A historic Mumbai cinema, Gaiety-Galaxy in Bandra, has been temporarily shut, with the cause disputed between police and the venue’s operators.
Bandra police cited non-renewal of the operating licence and confirmed registering a case under Section 223 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita against the theatre’s operators.
Executive director Manoj Desai gave a different account, saying burnt electrical cables prompted the closure, with new cabling being sourced from Lohar Chawl in South Mumbai.
The theatre has operated in Bandra since 1972 and remains one of Mumbai’s oldest surviving single-screen cinemas.
As of the latest reports, no reopening date has been set.
The conflicting accounts from police and the theatre’s management — license non-renewal versus a technical electrical fault — have not yet been publicly reconciled by either side.
Gaiety Galaxy in Bandra has operated since 1972 and is one of Mumbai’s oldest surviving single-screen theatre complexes, a fixture of the city’s Bollywood-adjacent cinema culture.
Bandra police registered a case under Section 223 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita against the theatre’s operators after finding required certificates had not been renewed.
Executive director Manoj Desai told reporters the shutdown was due to burnt electrical cables inside the theatre, and that replacement cables were being sourced from Lohar Chawl in South Mumbai.
A notice posted by Bandra police outside the theatre stated that shows were suspended for the time being due to non-renewal of the venue’s operating license.
The theatre’s closure comes at a time when several older single-screen cinemas across Mumbai have faced increasing pressure from licensing and fire-safety compliance requirements.
Gaiety Galaxy has historically hosted premieres and events for major Bollywood releases, making it a recognisable name well beyond Bandra itself.
Authorities have not specified a date for reopening, with the timeline dependent on completion of the electrical repairs and submission of renewed certification.
G7 Multiplex (Gaiety-Galaxy), Bandra, Mumbai, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
