Its undergone three makeovers since doyen of Indian cinema V Shantaram took it over from Parsi owners in early 1932. But will Dadar’s iconic Plaza theatre be lost when it gets replaced by a multiplex?
“Of course it will,” retorts well-known Marathi film critic Amit Bhandari. “Unlike Bharatmata where only a certain class of Marathi audiences watch movies, Plaza has always attracted the Shivaji Park-Vile Parle crowds. The loss of this screen space will hit the Marathi cinema, which is beginning to come into its own, really badly.”
According to him, this is not a mere theatre but the reflection of aspirations of more than three generations of actors. “Marathi theatre has given stalwart character artistes to both Marathi and Hindi movies. From Neelu Phule, Shreeram Lagu, Bhakti Barve, Nana Patekar, Reema Lagu, to Laxmikant Berde, Makarand Ansapure and many others — they have all stood outside the Shivaji Mandir drama theatre gates and looked across the street at Plaza hoping to see their faces smiling down from the hoardings. It is this slice of history that shouldn’t be lost,” he explains.
Ananda Pawar who has written a book on the Marathi cinema agrees. “This is not about language. Hindi films have always been shown here but the edifice cannot be treated like another case of redevelopment,” he says.
He remembers the three-year shutdown after a bomb went off here killing 10 people in the March 1993 serial blasts. “That shutdown had almost broken the Marathi film industry’s backbone,” he recounts and suggests, “No matter what compulsions the owners have, they should ensure that two screens are reserved for Marathi films.”
With both the regional sons-of-the-soil outfits headquartered in the same block it is no surprise that this development is being closely watched. “We will keep an eye on whether the new multiplex is screening Marathi movies or not,” said Ameya Khopkar, president, Maharashtra Navnirman Cine Workers’ Association.
While admitting that a multiplex is coming up, the legend’s son Kiran Shantaram said, “I don’t want to talk about the details yet.” Despite repeated questions on the speculation that he has sold off the property for Rs200 crore to the owner of Apsara, Vinod Govani, he refused to elaborate.
