Film Studios: 43 years ago there were 25 studios, now there are not even 6, why is Bollywood's identity ending?

Till 1980, there used to be about 25 film studios in Mumbai, whose number has now reduced to less than half a dozen after about 43 years. Years ago, where the sets used to be full of stars, now buildings have come up there. Many studio owners sold their studios to realtors. Read Kiran D. Tare's article.

Last month in August, I went to Bombay Talkies, the film studio in Malad (West), for the first time, but I was heartbroken after seeing the condition of the studio. This was once one of the best studios in Asia. I thought that even though half a century has passed since it was closed, it will still stand proudly. But what I saw made me very sad.

Today Bombay Talkies has turned into ruins. There are small shops around it. It is dirt. There was a small office of the studio, which was covered with a tin sheet. The ruins I saw are now under the care of a trust. This trust was formed so that Bombay Talkies could be taken care of. When I tried to get more information about the studio from the manager of the trust, his response was quite cold. He said, “I don't know anything.” Saying this he again became busy with his mobile phone.

Losing grandeur and the struggle of the studios

The discussion about the deteriorating condition of film studios in Mumbai started when art director Nitin Desai committed suicide in August. He was struggling with financial crisis. He had taken a loan of Rs 200 crore so that he could run his ND studio, but he could not return the loan. The reason for this was that the studio was not earning as per expectations.

You will be surprised to know that till the year 1980, there used to be about 25 film studios in Mumbai. But now less than half a dozen of them are able to function fully.

Due to increasing demand in foreign locations and financial losses, there was a lot of loss in this work. The result was that most of the studio owners sold their properties to real estate developers. The latest name in this list is that of RK Studios, which was sold in 2018 for about Rs 250 crore.

I also went to Rajkamal Studio. It was a pleasure going there. Even though three-quarters of the studio was now used for real estate, they still had one floor for shoots and a room for sound recording and dubbing. Apart from this, there is also an excellent library full of books and journals.

Challenge in the changing industry

Kiran Shantaram, owner of Rajkamal Studio, said, “We had sold a part of our studio to real estate in the early 1990s. The need for constructed sets was diminishing as producers began to prefer shooting on real locations. Now I feel that my decision was right.”

Film producer Tajdar Amrohi, son of director and screenwriter Kamal Amrohi, told a different story about the studio. He had to sell his iconic studio built on 100 acres to real estate agents. He said that he was threatened to sell. He used to get phone calls for recovery. He claimed that once he was even kidnapped for ransom.

Amrohi said, “If you want someone to sleep peacefully at night, then ask him to open a glamorous studio. Now I will never advise anyone to open a studio.”

There is a ray of hope in this business which is dying for many studio owners. Subir Mukherjee, partner in Filmalaya Studio, says that the next generation will have to take care of the studio and take this legacy forward. I hope that these words of Subir prove to be true.