Lower Parel, the erstwhile mill precinct has come a long way by lately becoming a hub for glitzy malls and hulking skyscrapers. Changing with the times, the 87-year-old Deepak Cinema is now too embracing ‘younger ideas’ as the third-generation owner of the place, Punit Shah teams up with Pranan Asher and Varun Verma — the brains behind the Enlighten Film Society to announce the launch of Matterden Centre for Films and Creation (MCFC), in the city.

The renovated Deepak Talkies at Lower Parel. Pic/Emmanual Karbhari

Varun Verma, now the director of the Centre, shares, “We have been wanting to launch a common space for creative minds to come together and participate in activities. Usually one goes to theatre places to consume cinema, but here the idea is to create cinemas through discussion and debate” as the MCFC will invite directors to discuss their work once in a while. Verma is emphatic that the MCFC is conceived to create a “sense of belonging” unlike others in the city.