Mumbai’s historic Alexandra Cinema in Byculla may soon lose its long-standing reservation for cinema use, with the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) proposing to allow residential development on the 1,005-square-metre plot.
The proposal will be placed before the BMC Improvement Committee for consideration on Wednesday, August 12. It follows suggestions from the state Urban Development Department (UDD) to review the land-use reservation. If approved, the plot in the Byculla-Nagpada area will be shifted to the Residential/Residential Use Zone.
The property is currently reserved for a movie theatre under Mumbai’s Development Plan. The BMC has now proposed removing this reservation and permitting residential use of the land.
Alexandra Cinema has remained shut since 2007, but it dates back nearly a century. The single-screen theatre had once been known for showing Hollywood films and English-language reruns. However, changing viewing habits and the rise of multiplexes made it difficult to operate the cinema.
The building has also deteriorated. Its physical condition is reported to be extremely poor and has continued to worsen over the years. The move to change the land use comes after applications were submitted by the Maharashtra State Wakf Board and the occupant of the property.
On February 25, 2026, Samir Gulamnabi Kazi, representing the Maharashtra State Wakf Board, approached then-Urban Development Minister Eknath Shinde. He sought the removal of the existing movie theatre reservation from the plot.
A separate application was submitted to the BMC Development Planning Department on March 27, 2026. Rafiq Patel, who is listed as the plot's occupant, requested the change in land use. Then, the BMC made its report on April 6, 2026.
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