, P Velarasu, additional commissioner, said that the actress was exempted from quarantine as there is an online exemption application stating that she is on a short visit. Since she is staying for less than a week, she is exempted under the short term visitor category.

Vijay V Singh (THE TIMES OF INDIA; September 10, 2020)

Mumbai: The BMC had carried out nearly 80% of the proposed demolitions at actor Kangana Ranaut’s bungalow at Pali Hill on Wednesday before the stay order arrived from the Bombay high court. Using an excavator, the civic squad pulled down awnings and partitions on the ground floor and the two storeys above it. The operation lasted more than three hours.

Civic officials said the action was taken suo motu after its staff noticed unauthorised changes in the bungalow during a routine visit to the area on Saturday. The alacrity with which BMC acted, however, left many unconvinced about the reasons.

On Monday, BMC staff had inspected the premises, using the bungalow’s original plan for reference. A 24-hour notice was pasted on the bungalow’s gate on Tuesday, warning the actor that a failure to reply would result in further action. The notice said unauthorised portions included a toilet-kitchen-pantry construction on the ground floor, an unauthorised room built using a wooden partition on the first floor, and illegal inclusion of a second floor balcony into habitable area.

Kangana, through her lawyer, had replied to the notice, denying the BMC’s allegations. However, around 10 am on Wednesday, the BMC team arrived at the bungalow with police protection. They pasted a speaking order at the bungalow’s gate, rejecting Kangana’s submission to their notice and began demolition work.

Civic officials refused to comment when asked if their action was “politically motivated.” Their action had coincided with the stand-off between Kangana and the MVA coalition over her remarks questioning Mumbai Police’s handling of the Sushant Singh Rajput probe. The actor had said she feared Mumbai cops more than the ‘movie mafia’ and also likened the city with Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. Her comments enraged the Shiv Sena, in particular.

Following the demolition, BJP leaders have now come out in support of her and criticised the BMC action. BJP MLA Ameet Satam tweeted saying he was surprised at the speed with which the BMC acted and urged similar action against other unauthorised constructions. His party colleague Vivekanand Gupta said the demolition amounted to contempt of court, since the HC judges had stayed all demolitions until September-end due to the Covid situation.

Kangana has meanwhile also circumvented the BMC’s attempt to put her in 14-day home quarantine by stating that she would fly back to Chandigarh on September 15. The rules say that someone visiting the city for less than seven days need not be home-quarantined.

Gets 7 days to respond; designer’s spokesperson says no irregularity in office
Chaitanya Marpakwar (MUMBAI MIRROR; September 10, 2020)

Fashion designer Manish Malhotra, a neighbour of the actor, appears to have been caught in the Sena-Kangana Ranaut crossfire. The BMC issued a notice to him the same day it pasted a stop work notice on Ranaut’s adjoining property, alleging that he hadn’t got the requisite permission when turning his residence into a commercial space and that there were multiple illegal constructions.

According to the notice issued under Section 351 (unauthorised construction) of the Mumbai Municipal Corporation (MMC) Act, there are four violations at Malhotra’s office operating out of bungalow 6, 41 on Nargis Dutt Road at Pali Hill: unauthorised change of use from residential to commercial on the first floor, unauthorised erection of partitions/cabins on the first floor, unauthorised construction of two structures with brick masonry wall and a cement sheet roof on the second floor terrace, and unauthorised construction of a shed with steel angles and a cement sheet roof on the same terrace.

The designated civic officer of the H-West ward gave Malhotra seven days to provide a satisfactory response, as is the provision under Section 351, failing which it said the illegal portions could be razed and the designer prosecuted under Section 475A of the MMC Act. This section attracts a jail term of three months to three years in addition to a fine.

The provision under which Ranaut was issued the notice, Section 354(A) of the MMC Act, allows the BMC to take action within 24 hours since construction at her property was still ongoing.

