- Moviegoers were left shocked on Monday after Bandra’s iconic G7 Multiplex, commonly known as the Gaiety-Galaxy cinema complex on 30th Road, was found shut by the Mumbai Police’s Special Branch following the previous day’s last show. Around 12 small notices had been pasted on the walls of the premises announcing the closure. The notices, written in Marathi, stated, “This cinema hall has not renewed its licence. Hence, further shows are cancelled.”
According to Bandra police sources, karyakartas from a political organisation arrived at the theatre and created a ruckus over the non-premiere of the devotional superhit Hanuman Ansh. Following repeated arguments, the karyakartas allegedly tore down posters of Mirzapur: The Movie, prompting the police to be called. After reaching the theatre, the police registered a case against those involved.
As part of the procedure, the police checked the theatre’s documents and found that its licence had not been renewed since 2021-22. The police subsequently directed the theatre management to shut the premises for non-compliance.
“Given that the theatre did not have a valid licence, we ordered the management to shut it down immediately,” a senior police official told this newspaper.
Another senior officer told mid-day, “All theatres need an entertainment licence to function. It is issued by the Mumbai Police Headquarters near Crawford Market in Fort. Gaiety-Galaxy’s licence had not been renewed since 2021-22, which is why a notice was served.”
When asked about the informal appearance of the notices pasted on the theatre walls, the official said, “We 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 up.”
Manoj Desai, executive director of G7 Multiplex, however, attributed the shutdown to a technical issue. He told mid-day, “Some 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 that.”
Trade analyst Girish Wankhede said the closure could result in substantial financial losses for the multiplex. “Gaiety-Galaxy has around seven screens, so the loss can be quite substantial. On an average, one screen can do around 1 to 1.5 lakh from a show, of which the cinema’s share would be roughly 50,000. So, for a day, you are looking at a loss of around 2.5 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 mass-oriented, are playing. Gaiety is the kind of cinema where these over-the-top potboilers and mass films draw a strong crowd, so the owner is losing out on an important period of business.”
As news of the theatre’s closure spread through word of mouth and the internet, several people who were unaware of the development continued to arrive at the theatre on Monday afternoon.
Mandira Das, who had travelled from Bhayander with her husband and their son, said, “I had checked the ticket booking platforms before leaving from my home, but it wasn’t 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 walls.”
Das said her family has a specific ritual when visiting the theatre in Bandra. “Most of the fancy multiplexes have strict rules about kids and A-rated movies, and we wanted to watch Mirzapur, so we came here to our go-to 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 soon,” she explained.
Rohinton Polishwala, a Bandra resident who has lived in the area for years, said Gaiety-Galaxy remains a strong childhood memory for him. “Gaiety-Galaxy 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 resident’s life. I hope that they are back in business soon.”
G7 Multiplex began with three theatres — Gaiety, Galaxy and Gemini. The two largest screens, Gaiety and Galaxy, have a combined capacity of around 1,800 seats.
In the late 1990s, four more theatres were added to the complex — Grace, a preview theatre; Gem, next to Galaxy’s stall; Glamour, between Galaxy’s stall and balcony; and Gossip, which has a separate entrance at the back.
The shutdown has therefore placed one of Bandra’s long-standing cinema complexes at the centre of a dispute involving police action over its entertainment licence, while the theatre management maintains that its screens are closed for technical maintenance.
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