Amid stiff opposition, BMC to dereserve Alexandra Cinema plot in Byculla for residential use

The proposal, based on a recommendation from the state urban development department (UDD), was first placed before the committee on August 12. It was passed after two months under Section 64(3A) of the Mumbai Municipal Corporation Act, 1888,which provides for deemed approval of civic proposals if the relevant committee fails to decide on them within 45 days

MUMBAI: The BMC Improvements Committee on Thursday passed a proposal to delete the cinema reservation on the 1,005-sq-m plot of the defunct Alexandra Cinema in Byculla-Nagpada, paving the way for residential development. The decision was taken amid strong opposition from Congress and Shiv Sena (UBT) corporators, who had warned that the move could set a precedent for other closed cinemas across Mumbai.

The 105-year-old Alexandra was once among Mumbai’s prominent single-screen theatres, known for screening Hollywood films and English-language classics. It shut down in 2007 and has remained unused since. (Hindustan Times)

The proposal, based on a recommendation from the state urban development department (UDD), was first placed before the committee on August 12. It was passed after two months under Section 64(3A) of the Mumbai Municipal Corporation Act, 1888,which provides for deemed approval of civic proposals if the relevant committee fails to decide on them within 45 days.

Congress corporator Meher Mohsin Haider alleged that the provision was being used to push through contentious proposals despite opposition. “This is how proposals are passed through the backdoor, as they are always strongly opposed,” she said.

Haider expressed concern that removing the cinema reservation could open the floodgates to similar demands involving other defunct theatres. Mumbai’s Development Plan 2034 had 119 reservations for cinema halls and theatres, covering 3,09,284.08 sq m, she pointed out. “Where is the source of entertainment in Byculla for local residents?” she asked, questioning the rationale behind allowing residential development instead of exploring ways to revive the theatre.

Shiv Sena (UBT) senior corporator and committee member Sachin Padwal had also opposed the proposal, pointing out that the theatre had been shut since 2007 and alleging that no serious efforts had been made to revive it. Following the proposal’s passage on Thursday, corporators from Congress and Shiv Sena (UBT) staged a walkout in protest.

According to the proposal submitted by the BMC administration, the plot is currently reserved for a cinema under the Development Plan. The administration has recommended deleting the reservation and permitting residential use following applications seeking a change in land use. “The theatre, which permanently shut in 2007, has remained unused for nearly two decades. The proposal is based on a recommendation from the state urban development department,” the administration stated.

The proposal cites two requests to remove the cinema reservation: one by Maharashtra State Wakf Board representative Samir Gulamnabi Kazi to urban development minister Eknath Shinde on February 25, 2026, and another by Rafiq Patel, listed as the occupant of the plot, to the BMC’s development planning department on March 27. Following directions from the urban development department, the BMC submitted its report and recommendations on April 6, with the municipal commissioner’s prior approval.

Congress corporator Ashraf Azmi said that Alexandra came under the Kamathipura cluster redevelopment project. “How can they individually dereserve it?” he asked. “Even if it was outside the cluster, we oppose it on the grounds that there is no means of entertainment for local residents.”

The 105-year-old Alexandra was once among Mumbai’s prominent single-screen theatres. Founded by two of India’s film pioneers—the legendary Ardeshir Irani, who made India’s first talkie Alam Ara, and Abdulally Esoofally—it was known for screening Hollywood films and English-language classics. Like several old cinema houses, it struggled to remain viable amid changing viewing preferences, mounting financial pressures and the expansion of multiplexes, and by the early 2000s, shifted to screening low-budget and adult films. It shut down in 2007 and has remained unused since.

With the cinema reservation now cleared, the decision paves the way for residential development on the strategically located 1,005-sq-m plot, bringing its long-standing association with cinema to an end.