Latest news with #FilmistanStudio
Hindustan Times
06-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Hindustan Times
Filmistan Studio: Bollywood giants walked the floors of Mumbai's iconic glory
MUMBAI: It was let to decay – rust adding up on its doors and railings, ceiling fans and iron cupboards. Land prices in Goregaon West have skyrocketed since 1943 when the sprawling Filmistan Studio, with seven shooting floors came up, where once the Sharda Movietone studio stood. History aggregating with its 'parental' Bombay Talkies, geographically separated by less than three kilometers. After the co-founder Himanshu Rai died in 1940, the emotional and intellectual proximity between Devika Rani, his wife, and producer Sasadhar Mukherjee widened. In 1943, Mukherjee left Bombay Talkies along with the production controller Rai Bahadur Chunilal (music composer Madan Mohan's father), director Gyan Mukherjee and actor Ashok Kumar to set up a new banner -- Filmistan, on April 28, 1943. Just a year before, Mahatma Gandhi had given the Quit India call to the British, and WW-II was at its peak. In those times of turmoil, Bombay Talkies had produced a historic block-buster 'Kismet' directed by Gyan Mukherjee. Filmistan studio.(HT) At Filmistan, Gyan Mukherjee, opened his innings with 'Chal chal re nau jawan' (1944), starring Ashok Kumar and Naseem Banu (Saira Banu's mother), and written by Sadaat Hasan Manto. Yesterday, standing outside Filmistan Studio with its gates closed, as it has been sold to a real estate developer, a memory gripped my mind – that of Guru Dutt, who considered Gyan Mukherjee his mentor. Yet another memory that struck me was that of Ritwik Ghatak, a giant of a Bengali filmmaker, who had joined Filmistan for a few months during the 1950s as story and screenplay writer. During that time, he had written his celebrated letter to the boss Sasadhar Mukherjee about introducing more experimental dynamism to the films produced by Filmistan. Ghatak then joined the Film Institute of India (later Film & Television Institute of India), Pune, as vice principal. I have visited this film studio several times before and remember a permanent set of a village with a Dattatray temple, a circular well, old houses, a sets-making workshop, etc. The temple has been shown in many Bollywood films. Filmistan Studio was set up in 1943. It rode the crest for decades, following which it gradually began to lose its sheen. MANOJ PATIL/ HINDUSTAN TIMES(HT) After the production controller Rai Bahadur Chunilal passed away in 1951, the studio lost its regular din of shooting, when its new owner Tolaram Jalan took over the financial reins. It was rumoured he wanted to sell off the property way back in 2011. Mukherjee gradually lost interest in Filmistan and eventually separated from it in 1958 to set up his new banner – Filmalaya at Amboli, Andheri West. By then Filmistan had already produced some successful films including 'Samadhi' (1950) about Subhash Chandra Bose and his Azad Hind Fauj. Its marching song composed and sung by C Ramchandran, 'Kadam badhaye ja' still rents the skies on India's Independence Day. Memorable films Filmistan gave several other memorable films such as 'Anarkali' (1953) and 'Nagin' (1954) both directed by Nandlal Jaswantlal. But soon a new Bollywood hero was to emerge from the Filmistan stable -- Shammi Kapoor, the industry's early stylish playboy and dancer. With the film 'Tumsa Nahin Dekha' (1957) Kapoor became a darling of the Indian youth. Its songs such as 'Yun to hamne lakh hasin dekhen hai, tumsa nahin dekha', composed by O P Nayyar, took them to a new high. The Filmistan stable had such eminent directors as P L Santoshi, Nandlal Jaswantlal, Subodh Mukherjee, Kishore Sahu, Ramesh Sehgal, Nasir Hussain and Najam Naqvi and of course the co-founder Gyan Mukherjee, who introduced his brand of filmmaking, which was commonly known as the Gyan Mukherjee school. Sasadhar Mukherjee(HT archive) The Filmistan stars were Ashok Kumar, Dilip Kumar, Shammi Kapoor, Nalini Jaywant, Kamini Kaushal and others. In the Filmistan film 'Shabnam' (1949), the