‘Shrine’ of Rajinikanth fans to make way for a 34-storey high-rise housing a multiplex.
The multiplex monster has gobbled up yet another landmark single screen theatre in the city. The Aurora cinema in Matunga (East), considered to be a shrine by Rajinikanth fans, will soon make way for a 34-storey high-rise. The movie magic will continue on its first two floors, where there will be a four-screen multiplex. And above that, will be an 11-level automated car parking facility.
Aurora’s redevelopment had been on the cards ever since the theatre owners sold the land rights to Atithi Developers two years ago. Aiming to build a 34-storey structure in place of the two-storey theatre house, the developers have decided to make full use of the FSI incentive the state government is offering for allowing public parking on private land.
Of the proposed 11-storey car park, six floors (from fourth to ninth), along with parking facilities at the multiplex, have been earmarked for public parking. The state is offering an FSI bonus of up to 50% of a built up area reserved for public parking.
The traffic department, said a source, has already ratified the parking proposal at the venue. It will now be placed before a five-member high-powered committee, headed by the municipal commissioner, for its approval. The floors above the 11-level parking lot will house commercial offices.
Built in the early Forties, the Aurora theatre has played Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam flicks, catering to the predominantly South Indian pockets in Sion, Matunga and Dharavi. The theatre owners said that they had given in to the demands of the changing times.
“Cinema viewing is no more just about watching a film. The modern audience wants good food, better seats, and a wide range of films, among other things,” Raju, co-owner of Aurora, said. He, however, assured that the new look would not take away the theatre’s USP — South Indian flicks. “There is a plan to reserve one of the screens for regional films,” he said.
With the makeover work expected to begin soon, the theatre that ran full-house for days on end every time it played a Rajinikanth movie, will, perhaps, not be screening the southern superstar’s upcoming movie, Endhiran — The Robot, slated for an April 2010 release. Raju said that the work would take at least two years to complete. So, there would be no screening till then.
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