A sense of loss enveloped me on walking into the once-scenic campus of the Films Division on Peddar Road this week. It is unrecognisable. Gone are the old-worldly bungalows, including Gulshan Mahal, which was rented out to filmmakers for shoots — a compact mini-theatre and the thickets of greenery.
The survivors, there, are two highrise cement blocks, which show off whirring air-conditioners and a woeful lack of architectural finesse.
A sign of the times perhaps, when the beautiful is giving way to eye-sores. And to top it all, when I got into a newly-installed elevator, the doors clanged shut, but it wouldn’t budge, trapping me and another visitor for a harrowing space of 15 minutes — harrowing because it became airless and as tightly enclosed as a coffin.
On pressing the alarm bell, kicking the doors and yelling for help, finally the doors were pried open, and we were chastised, “Don’t you know this elevator isn’t functioning?” How? There was sign saying that, or a hint of an attendant within the premises. But then I guess such suffocating scares are the price I have to pay for snooping around.
A major section of the Films Division grounds, which also housed the Children’s Film Society of India, has been dug up. Ear-deafening construction work is on. The grounds, it seems, will go on to house the Film Museum of India, which I’ve been hearing about since time immemorial.
The new Films Division chief, V.S. Kundu, seems to be earnest about reviving the old glory of the documentary and newsreel producing institution though. For starters, he has placed a stern notice on his desk, which says, “No Bribes Allowed.” Cute.
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Those Bollywood star darshans
Out there in Hollywood, there are conducted bus tours to see star homes on Beverly Hills. Nearly a decade ago, the Film City authorities had announced plans for a similar tour of the Pali Hill and Juhu-Vile Parle bungalows of the Bollywood worthies. Apparently, the plans remained at the stage of a gung-ho announcement in the newspapers.
Conducted tours or not, currently three residences of B-town’s superstars attract admirers from the city as well as tourists. Halt No. 1, of course, happens to be Amitabh Bachchan’s bungalow Prateeksha on Sundays. And if Mr B happens to be in town, he shows up outside the gates to give a darshan to the throngs.
Meanwhile, Salman Khan’s home at Galaxy Apartment in Bandra, Band Stand, continues to draw Sunday crowds. In this case, papa Salim Khan ensures that at least some of them get personalised treatment, which could mean a cup of tea at the very least.
Outside Shah Rukh Khan’s Mannat, children pose for cellphone photographs. A story goes that one of his former security guards from Hyderabad had stood outside Mannat for days, till he asked for a job and got one. But the tall man with starry looks is conspicuous by his absence nowadays.
Quite surprisingly, no one cares to wait for a darshan outside the homes of showtown’s heroines, new or ancient. Like Rekha prefers to play the part of the reclusive Fedora in her bungalow at a javelin’s throw away from Mannat. Is that good politics? After all, the longevity of careers is ensured by keeping the fans happy — isn’t it? Tsk.