Mumbai: Iconic movie hall Eros not to be demolished

Mumbai: Contrary to rumours on social media, SoBo’s iconic movie hall Eros, situated across Churchgate station, is not being demolished. According to a source close to Atul Gupta, who has an interest in the property, the building’s facade will remain the same and the structure will only be renovated. The cinema hall downed curtains in 2016. 

Noted movie critic Amod Mehra said Eros will continue to be a single screen cinema. It is a heritage building and there is no way it can be demolished, he added. However, a few floors will house high-end shops mostly selling uber luxury goods. 

 Rumours of “demolition” had spread like wildfire

Gupta, who owns Metro cinema at Dhobi Talao, had teamed up with Inox to run the theatre. Metro, too, was renovated extensively without changing its facade. “A similar thing will be done to Eros as well,” the source added. 

The art deco cinema hall, with a seating capacity of 1,204, is part of the Cambata Building. Rumours of “demolition” had spread like wildfire in the past couple of days, with twitterati voicing its protest. Many recalled the movies they had watched in the theatre. The foundation of the building was laid in 1935 and the cinema opened in 1938.

Cambata Building, which houses the theatre, was sealed by the City Collector due to legal disputes but was later unsealed on the order of the Bombay High Court, but the screening at the theatre has not been resumed since 2016.

The theatre has entertained three generations with extremely popular films. Woodstock, the musical starring legends like Jimi Hendrix and Joan Baez, ran for several months and so did the horror film Exorcist.