Boom time for Mumbai’s studios!
The once abandoned film studios of Mumbai are passing through a boom period. Not only are most of the studios booked right now but have been reserved in advance for the coming months, too...

Film City, with more than 10 floors in its premises, is fully booked at the moment. The boom, interestingly, has been attributed to the rise in production of television serials and advertising films. Some television serial-makers have booked stages in Film City for months at a stretch so as to avoid the re-

Neither television serial-makers nor ad-film-makers are compromising in the matter of sets since they have no problem of finance.

erecting of a set they require for continuity purposes. Advertising film-makers have also begun doling out bigger sums for smarter sets which provide a better look to their campaigns. Sadly, each year fewer Hindi films are being shot inside the studios in Mumbai. Most film-makers are opting for shoots in Hyderabad or even overseas so as to ensure total accessibility to, and commitment from their stars who are unlikely to be disturbed in these places.
About five years ago, the situation was totally different, when studios were not in such great demand. At an average, studios were not booked even for 15 days in a month, and that, in turn, made it difficult for the studio owners to maintain a big staff at the premises. Reeling under this pressure, and taking advantage of the rising value of land, several studios were sold off, or some of their stages leased off for commercial purposes. Rajkamal Studios at Parel, which earlier boasted of three stages, has only one now. Similarly, RK Studios at Chembur has cut down its size from four stages to two. Only Bandra’s Mehboob Studios have clung to their floor space.

The current boom period was inevitable because lesser studio floors are available now. For nearly 30 years now, the strength of the studios in Mumbai has been gradually depleting. In Andheri, M&T Studio, Mohan Studio, K Asif Studio, Guru Dutt Studio and Prakash Studio closed by the end of 1960. Bombay Talkies at Malad had closed much earlier. In Chembur, Asha Studio, Srikant Studio and Basant Studio also downed shutters.

It will not be viable to build new studios, considering the non-availability of land and its high cost. In any case, the BMC’s commercial rates for water supply and the Bombay Suburban Electric Supply’s (BSES) commercial rates for electricity are making life difficult for the existing studios.

Opposite the old airport, the Vishnu Movietone Studio, where over 100 mythological and historical films were shot, also closed due to internal problems among its partners. At Tardeo, Famous Studio closed down, as did Central Studio whose four stages made way for the currently thriving Tardeo air-conditioned market. Yet earlier, Worli’s Eastern Studio wound up.

Similarly, Chandu Studio at Kalina closed in 1960. Grant Road’s only studio, Jyoti, built by the father of Indian Talkies, Ardeshir Irani, also succumbed to the high land prices. Even at Parel, Kardar Studio closed in the mid sixties. On Dadasaheb Phalke Road at Dadar (East) all the three studios, Ranjit, Shree Sound and Roop Tara, were closed.The same was the fate of Minerva Studio in Sewri and Ashok Studio in Andheri. In all, 18 studios have downed their shutters for one reason or the other after 1950.

The closure of several studios during the post-Independence era can also be attributed to the fact that several leading stars, who were attached to the studio-owner producers, started working for independent producers. That gave a jolt to such studios as Prabhat, Ranjit, Bombay Talkies and New Theatres, which were essentially film-producing companies with both stars and directors on their muster. Unable to compete with independent film-makers establishing new banners with the help of their stars, these studios had little option but to rent out their premises to these very independent producers. Only Film City, with its 350 acres of land available for studios and outdoor shooting, emerged successful during the trying times.

Kiran Shantaram, of Rajkamal Studios, agrees that the number of studios are much less, compared to the increase in the production of television serials and advertising films. “But where is the scope for new studios?” he asks.

“It will not be viable to build new studios, considering the non-availability of land and its high cost. In any case, the BMC’s commercial rates for water supply and the Bombay Suburban Electric Supply’s (BSES) commercial rates for electricity are making life difficult for the existing studios,” he reasons.

Incidentally, a representation made for considering film studios as an industrial activity and making the industrial rates for water and electricity applicable to them, is still pending before the Government of Maharashtra.

Neena Jalan, vice-president of the Studios Owners Association, describes the present period as the “golden era” for film studios, thanks to television and advertising. “Every studio in Mumbai is over-booked. Serials and soap-operas need continuity, so they book a single floor for months together, blocking the stage sometimes for a year or more, depending on the number of episodes it can have. Even ad-films are now using special sets,” she excitedly reveals. “Neither television serial-makers nor ad-film-makers are compromising in the matter of sets since they have no problem of finance,” she adds. She dismisses the complaints regarding high rentals of studios by saying “the producers shouldn’t grumble when they’re paying such high prices to their stars.”

Mr Rathod, Film City’s manager, reveals that all stages stand booked at present as most major television serial-makers have reserved the same for a year. Even Natraj Studio, which has two floors on its premises, is fully booked for this month and the next. RK Studio is booked until the end of December, while Essel Studio in Trombay is also fully booked. Daily, almost six or seven shootings are carried out by television serial-makers, or by the makers of C-grade films who prefer studios for their readymade sets.

Although more than 230 films are currently in various stages of production, not more than 10 are being shot in studios at Hyderabad. For the shooting of small-budget Hindi films and Marathi films, Mumbai is still the haven.


MSM Desai