A spokesperson for Malhotra claimed that there was no irregularity and that the office “has been in the same condition” for the past 15 years. “If there are any concerns raised by the BMC, we will cooperate with them and address those.”

Vinayak Vispute, assistant municipal commissioner of H-West ward, did not respond to calls and text messages.

Vijay V Singh (THE TIMES OF INDIA; September 9, 2020)

Mumbai: The Mumbai municipal corporation issued a 24-hour notice to actor Kangana Ranaut on Tuesday seeking a reply on alleged “illegal alteration and construction” within the premises of her recently renovated bungalow at Pali Hill in Bandra. The structure is a row house which has been converted into an office.

If Kangana fails to reply to the notice in 24 hours (Wednesday morning), the BMC will demolish the unauthorised portion of the bungalow, said assistant municipal commissioner (H-West ward) Vinayak Vispute. BMC has moved court asking for a hearing and to ensure ex parte orders are not issued in case Kangana approaches it to stop the demolition.

The BMC notice lists out unauthorised constructions of toilet, kitchen, pantry on the ground floor. It also mentions an unauthorised room built on the first floor using a wooden partition and illegal inclusion of a second floor balcony into habitable area. The bungalow was earlier used as a kindergarten; Kangana purchased it a few years ago. She had approached the residents’s association to inform them that after renovating the bungalow she would use it as an office-cum-home.

The actor appeared unfazed by the action. She tweeted, “Now @mybmc has filed a caveat against me, really desperate to break my house, I deeply love what I built with so much passion over so many years but know that even if you break it my spirit will only get stronger .... GO ON ...”

Kangana’s lawyer replied to the notice stating no work was being carried out on her premises as “falsely understood by you (BMC)… therefore the stop work notice’ is absolutely bad in law.”

Civic staff had carried out an inspection of the bungalow on Monday. The action, in fact, followed news of the Centre giving her Y-plus security after her tweets comparing Mumbai to Pakistan-occupied Kashmir riled the political dispensation in the state. Kangana’s comments were against Mumbai Police for its handling of the Sushant probe.

BMC’s notice to Kangana was dubbed as “politically motivated” by residents in the locality. Madhu Poplai, secretary, Pali Hill Residents' Association, said, “In the city, people always carry out some or the other alteration in their houses. If they want to act, BMC should act against all instead of targeting one person.”

Meanwhile, CRPF security was deployed at the building where Kangana lives, half a km away from the bungalow, a day ahead of her arrival in the city. The deployment was part of the new security arrangement provided by the Centre.

Clara Lewis (THE TIMES OF INDIA; September 8, 2020)

Mumbai: The Shiv Sena-controlled municipal corporation carried out an inspection of Kangana Ranaut’s office on Pali Hill on Monday for alleged civic violations. The action followed on a day when the actor received Y-plus grade security cover from the Centre following a spat involving her and ruling parties in Maharashtra.

Immediately after BMC officers arrived at her office, Kangana tweeted: They have forcefully taken over my office measuring everything, also harassing my neighbors…” She said BMC warned her neighbours that they would have to bear the consequences of her actions. “I am informed tomorrow they are demolishing my property,” she said.

She also posted a video of the team inspecting her office and an earlier video of the place. The office was a row house which has been converted into a commercial establishment.

In a second tweet, she said: “I have all the papers, BMC permissions, nothing has been done illegal...BMC should send a structure plan to show the illegal construction with a notice, today they raided my place and without any notice tomorrow they demolishing (sic) entire structure.”

A neighbour said eight BMC staffers inspected the rowhouses. “One of them had only women, who did not allow them in. We have not been issued any notice. They inspected and left,” said a neighbour.

Another neighbour said he allowed the BMC staff in as he thought they had come to inspect the leakage in his house. “They were polite and were here for only 10 minutes,” he said.

