Juhu’s last single-screen theatre Chandan to make way for mall

Mumbai: Fifty years since Juhu’s Chandan cinema house opened with Raj Kapoor’s film Bobby, it’s not just curtains down but walls down as well. The demolition of one of the last single-screen theatres in the city has commenced to make space for a mall.

Developed by businessman Baijanath Joshi and named after his wife Chandrakanta, whom he fondly called Chandan, the theatre has been a go-to movie hall for generations when there was only one multiplex in the city—G7 at Bandra. Opened in 1974, it was shut in March 2017 due to its dilapidated condition. During the cinema house’s heyday, if movie goers were lucky, they could spot several celebrities who lived in the vicinity and came to watch the occasional film at Chandan.

“Demolition began around 10 to 15 days ago,” said one of the staffers at the demolition site, who added that “something” was “coming up in the space”.

Two individuals informed Hindustan Times that there were plans to develop a retail space. The proposed structure will be a truncated version of the earlier planned avatar, with the boutique offices likely to be dropped. The earlier plan of constructing a multiplex was also dropped on account of a five-screen multiplex-cum-mall adjoining Chandan being already operational. A source told HT that approvals for the latest plan were yet to be received from the BMC.

After stopping screenings in May 2019, Baijanath Joshi’s son, Sameer Joshi, moved a redevelopment application with the BMC for a mall-cum-boutique office complex. The Wadhwa Group was roped in to develop the ground-plus-11-storey property with a height of over 50 metres.

The civic body asked Joshi to secure a No Objection Certificate from the ministry of defence, as the property falls within the 500-metre radius of the military radio transmission station at Juhu. When the application was moved, the defence ministry rejected it, stating that the proposal violated the provisions of the notification issued under the Works of Defence Act, 1976.

The rejection meant that the construction plans had to be altered and the height of the structure reduced to 15 metres. However, the revised proposal too was not approved. In 2021, therefore, Joshi moved the Bombay high court, seeking relief and was successful in arguing the case in his favour in October 2023. The court too asked the structure to be pulled down due to its precarious condition.

When questioned, the Wadhwa Group neither confirmed nor denied the plans. However, earlier this year, the group put out a public notice, stating that it had the development rights of the property measuring 3,639.40 square metres at Juhu-Vile Parle Development Scheme. The notice read, ‘The developer has undertaken redevelopment of the said property and since the owner is in breach of the Development Agreement, notice is given to the public at large not to enter into any agreement or writing of any nature, including memorandum of understanding/ sale/ transfer/ assignment of development rights...’

Joshi could not be reached for a comment.