Ganga and Jamuna cinemas at Tardeo in Bombay, which have been shut since many years, will soon be demolished. They have come in the list of dilapidated buildings of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC).
The twin cinemas are owned by Gul Achhra who acquired the property in 1988 from its original owners. The cinemas were shut when Achhra stepped in. He carried out extensive renovation and revived them. But Ganga closed down in 2000 while Jamuna followed suit six years later. The condition of the twin theatres has deteriorated so badly that the building has finally made it to the notorious list of dilapidated structures of the BMC. There were plans in between to convert the twin cinemas into multiplexes but they did not materialise. Towards the end of their running, the cinemas used to screen C-grade sex films which were seen mostly by young men craving for some ‘hot’ stuff to make them forget their day-to-day frustrations. But the cinemas have had their golden innings too. Dulhan Wahi Jo Piya Man Bhaaye, Kaalia and Ganga Ki Saugand were among the films which ran at these cinemas which were iconic at one time.