Art & Entertainment

The Bombay Films’ Journey From Natural World To Mumbai’s Closed Studios And Glass Skyscrapers

The natural world in Hindi cinema is replaced by the antiseptic corridors of monstrous, glass-fronted skyscrapers. Chawls have given place to hideous mansions. Trees are gone forever and now lovers romp in overdone, hideous hotel bedrooms. Nobody seems to live in small, middle-class apartments anymore. What has become of the real-world locations of Bombay cinema?

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Mumbai's iconic Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus, a popular filming location
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In the 1960s, lovers rolled down snowclad hills in Kashmir. 

In the 70s, live car chases were shot in Mumbai’s Bandra. 

In the 80s, a hero and heroine met at a bus stop in Dadar, drank naariyal paani from one coconut with two straws, ran in slow motion at Juhu beach, and walked along and sat on the dykes at the edge of Marine Drive hand-in-hand. 

In the 90s, young lovers skipped down the stairs of the Asiatic library or danced around the quadrangles of St. Xavier’s or Sophia College. 

But all of this has now changed. The natural world in Hindi cinema is replaced by the antiseptic corridors of monstrous, glass-fronted skyscrapers. Chawls have given place to hideous mansions. Trees are gone forever and now lovers romp in overdone, hideous hotel bedrooms. Nobody seems to live in small, middle-class apartments anymore. What has become of the real-world locations of Bombay cinema? 

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Bombay, a once-upon-a-time favourite location with all genres of Hindi filmmakers, is fighting a losing battle to retain its numero uno status in its avatar as Mumbai. A bludgeoning city, bursting at its seams with serpentine traffic snarls, makes shooting a challenging task within Mumbai and its suburban peripheries. Filmmakers have retreated to the confines of modern-day studios with readymade film sets to shoot. The once-famed live film shooting locations in Mumbai are already becoming an archival past in a happening celluloid era.   

If New York has a specific identity in Hollywood, it is Mumbai, with its iconic locations, that was the locus of Hindi films. Once-ubiquitous locations in Mumbai like the Worli Seaface, Asiatic Library, Juhu beach, Flora Fountain, Bandra Talkies, and famous studios like Filmistan Studios, Kamal Studios, RK Studios, Raj Kamal Studios, Kooler company in Matunga etc., have all been phased out as live shooting locations due to the changes in their own structure. They have all shut down, except Worli Seaface. Considered an ‘over-used’ locale, filmmakers have given the Worli Seaface location a break, says Amit Pareek aka Anu, a line producer who invests much of his time scouting for locations.    

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Well-known film locations in Mumbai also include Film City, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus, Marine Drive, Madh Island, Aksa Beach, Colaba Causeway, Bandra, Gateway of India, Dhobi Ghat, Juhu Beach, Dharavi, St Xavier’s College etc. While all of these are sparingly used in today’s films, Madh Island has continued to grow as a location. Line producer Archana Tijare Rebello is in love with the Madh Island location. 

“This island has tremendous possibilities. There is no hurry about pack-up when we are shooting here. There are no restrictions when shooting here nor layers of permission required. This location will never lose its charm. In fact, the demand for the luxurious locations and the savvy bungalows has gone up every year. Here, a mix of old and new locations are available,” says Archana. 

The shifting landscape of Mumbai with its major developmental changes has compelled the increasing use of readymade sets offered by modern day studios that have sprung up in the northern suburbs of the megapolis. The cityscape and the screenscape have long been interconnected. Films have morphed into an archive documenting the changes in the urban landscape of Mumbai. Not only has the city been shaped by the cinematic form, cinema owes much of its character to the historical evolvement of urban space. Different stories, narratives, and genres bring out the different aspects of the city. 

The evolution of locations might be mapped across two eras: pre- and post-liberalisation. In the first, the primary audience in the movie theatres was people from low-income groups as tickets were priced low and were easily affordable. The protagonists of the films of the time often belonged to this segment of people. As a result, there was more emphasis on the inclusion of locations which resonated with ordinary middle class and working class people. The thriving textile mills of Bombay, later the closed mills in Mumbai, the koliwadas or the fishing colonies dotting the Mumbai coastline, the slums — particularly Dharavi, the chawls, the dhobi ghats, the crowded areas of Bhendi Bazaar, Girgaum etc., became well-known locations for Hindi films made in the pre-liberalisation era.

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The Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus was the ‘aspirational’ location as it was here the protagonist often disembarked to begin a new journey. 

“This terminus became an important character in films with, many of them romanticising it. In Slumdog Millionaire (2008), this terminus has an important role in the film as it is here Jamal (Dev Patel) reunites with his long-lost love Latika (Frieda Pinto). This was an aspirational film, showing a location significant in so many ways,” says line producer Amit.    