A third neighbour said the fifth rowhouse is owned by Ranaut while the sixth comprises three shops on the ground floor and an office on the first floor. “These rowhouses have been around 45-50 years. Kangana had repaired her rowhouse around a couple of years ago as have the others,” he said.

BMC refused to comment. Municipal commissioner Iqbal Chahal and H-West ward officer Vinayak Vispute did not respond to queries.

Meanwhile, residents of DeBreeze on 16th Road, Khar are a worried lot. Kangana is a resident of the building and in January this year, BMC had filed a complaint against Kangana and other residents at the Dindoshi sessions court for illegal extensions. Sources said on Monday, civic officials asked the session court for an urgent hearing. “BMC has been told that the matter will be heard by the regular judge on September 9,” said sources. Kangana has already declared she will be coming to Mumbai on that day and has dared anyone to stop her.

Kangana’s outburst against Mumbai Police saying she feared the force and describing the city to be as dangerous as “PoK (Pakistan-occupied Kashmir)” had led to sharp criticism from Sena, Congress and NCP. Even the state BJP has said they do not support her statements.
Rachana Dubey (BOMBAY TIMES; September 8, 2020)

A team of Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) officials visited Kangana’s office at Pali Hill, Bandra, yesterday, along with other properties in close vicinity, and have apparently warned residents and property owners they may demolish illegal constructions found on the premises today. Some residents reached out to Kangana’s sister Rangoli, who’s in Manali with the actress, to inform her about the developments.

Kangana, who is expected to return to Mumbai tomorrow, told us, “All work has been done with the BMC’s permission. This was their second visit, and they haven’t given notice or any plan.”

The cluster of row houses also includes properties that belong to designers Surily Goel and Manish Malhotra. While Goel said she’s not aware of any such development, Malhotra stated he’s busy with a professional commitment and has no idea about this. We reached out to the BMC officials, but they didn’t respond till the time of going to press.

(middle) Marina Apatments; (right) Freeda One that serves as Khan's current pad

Unable to convince owners to leave their flats to make way for his bungalow, Aamir returns to original home as the lease expires at his Carter Road rental
Shaheen Parkar (MID-DAY; May 30, 2019)

Aamir Khan is home-bound again. The actor, who had made the top storeys of Freeda One at Carter Road his address over the past six years, is moving back to his Pali Hill abode, Marina Apartments.

Says a source, "His lease at Freeda One is expiring soon, and he has decided to not renew it. The idea of relocating to Marina Apartments had been on his mind for quite some time. That's why he had ordered that the place be spruced up. With the renovation now complete, his old home is ready to welcome him back."

It has been heard that Khan's wife Kiran Rao, who is known to have a green thumb, had been overseeing the refurbishment and has ensured that the Bandra pad is designed with the central theme of nature.

The Khans own several flats in the Virgo Cooperative Housing Society Limited — if Marina Apartments was the superstar's address of choice for decades until 2013, mother Zeenat and brother Faisal stayed next door at the Belle Vue Apartments.

The property holds such a special place in his life that in 2014, Khan had expressed the desire to redevelop it and build a bungalow in its place. However, his long-cherished plans went awry when some of the members objected to the proposal and did not want to be "bought out".

Following this, he set out to renovate his flats. This plan too faced minor hiccups when the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation issued a stop work notice, stating that the renovation — which apparently included building an internal staircase — would affect the building's structure. Fortunately, last August, Khan got a clean chit from the BMC after the structure was audited by IIT Mumbai professors.

Actor has had cops drop by twice in less than 20 days, asking him to keep the decibel levels down
Nazia Sayed (MUMBAI MIRROR; February 4, 2017)

In 2009, Mirror had reported about an irate Pali Hill neighbor of Sanjay Dutt raising hell over loud music during a mata ki chowki that had spilled a little over midnight. The actor had his first run-in with the law after his release from Yerwada jail last February in the 1993 Bombay blast case, when a house party that had cranked up the decibel levels and moved to the terrace, irked the neighbours again.

