Mumbai BJP President and Legislative Assembly Member Ashish Shelar updated and informed it.
In a unique initiative that will enhance the beauty of the area, the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) will set up a Bollywood theme in the space below the viaduct and Metro Line 2B stations between ESIC Nagar in Andheri West and Bandra West in Mumbai, comprising seven stations, including 355 pillars.
This infrastructure, designed to pique the interest of commuters and visitors, will have motifs and sculptures depicting various facets of Bollywood, such as movies and characters. There will be soffit and column adaptive lighting using LED and digital technology programmed to the (Bollywood) theme, as well as augmented reality, to bring this captivating Bollywood theme to life and connect with a broader audience more profoundly and directly, taking them through the history of Indian cinema.
This concept not only adds to the beautification but also reaffirms the status of Bandra as the ‘Queen of Suburbs’ and helps further increase its popularity as a tourist attraction, informed advocate Ashish Shelar, Mumbai BJP president and Bandra MLA who recently inspected the project.
Bandra is blessed with significant tourist attractions, including the famed Bandstand, tranquil Pali Hill, the Mount Mary Church, and other churches spread all over the area. The Bandra Fort and the Railway Station still preserve some old memories.
Moreover, Bandra is home to several Bollywood personalities, including actors, artists, writers, singers, and filmmakers, who are big draws for tourists. Areas like Pali Hill and Carter Road have been popularised by Bollywood films from the very beginning. Bandra has witnessed the rich history of Bollywood, which, for 100 years, has significantly contributed to India’s economy.
To revive this history, the Bollywood theme, estimated to cost around Rs 250 crore, will be a game-changer for tourists visiting Mumbai. It can also act as a medium to inform tourists about the city and its history and preserve these beautiful memories.
Considering the 100-year-old period in Bollywood, i.e., from 1913 to 2023, this theme will be divided into two parts, from 1913 to 1939 and the second part, the Golden Age of Indian Cinema from 1952 to 2023. Here, important events, movies and stars who have left an indelible mark on this industry will be presented.
The pillars (of the Metro Line) will depict film personalities who have received the Dadasaheb Phalke Award. Also, the studios that have significantly contributed towards the success of Indian cinema, Bollywood specifically, will be presented here, using the latest and best technology that will make this project exciting and lively.
After the completion of the Metro project, to encourage people’s participation, it is envisioned that by following due processes, on Sunday mornings, part of the street will be closed for vehicular traffic, and the Bollywood-themed ‘Happy Street’ initiative will be introduced.
A wide array of Bollywood-related activities will be undertaken here, including film promotion. In addition, this will help increase earnings for the Metro.
Furthermore, the MMRDA has appointed a team of experts and the best consultants who know the rich history and has asked them to develop a comprehensive master plan.
An upbeat Ashish Shelar expressed confidence that this will increase the number of national and international tourists visiting Bandra and make it an iconic city landmark besides being a source of pride for Mumbai and its citizenry.
The work on some bays of this project will commence in the second week of March, and the rest of the work will continue simultaneously with the Metro infrastructure.
By
Sasi nair
kpsasinair@gmail.com
