Metro INOX Cinemas (formerly Metro Big Cinema (2008–2016), Metro Adlabs (2006–2008) and Metro Cinema (1938–2006)) is an

Art Deco Art Deco, short for the French (), is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design that first Art Deco in Paris, appeared in Paris in the 1910s just before World War I and flourished in the United States and Europe during the 1920 ...

''Heritage grade IIA'' multiplex

Movie theatre A movie theater (American English) or cinema (English in the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth English), also known as a movie house, cinema hall, picture house, picture theater, the movies, the pictures, or simply theater, is a business ...

Mumbai Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial capital and the most populous city proper of India with an estimated population of 12 ...

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

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, commonly shortened to MGM or MGM Studios) is an American Film production, film and television production and film distribution, distribution company headquartered ...

(MGM). The main architect of the cinema was

Thomas W. Lamb Thomas White Lamb (May 5, 1870 – February 26, 1942) was a Scottish-born, American architect. He was one of the foremost designers of theaters and cinemas of the 20th century. Career Born in Dundee, Scotland, United Kingdom, Thomas W. Lamb ca ...

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

, 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 ("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 washed. In British times, d ...

area of Mumbai. The

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 Indian cinema.Al The Filmfare ceremony is one of the most famous film events in India. The awards were introduced by Filmfare magazine of The Times G ...

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, is primarily produced in Mumbai. The popular term Bollywood is a portmanteau of "Bombay" (former name of Mumbai) and "Cinema of the United States, Hollywood". The in ...

'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 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.The math doesn't add up for Mumbai's Art Deco cinemas
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