The History Of Mehboob Studios In 1 Minute

Standing on No.100 Hill Road, the very popular Mehboob Studios in Mumbai has been a spectator to some of Bollywood’s most legendary movies. It is spread over an area of 20,000 square yards and includes five different shooting stages.
The spectacular studio was founded by the famous Mehboob Khan. He wanted an area near the heart of Mumbai, and finally settled for the seaside Bandra. The studio staged an ample numbers of movie, including Filmfare Awards winner, Mother India, Amar, Aurat and Andaaz. Andaaz was the film which gave Dilip Kumar his rise to stardom. The studio soon turned into a beautiful playground for directors to project their vision onto the silver screen. Guru Dutt’s iconic movie Kaagaz ke Phool, Devanand’s Hum Dono and Guide all hail from this historical studio. Indeed, historical is an apt term; the last movie shot inside these walls under Mehboob Productions was The Son of India, 40 years ago.

Mehboob died in the year 1964, leaving his family in enormous debt. The family struggled hard to pay it off and production was halted indefinitely. It was the ending of an era. The studio was once again revived when the rights to Mother India were reverted to the family. At that time, a recording studio was also added. Years later, an unfortunate fire broke out, gutting stages 1 and 2. But the studio still survives and reinvented itself by hosting an exhibition by sculptor Anish Kapoor, and later acting as the venue for the Mahindra Blues Festival for two consecutive years in 2011 and 2012.