Eros Cinema
 Eros Cinema in Cambata Building in 2008 | |
 | |
| Location | Maharshi Karve Rd, Churchgate, Mumbai |
|---|---|
| Owner | Eros Trust, Cambata Family |
| Capacity | 1204 |
| Construction | |
| Opened | 1938 |
| Closed | 2016 |
| Reopened | 2024 |
| Architect | Shorabji Bhedwar |
The Eros Cinema is an Art Deco style cinema theatre located in Cambata Building at Churchgate, Mumbai, India. It has a seating capacity of 1,204 people per show.[1]
Architects Shorabji Bhedwar designed the Streamline Moderne building, it marked the beginning of Back Bay reclamation in early 1938.[2]
History
The foundation of Eros Cinema was laid in 1935.[2] The cinema opened in 1938 and construction of this building on the then newly reclaimed Back Bay plot housing shops and other businesses, apart from the cinema, took about two and a half years to complete.[3]
Design
Partially faced with red Agra sandstone, this building is painted cream. The two wings of this Art Deco building meet up in a central block. The foyer is in white and black marble with touches of gold. Marble staircases with chromium handrails lead up to the upper floor. The murals are in muted colours depicting Indian architectures.
The Auditorium was decorated with cloud patterns on the walls, with the lower half decorated in black marble, with a pair of large relief sculptures running the length of the lower floor. The left sculpture featured a theme about the construction of a film set, while the right sculpture featured themes revolving around the actors shooting a film.
The Proscenium arch had a large relief sculpture, and a pair of large columns with gold stripes flanking the stage. Theatre organ chambers were included in the design, but no pipe organ was confirmed to be installed.[3]
Importance
The building is part of Victorian Gothic and Art Deco Ensembles of Mumbai, which was added to the list of World Heritage Site in 2018.[4]
Eros 2.0
The Eros Cinema was defunct since 2016.[5] The Cambata Building which housed the theatre was sealed by the City Collector due to legal disputes but was later unsealed on the order of Bombay High Court, but the screening at the theatre was not resumed.[6]
However, the Cambata Family who owned the building were in talks with other cinema businesses to revive the Eros Cinema with some renovation and changes to the building without harming the heritage structure.[6] The restoration and renovation of the cinema was undertaken by architect Hafeez Contractor and his team. Eventually, new premises of the cinema with a 1,300 seater theatre and 300 seater IMAX screen was reopened in February 2024.[7]
References
- ^ "Security tops India Inc.'s concerns after attacks". The Hindu. 3 December 2008. Archived from the original on 9 November 2012. Retrieved 12 April 2011.
- ^ a b Rahul Mehrotra, Sharada Dwivedi (1995). Bombay: the cities within. India Book House. p. 335. ISBN 81-85028-80-X.Page 233
- ^ a b Krishnan, Suhasini (20 October 2021). "Movies, Cabarets, a Ladies Band – Eros Theatre and the Recreational Promise of 20th Century Bombay". Art Deco Mumbai. Retrieved 3 February 2024.
- ^ "Victorian Gothic and Art Deco Ensembles of Mumbai". UNESCO World Heritage Centre. Retrieved 3 February 2024.
- ^ "Single screen theatres in Mumbai on a decline - Times of India". The Times of India. 12 December 2018. Retrieved 16 October 2019.
- ^ a b Deshpande, Tanvi (5 November 2018). "Eros may soon reopen its doors to cinemagoers". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 16 October 2019.
- ^ Das, Ela (31 January 2024). "Mumbai's iconic Eros Cinema set to reopen: what changes, what doesn't". Condé Nast Traveller India. Retrieved 3 February 2024.
| Pre-colonial | |
|---|---|
| Colonial | |
| Beaches | |
| Places of worship | |
| Cultural |
|
| Boulevards | |
| Districts | |
| Shopping | |
| Buildings | |
| Parks, zoos and stadia | |
| Museums | |
| Forts | |
| Restaurants & bars | |
 | This article about a theatre building in India is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |