The Demolition of Alankar Theatre: A Farewell to Mumbai's Single-Screen Cinema

Mumbai recently witnessed the demolition of Alankar Theatre, one of the city's old single-screen theatres that had stood for decades, serving generations of cinephiles. While specific details about Alankar’s opening date and architectural history are sparse in the public domain, its decline mirrors a familiar pattern across many such halls in Mumbai: rising real-estate pressures, dwindling audience numbers, and competition from multiplexes.

Located between Girgaon and Grant Road, Alankar belonged to a once-vibrant circuit of single screens that peppered districts like Grant Road, Girgaon, Colaba, and other central parts of the city. These theatres—alongside names like Novelty, Minerva, Liberty, New Empire, Central, Majestic—were more than movie halls: they were social hubs and cultural landmarks.

Novelty Cinema, for example, closed its doors in 2006 after nearly 80 years of operation. Its building—Novelty Chambers—served as a landmark in Grant Road. Another example is New Empire, opened as a live theatre in the early 20th century before converting into a cinema; it finally shut down in 2014 after incurring significant financial losses amid changing audience habits.

Like many of its peers, Alankar suffered from the same vulnerabilities: aging infrastructure, fewer screenings, inability to compete with multiplex-style amenities, and often, regulatory or upkeep challenges. The demolition of Alankar is part of a larger trend in Mumbai where many single-screen theatres are being redeveloped, repurposed, or razed. It had been more like an inactive hall for today's moviegoers, but the previous generations knew it as a landmark for movie nights.

While modern cinemas offer comfort, technology, and convenience, the loss of places like Alankar also means losing a certain texture of old Mumbai — the echo of footsteps in grand lobbies, the scent of vintage carpets, and ticket counters run by familiar faces. These theatres embodied more than film screenings; they carried memories of film premieres, long queues of patrons in modest fare, and the collective experience of watching stories together under a single roof. The demolition of Alankar is thus both a closure of a physical structure and the dimming of a communal memory in Mumbai’s rich cinematic heritage. There are a few more single screens like this but they are running in better position and are likely to continue their services for quite some time in the future.