Mumbai's iconic Gaiety Galaxy shuts temporarily amid licence issue
Mumbai's Gaiety Galaxy has paused screenings as management works through a licensing issue. Officials say the cinema can reopen once the licence is renewed, even as rumours around the shutdown continue.
Mumbai’s iconic theatre Gaiety Galaxy has suspended film screenings since Monday, 7 September. A senior manager associated with the company, speaking on the condition of anonymity, confirmed to India Today that the closure was due to internal licensing matters, which the management is working to resolve.
There were also rumours that a ruckus broke out during a screening of Hanuman Ansh, which led to the theatre’s closure. A social media post also claimed that some cables inside the theatre had burnt out and that the management was working to fix the issue.
“Let’s not pay heed to any rumours floating on social media. There are some internal issues that we are working on at the moment. We will resume screenings soon,” the manager told India Today.
As per reports, an enquiry by the Theatre Branch found that the theatre’s licence had not been renewed since 2021. A notice directing the theatre to remain closed was also pasted by the police on Monday. However, officials have maintained that the cinema will be allowed to reopen once its licence is renewed.
Ali Fazal visited Gaiety Galaxy a day before closure
Interestingly, the development came just a day after Gaiety Galaxy witnessed a packed house for Mirzapur: The Movie. Actor Ali Fazal had visited the iconic theatre and shared a video showing fans cheering and chanting for his character Guddu Pandit.
Fazal appeared emotional while recalling the experience and spoke about what it meant to see the theatre packed for his film.
“Every actor who comes to Mumbai dreams of one thing seeing their film play to a packed house at Gaeity. last night, i stood there and watched it happen. Didn’t mean to get emotional.. just love for all of you,” he wrote on Instagram.
The actor also spoke about watching the film with his wife at the theatre.“Seeing Gaiety house full for Mirzapur: The Movie, standing there with my wife, was one of those moments that will stay with me for a lifetime,” Fazal wrote.
He ended the post by thanking audiences for embracing his character, Guddu Pandit: “Thank you for making Guddu Pandit yours.”
India Today also tried to reach executive director Manoj Desai for a comment but did not receive a response until the time of filing this report.