Gaiety-Galaxy closure: Why Mumbai’s iconic Bandra theatre complex has shut down

Moviegoers were shocked to learn on Monday that Bandrarsquos iconic G7 Multiplex commonly referred to as the GaietyGalaxy cinema complex on 30th Road had been shut by the Mumbai Policersquos Special Branch after the previous dayrsquos last show with about 12 small notices pasted to the walls of the premises announcing the closure The messages read in Marathi ldquoThis cinema hall has not renewed its licence Hence further shows are cancelledrdquopopcorn number1800 descCombined no seats of Gaiety and Galaxy classDefaultWhat happenedThe box office of the theatre complex which was shut on MondayAccording to Bandra police sources karyakartas from a political organisation had arrived at the theatre and created a ruckus over the nonpremiere of the devotional superhit Hanuman Ansh Following repeated arguments the karyakartas allegedly tore down posters of Mirzapur The Movie after which the police were called After reaching the theatre the police registered a case against those involvedAs part of the procedure the police also checked the theatrersquos documents and found that its licence had not been renewed since 202122 Therefore the police directed the theatre management to shut the premises for noncomplianceThe G7 Multiplex which includes the Gaiety and Galaxy theatres in Bandra West wears a deserted look on Monday PicsShadab KhanldquoGiven that the theatre did not have a valid licence we ordered the management to shut it down immediatelyrdquo a senior police official told this newspaper Another senior officer told midday ldquoAll theatres need an entertainment licence to function It is issued by the Mumbai Police Headquarters near Crawford Market in Fort GaietyGalaxyrsquos licence had not been renewed since 202122 which is why a notice was servedrdquoAsked about the informal appearance of the notices posted on the walls of the theatre the official said ldquoWe only issued the formal notice to the theatre we are not the ones who have put the notices on the walls The management of the theatre has put those uprdquoTheatre management speaksManoj Desai the executive director of G7 Multiplex told midday ldquoSome of the cables in the theatre got burnt so we need to replace them before we can resume our shows We are arranging for new cables from Lohar Chawl in South Mumbai and until the work is completed the screens will remain shut The timing is certainly unfortunate especially with the kind of films currently playing but maintenance of the screens is paramount We have to ensure that everything is functioning properly and safely before we reopen It is purely a technical shutdown and nothing more than thatrdquoTrade talkGirish Wankhede trade analyst told midday ldquoGaietyGalaxy has around seven screens so the loss can be quite substantial On an average one screen can do around 1 to 15 lakh from a show of which the cinemarsquos share would be roughly 50000 So for a day you are looking at a loss of around 25 lakh per screen Across seven screens that can work out to around Rs 17 to Rs 18 lakh a day and if the shutdown continues for seven days you are looking at a loss of over Rs 1 crore What makes this particularly unfortunate is the timing It has happened at a bad time of the week when films like Toxic and Mirzapur The Movie which are very massoriented are playing Gaiety is the kind of cinema where these overthetop potboilers and mass films draw a strong crowd so the owner is losing out on an important period of businessrdquoNostalgia hitsWhile news of the theatre closing slowly spread via word of mouth and the internet a few people who were clueless showed up to the theatre around noon on MondayMandira Das who had come from Bhayander with her husband and their son said ldquoI had checked the ticket booking platforms before leaving from my home but it wasnrsquot showing any available shows so I thought it was a glitch But when I showed up here and saw the building and the street in front of it was so silent I realised something was off and then I saw the notice which was posted on the wallsrdquoDas and her family have a very specific ritual while going to the theatre in Bandra She explained ldquoMost of the fancy multiplexes have strict rules about kids and Arated movies and we wanted to watch Mirzapur so we came here to our goto theatre We usually buy some fast food sneak it in and enjoy the movie Afterwards we go to Bandstand to enjoy the breeze but today our plans have been derailed I just hope they resolve the issue soonrdquoA Bandra resident who had been living in the area for years now Rohinton Polishwala said ldquoGaietyGalaxy is a very strong memory for me from my childhood I used to go there often till 12 or so years ago Now that I have a family and everything we prefer PVR but back in the day the theatre was an essential part of any Bandra residentrsquos life I hope that they are back in business soonrdquoHistory behind the theatreG7 Multiplex started with three theatres mdash Gaiety Galaxy and Gemini The two biggest screens Gaiety and Galaxy have a combined capacity of around 1800 seatsIn the late 1990s four more theatres were added to the complex mdash Grace a preview theatre Gem next to Galaxys stall Glamour between Galaxys stall and balcony and Gossip which has a separate entrance at the backInputs by Aishwarya Iyer and Mohar Basu