The cinema halls in the second era morphed into the new multiplexes that killed and replaced single screen cinema halls. The fancy ambience and high-priced tickets keep lower income groups out of these movie theatres and brought in the upper classes. Multiplexes emerged the first choice for film makers to release their films.

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However, the changes were much deeper than just where people watch films. The post-liberalisation era brought with it a sea change. A new, rapacious middle class was suddenly flush with money. Even the call centre-worker class had money to burn after working all week all night. The cost of the films increased and they became big budget ones. The aspirations of this new middle class, now open to the free market and Western goods, clothes, amenities, and luxuries meant that “filmmakers realised that they needed upmarket locations and the search for them started”, says Kishor Sawant, line producer. 

As the stature and class of protagonists in the films made in the post-liberalisation period changed, their interaction with Mumbai and its parts through films reduced. Most scenes now began to be shot in palatial homes, luxurious cars, expensive pubs, or restaurants. With the choice of locations becoming upper class, readymade sets offered by the new-age studios rose in demand. The Ellora Studio in Mira Road —a faraway northern suburb of Mumbai— with its Parsi bungalow, Seth villa, readymade government office etc., is a popular choice with most filmmakers. The Covid-19 pandemic and its subsequent restrictions made celebrities choose shooting in studios over outdoor shooting.

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Themi Terrace (Green Gift Nursery) on Turner Road in Bandra, Peace Heaven bungalow also on Turner, the Siddhi Sadan bungalow in Khar West, and the beautiful Parsi homes in Dadar’s Parsi Colony still continue to be popular live shooting locations due to the mix of the period style décor and the modern-day architecture.     

The tree, an essential part of a majority of Hindi films with its protagonists running around them singing and dancing, has left films. It is replaced by the glass-fronted skyscraper from which corporate heroes swagger out. This signals the ecological genocide in Hindi film locations.

Indian audiences with their exposure to world cinema and Hollywood via the OTT platforms no longer want clichéd scenes, says Ankur Pareek, a line producer, who teams up with his brother Amit to deliver the location demands of film makers. 

“Now the tree is no longer a prop for romance. We look for locations that have a new feel to it,” says Ankur.    

According to popular Hindi film folklore, actors dancing around trees had its origins in the lack of financial and technological wherewithal in the Hindi film industry decades ago. In the early days of cinema, filmmakers were unable to record audio tracks and the visuals separately due to constraints. This was also a period when the musicians and singers were uncomfortable with the idea of physical editing as they believed it would destroy their songs. Therefore, audio tracks and visuals were recorded simultaneously.  

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Then, some directors had hit upon the plan to have the musicians and singers hide in the trees with the actors lip-syncing the song while they ran around trees, while the musicians played. One day a crow pooped on a prominent musician while this outdoor recording was on. Apparently, an assistant came up with the idea of a moving platform on tracks. Thus, the trolley was born and the band, musicians, singers, camera team and the director would sit. The actors would have to run along the trolley while lip syncing and performing the song.  

The new breed of young, often first-time, filmmakers making ground-breaking, real, believable stories are leading the demand for out-of-Mumbai locations, says Akshay Donde, film producer. Today’s location managers prefer readymade locations offered by the new-age studios which have brought in computer graphics interfaces, LED screens, and other state-of-the-art location technologies. 

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With Covid-19 still a threat, a number of A-listers are not keen on shooting in faraway locations. 

Akshay says, “Those stars who live in Bandra prefer to shoot at Mehboob Studios, while those stars who live in South Mumbai prefer to shoot at Famous Studios. The traffic is another nightmare they want to beat, so studios are preferred.

“People watch films to experience something extravagant. Therefore, the first thing they see is the location. Sourcing locations is hard work. The shooting time-table of the film also dictates the choice of locations in a film. It took seven years to make Brahmashtra. Matching the continuity of the location for long drawn-out shooting schedules is a task in itself. This is also the reason for the popularity of the ready-made locations offered by the modern-day studios. The locations in Mumbai are over-used as the Hindi film industry is headquartered in this city.”

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According to Jayant Hadke, creative director at Famous Studios, the use of special effects is dictating the type of locations in films. 

Hadke says, “Visual reality created with visual effects is changing Hindi films in a very big way. Already films are shot before the green screen or chroma as many actors are not keen on travel. Locations created by visual effects are being used a lot. This reduces the cost of shooting with a large crew at live locations.” 

According to Akshay, the filmmaking scene will change drastically within the next three years. 

He says, “Virtual reality will definitely change everything for the filmmakers. With 5G coming in, we are heading for a huge technical change in Indian films. The fun of outdoor shooting will be lost. The next generation of filmmakers will not know what travelling will be as virtually real locations will replace live locations.” 

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The world has opened for Hindi films but, ironically, it has completely closed.  

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