pair of Dilip Kumar and Kamini Kaushal was established. And with that film, the music composer S D Burman had also become well known. Other leading music composers belonging to Filmistan were C Ramchandra (Ramchandra Narahar Chittalkar), O P Nayyar, Anil Biswas and others. In 'Nagin', Hemant Kumar, emerged a household name as a music composer. Gyan Mukherjee(HT archive) Filmistan's 'Shehnai' was initially released on August 15, 1947. Written and directed by P L Santoshi and songs (penned by Santoshi) composed by C Ramchandra became big a hit across the country. One of its songs, 'Aana meri jaan Sunday ke Sunday' had taken the newly independent nation by storm. I have a personal anecdote to share from the film which created a newer musical environment. A nallah closer to the place where I live in Kandivli West, was once the pristine River Poinsur. Some residents in Kandivli village told me that many scenes and songs of films were shot in this river, as both Bombay Talkies and Filmistan were in the neighbourhood -- Malad and Goregaon, respectively. In my research, an old man remembered the words 'Chhaiya', not from Mani Ratnam's 'Dil Se' but Filmistan's 'Shehnai'. I eventually managed to track down a worn-out CD of the film and there was 'Chhuk chhuk chhaiya chhaiya…' It was river Poinsur. Memories of Filmistan Studio cannot be erased ever. (Amrit Gangar is a film scholar, curator and researcher.)
NDTV
05-07-2025
- Entertainment
- NDTV
Reliving The Magic Of Filmistan Studios, One Last Time
New Delhi: As the iconic Goregaon studio makes way for luxury towers, we look back at the legends, films, and memories it gave Indian cinema. Another piece of Bollywood history is making way for real estate. Filmistan Studio in Goregaon, established in 1943 and once a powerhouse of Hindi cinema, has been sold to Arkade Developers for Rs 183 crore. The developer plans to launch a premium residential project on the site in 2026, featuring two 50-storey towers with 3, 4, and 5 BHK homes and penthouses. It has a projected Gross Development Value (GDV) of Rs 3,000 crore. YouTube This marks the third iconic film studio in Mumbai to be sold for redevelopment. Earlier, RK Studios in Chembur and Kamal Amrohi's Kamalistan Studios in Jogeshwari were transformed into multi storey buildings. "This place that we could not enter had an arch with Filmistan Studio ' written on it. It's gone," said film historian Amrit Gangar, standing near what was once the main entrance. A Final Glimpse We tried to enter the studio one last time to step inside the space where Hindi cinema once breathed. But the gate, once crowned by the iconic Filmistan Studio arch, was shut. Now private property, we were turned away. Just as we were about to leave, a man living in a house right next to the compound overheard our conversation. When he learned we were working on a story about the studio's past, he invited us in. Inside his modest home, he led us to a back room his bedroom. From the window, we got an unexpected, uninterrupted view into the heart of Filmistan. The same stages where Tumsa Nahin Dekha and Jagriti were shot, the space where countless wedding processions and funeral scenes were filmed was now eerily still. And there it stood, the abandoned temple set, instantly recognisable from so many Bollywood films. Cracked, dusty, and quiet... but unmistakably there. It was like seeing a piece of Indian film history frozen in time, forgotten but still holding on. Where Stories Were Born Filmistan was founded by Sasadhar Mukherjee, grandfather of actors Kajol and Rani Mukerji along with his brother-in-law Ashok Kumar, Gyan Mukherjee, and Rai Bahadur Chunilal, after a split with Bombay Talkies. "The birth of Filmistan is very fascinating. I believe the Nizam of Hyderabad helped fund the land," said Gangar. The studio went on to produce iconic films like Shaheed, Jagriti, and Tumsa Nahin Dekha, and gave music legends like SD Burman and Madan Mohan their big breaks. Even after it stopped producing films in the late '60s, its 7 shooting floors, temple, jail, and village sets remained active for decades
