Cinema · Our pick in Mumbai
Cinema in Mumbai: the back story
The back story
About Cinema in Mumbai: the back story
Mumbai is where Indian cinema began and where Bollywood is made, and going to the pictures here is still an event: whistles and applause for the hero’s entrance, songs that the whole hall knows, and picture palaces whose Art Deco halls are part of a World Heritage Site.
Picture palaces of the Art Deco age
In the 1930s Bombay built cinemas to match its new Art Deco skyline. The Regal at Colaba opened in 1933, and the Eros at Churchgate followed later in the decade. Both belong to the Victorian Gothic and Art Deco Ensembles of Mumbai, inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2018 (whc.unesco.org).
The film that never left Maratha Mandir
Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge opened in 1995 and stayed at Maratha Mandir in Mumbai Central. It completed 1,000 weeks there on 12 December 2014, and Yash Raj Films calls it the longest-running film in the history of Indian cinema; when public demand brought it back in 2015, the morning show returned too (Yash Raj Films).
DDLJ completed 1,000 weeks at Maratha Mandir on 12 December 2014: in Yash Raj Films’ words, the longest-running film in the history of Indian cinema.
IMAX in a 1930s cinema
The Eros closed in 2017 and reopened in February 2024 as an IMAX cinema run by PVR INOX, with 305 seats inside the old building and its Art Deco staircases, murals and circular lobby kept (PVR INOX; press reports). In BKC, Maison PVR at Jio World Drive opened on 20 October 2021 as a luxury boutique cinema (PVR).
Our tips for a night at the movies
New films open on Fridays, and the big releases sell out over the first weekend, so book online on the cinema’s own website. The booking page shows the language of each show. To see where it all began, the National Museum of Indian Cinema at Pedder Road tells the story of Indian cinema (see Arts & Culture).
Why it's on our list
- Picture palaces of the Art Deco age
- The film that never left Maratha Mandir
- IMAX in a 1930s cinema
- Our tips for a night at the movies
Opening hours, prices and seasonal openings change, so please check with Cinema in Mumbai: the back story before you go.