Now, in the New Year, the 57-year-old actor has set a record of sort by having cops drop by his place twice in less than 20 days, asking him to keep the volume down. “The first incident happened on January 14, the second on Thursday. Around 11.30 pm, they (Dutts) started playing music on their terrace. It was so loud that we couldn’t even sleep. When we called the control room, a lady took down the complaint but then nothing happened. I called again at 1.30 am and was told by the same lady that she had sent the details to Khar police station. I waited for 15 minutes and then called up the police station directly. They promised to help us and that’s when the music was stopped,” informs Dr Amitav Shukla, chairman of the Pali Hill Residents’ Association.

He goes on to add that it was clear that the actor has no regard for his neighbours, especially senior citizens. “We had sent him a warning letter the last time but he has not changed. We will not tolerate this kind of behaviour in Pali Hill. The issue will be raised at the next AGM meeting and we have also asked the zonal DCP to take strict action against Sanjay Dutt,” Dr Shukla fumes.

The residents contend that the party was on Dutt’s terrace and Sufi music was blaring till 2 am. Senior Inspector Ramchandra Jadhav of Khar police station told Mirror, “As soon as we got a call, our team rushed to the spot and made sure that the music was turned down. We are looking at what needs to be done further.” Mirror got in touch with Sanjay’s spokesperson but the actor remained unavailable for comment.

Hiren Kotwani (BOMBAY TIMES; January 9, 2016)

Nawazuddin gets an invitation for Friendship Day
Sanyukta Iyer (MUMBAI MIRROR; August 3, 2015)

Actor bought the property eight years ago from Amjad Khan's family with the idea of starting a commercial venture but has let go of the dream
Nazia Sayed (MUMBAI MIRROR; June 15, 2015)

Riteish Deshmukh has given up on his dream of converting his Pali Hill bungalow into a commercial establishment. Tired of trying to convince the residents and the BMC, the actor has sold the property.

Confirming this, Madhu Poplai, secretary of the Pali Hill Residents' Association, said "This iconic structure earlier belonged to the late actor Amjad Khan and then was sold to Riteish Deshmukh. Riteish wanted to start some commercial activity in the bungalow but was not allowed to do so. So he has now sold it to a businessman."

Buzz is, Riteish bought Bungalow no. 7, which is a part of the Green Acre Society, eight years ago and two years later, came up with the idea of converting it into a luxury spa.

He tried convincing the other residents and even approached the BMC for permissions. But the city's municipal corporation, paying heed to the residents' complaints, refused to greenlight the project.

The actor recently sold the bungalow to Taifique Gazinia who deals in leather goods. A few days ago, Taifique entered into an undertaking with the residents' association, stating that he had purchased the property for residential purposes. He assured that that he will move into it with his family after the renovations are complete.

When contacted, Riteish's spokesperson said, "Riteish purchased the property as an investment and later diluted it. He never intended to use it for a commercial venture."

Gaurav Dubey (MID-DAY; May 27, 2015)

Veteran actor Rishi Kapoor’s plan to reconstruct his iconic Krishna Raj bungalow in Pali Hill has been stuck for over four years now as the civic authorities are yet to give a go-ahead to such a large-scale renovation process. Now a member of the Pali Hill Residents’ Association, which has been objecting to his proposal for an office space and preview theatre on the property, has sought details of the plan through an RTI application.

A source says, “The Kapoors want to convert the bungalow into a 15-storey building with a swimming pool, office and a preview theatre, but it looks difficult. The association tried to find out his plan, but he never reverted to the query.”

Madhu Poplai, secretary of the association, confirms the buzz about the RTI application. “Information about the plans for Krishna Raj has been sought as there were reports of the bungalow being renovated. The association has never objected to any construction in the vicinity, but we have been opposing the plan for a preview theatre and office space. Pali Hill is a residential area and we want to maintain that,” she adds.

Kapoor remained unavailable for comment.