At one time,Naaz Cinema building used to epitomise film distribution. Business worth crores of rupees used to be transacted in this building which housed distribution offices of almost all top Bombay distributors and exhibitors including G.P. Sippy, N.N. Sippy, Thadanis, Gulshan Rai, Prakash Pictures, Pranlal Doshi, Ahujas, Nadiadwalas, Chhabrias, Bohras, Ramesh Sippy, Inder Raj Kapoor, Haresh Bhatia, Dilip Dhanwani, Tolu Bajaj, etc. This was before corporates made the scene following which independent distributors began losing their importance. However, Naaz building continued to retain its flavour over time.
The building, taken on lease by R.P. Anand, has been an eyesore since many years as Anand refused to spend on its repairs, maintenance and upkeep. It used to not be a rarity that one of the two lifts in the seven-storey building was out of order. At times, both the lifts were non-functional! Distributors and exhibitors used to reach their offices on the top floors, puffing and panting. All pleas by the celebrity tenants fell on deaf ears as R.P. Anand and his son, Twinkle, simply refused to budge. Twinkle recently passed away, and his son has now taken over, but the grandfather-grandson duo are no different from the father-son duo of yore. The aim of this story is not to criticise anyone as, one is sure, the Anands would be having their reasons for doing what they did.
Around a fortnight back, there was a short circuit in Naaz building which caused heavy damage in several offices in the building. Not only are the offices in dark as electricity has still not been restored but the false ceiling in many of the offices has caved in, damaging furniture in the process. Water logging in the offices and the corridors of the building even today serves as a grim reminder of the apathy of the landlords as well as the tenants. The condition of the nerve centre of film distribution today is much like the condition of Bollywood as both lie battered and bruised, the latter from the public outcry against it after some insiders instigated them against Bollywood. Today, Naaz cinema building, with around a hundred offices, lies in a pathetic condition… just as Bollywood does. The cinema, which the building houses, is, of course, closed since several years.
It may be mentioned here that there was talk about the nearby Sir H.N. Reliance Foundation Hospital And Research Centre (erstwhile Hurkisondas Hospital) taking over the Naaz Cinema building. As it is, R.P. Anand’s lease of the building is reportedly about to expire soon. That may explain his lack of interest in carrying out any repairs whatsoever. Anyway, whether the Hospital buys out Naaz building or not, the building itself is in dire straits and needs urgent ‘admission’ into the ICU of a hospital!
