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Metro INOX Cinemas (formerly Metro Big Cinema (2008–2016), Metro Adlabs (2006–2008) and Metro Cinema (1938–2006)) is an
Metro is located in the
Despite such achievements, Metro could not stand up to the multiplex invasion, it was becoming difficult to fill up the 1,491 seats. The promoters decided to transform the old cinema into a multiplex, while also restoring its original art-deco interiors. The cinema was acquired by The math doesn't add up for Mumbai's Art Deco cinemas
Livemint (19 May 2009). Retrieved on 2013-08-17.
At Metro Cinema junction, no more darting through traffic
{{DEFAULTSORT:Metro INOX Cinemas in Mumbai Art Deco architecture in India Thomas W. Lamb buildings Buildings and structures completed in 1938 1938 establishments in India
Art Deco
Art Deco, short for the French ''Arts Décoratifs'', and sometimes just called Deco, is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design, that first appeared in France in the 1910s (just before World War I), and flourished in the Unite ...
''Heritage grade IIA'' multiplex Movie theatre
A movie theater (American English), cinema (British English), or cinema hall (Indian English), also known as a movie house, picture house, the movies, the pictures, picture theater, the silver screen, the big screen, or simply theater is a ...
in Mumbai
Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the second- ...
, India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
built in 1938. It was built and originally run by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc., also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures and abbreviated as MGM, is an American film, television production, distribution and media company owned by amazon (company), Amazon through MGM Holdings, founded o ...
(MGM). The main architect of the cinema was Thomas W. Lamb
Thomas White Lamb (May 5th, 1870 – February 26th, 1942) was a Scottish-born, American architect. He was one of the foremost designers of theaters and cinemas in the 20th century.
Career
Born in Dundee, Scotland, United Kingdom, Thomas W. La ...
of New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
, and D. W. Ditchburn (Senior partner of the architectural firm ''Ditchburn Mistry and Bhedwar'') of Mumbai was the associate architect.
It was one of the main sites targeted in the 2008 Mumbai attacks.
History
Metro is located in the Dhobitalao
Dhobitalao (धोबीतलाव, "Washerman's Lake") is a neighborhood in the city of Mumbai (formerly Bombay) in India. Located in the South Mumbai area at an elevation of 11 m (31 ft), it used to be a location where linen was was ...
area of Mumbai. The Art Deco
Art Deco, short for the French ''Arts Décoratifs'', and sometimes just called Deco, is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design, that first appeared in France in the 1910s (just before World War I), and flourished in the Unite ...
cinema opened on 5 June 1938, and initially exhibited movies made by MGM. The interior, floors, walls, ceilings as well as the furniture, was in shades of red and pink. Patrons were serviced by liveried ushers in the marble foyer and staircases, which led up to murals by students of the J. J. School of Art, under Charles Gerard. In 1955 Metro was the venue for the first Filmfare Awards
The Filmfare Awards are annual awards that honour artistic and technical excellence in the Hindi-language film industry of India.Al The Filmfare ceremony is one of the most famous film events in India. The awards were first introduced by th ...
night.
In 1970, the cinema was taken over by the Gupta family and with Indianisation came the era of screening Hindi films.
It soon became Bollywood
Hindi cinema, popularly known as Bollywood and formerly as Bombay cinema, refers to the film industry based in Mumbai, engaged in production of motion pictures in Hindi language. The popular term Bollywood, is a portmanteau of "Bombay" (fo ...
's most famous red-carpet theatre. The Indian star presence at Metro became so prominent that riot police were often called in at film premieres.
Transformation into multiplex
Despite such achievements, Metro could not stand up to the multiplex invasion, it was becoming difficult to fill up the 1,491 seats. The promoters decided to transform the old cinema into a multiplex, while also restoring its original art-deco interiors. The cinema was acquired by Adlabs Cinemas
Reliance MediaWorks Limited (RMW) is a film and entertainment services company and a member of the Reliance Group.
The company is one of India's film and entertainment services companies with a presence across several media businesses including ...
and in the start of 2005, the cinema closed down.
The cinema re-opened after renovation in August 2006, screening the Karan Johar film “Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna”. The cinema now has six screens, which are among the largest multiplex screens in Mumbai.Livemint (19 May 2009). Retrieved on 2013-08-17.
References
External links
At Metro Cinema junction, no more darting through traffic
{{DEFAULTSORT:Metro INOX Cinemas in Mumbai Art Deco architecture in India Thomas W. Lamb buildings Buildings and structures completed in 1938 1938 establishments in India