The two words Mumbai and Films come hand in hand. A lot of time the city of Mumbai is considered as a synonym to the Film Industry which is Bollywood. Obviously there has to be a film city here too. So if you are interested in exploring this intricate side of the city, then a visit to the Film City Mumbai is a must. The Goregaon Film City Mumbai is like a one stop destination to gain an insight about films, shootings, history of the Indian Cinema and what not. Moreover you can also gather an insight about the details behind shootings and the post production activities as well. With various sections, zones and packages for the visitors a tour to the Bollywood Film City Mumbai would be too exciting for the visitors.
On a trip to Mumbai if you are interested to explore the filmy side of the city then you need to visit the Film City here. Once you visit there you would get to know how intricate the process of film making is. Also you will gain a fair knowledge about the history of films and its introduction and evolution in India. Keep on reading this article as here I will mention everything that you probably need to know about Film City. This will be a helpful read for you if you are planning a trip to Mumbai Film City soon.
Film City Mumbai
Location: Inside Dadasaheb Phalke Chitranagri Main Gate, Post Aarey Milk Colony, Shivaji Nagar, Goregaon East, Mumbai, Maharashtra
Timings: 10 am to 5 pm on all days of the week
Entry fee: Film City Mumbai entry tickets price per person for Bollywood Dream Tour is Rs. 599. For a 5 hour Mumbai Film City Tour, Film City Mumbai ticket price per person is Rs. 1699. And for the Combination Tour the ticket price per person is Rs. 1099. For a Half Day Bollywood Tour the ticket price is Rs. 6000.
How to reach
By air
If you are travelling by air then the nearest airport to reach here is the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport. From the airport the film city is located at a distance of 13. 7 km. You can easily reach there in about 31 minutes.
By train
The Chhatrapati Shivaji Railway Station and the Mumbai Central Railway Station are the nearest railway stations that are near the Film City Mumbai. From the Chhatrapati Shivaji Railway Station the film city is located at a distance of 34.7 km. It would take a little more than an hour to reach there from the railway station. And from the Mumbai Central Railway Station the film city is 31.1 km away and it would take around an hour to reach there. You can easily take a cab or hire a car to reach the location from the railway stations.
In case of nearby local stations the Goregaon railway station is the nearest railway station that is located 5.3 km away. It would take 16 minutes to reach there from the railway station. You can take a train from Churchgate Railway Station to get down at the Goregaon railway station. From there you can either take a car or a cab to reach the film city. Or else you can also take an auto rickshaw to reach there as well.
By road
You can reach the location from any part of the city. There are buses from nearby locations like Pune or Nashik to reach here. Also if you are travelling within the city you can take the city buses to reach here as well. The nearby bus stop is the Goregaon East Bus Depot. You can also take your own vehicles to reach here as well.
Location on Google Map :
Best time to visit
The ideal time for a visit to the Film City would be from October to March. These are mostly the cooler months in Mumbai and if you are visiting here during this time, it would be more comfortable. With the comfortable weather you will be able to explore the whole area well. However the summer months especially the summer afternoons can be a little too harsh because of the humidity. So you can avoid that time for a visit here. Do plan your visit accordingly.
Overview of Film City
The Film City Mumbai is a location that all film buffs should visit. As the name suggests this is a city in itself which has everything related to films. And when Mumbai is the city of Bollywood films, the visit to the film city would make it even more interesting. Moreover, Film City Mumbai is huge, spreading across 520 acres. With various zones and different sections here you would find a lot of interesting activities to enjoy a full day. There are a total of 16 air conditioned indoor studios here that are packed with entertainment. Along with that there are 42 outdoor locations for shooting. Obviously, now you can understand how interesting a visit to this location can be.
Officially known as the Dadasaheb Phalke Chitra Nagari the Film City Mumbai comes under the administration of Maharashtra Film, Stage and Cultural Development Corporation Limited which is a government organization undertaking. You can find some of the most iconic sets of super hit movies here. These include Amar Akbar Anthony, Sholay, Devdas, Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam, No Entry, Happy New Year, Hera Pheri etc. The iconic scene from the Sholay movie where veteran actor Dharmendra gets on top of the water tank to jump off for Hema Malini was shot at this location. Till today you can find the water tank here.
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The indoor studios here are equally interesting and have various sections. These include hospital, police station, court, helicopter landing area and much more. In total shooting of over 900 films has happened here. Also this location is nothing but one of the landmarks in the city of Mumbai as well. From shootings of mainstream commercial movies to feature films, TV commercials, television shows in both Hindi and Marathi have taken place here. This is undoubtedly one of the most interesting locations that you can visit once you are in Mumbai.
History of Film City
The time when film got introduced in India was the time back in 1896. With the screening of the first feature film Watson Hotel the introduction of films happened in India and Mumbai (then Bombay). However, even if the film was not in native Indian language it still triggered and inspired the Indian creative minds to a lot of extent. Dadasaheb Phalke the pioneer of Indian Cinema who produced the first ever full length motion picture of Indian origin. Later he also produced the iconic epic Raja Harishchandra which was a silent feature film with only male actors in 1913. Back then females were not even in consideration for a position to act in films.
Much later in 1977 when the film industry was already well established and growing with extreme vigour the idea of making a film city evolved. Visionaries of Indian Cinema Like B R Chopra, Shri V Shantaram, Legendary actor Dilip Kumar all came together to establish the Maharashtra Film, Stage and Cultural Development Corporation LTD which is at present popular as the Film City Mumbai.
The Department of Cultural Affairs under the Government of Maharashtra passed the idea under the Company Act 1956 on the 26th September of 1977. Moreover the film city got its name as the Dadasaheb Phalke Chitranagari in 2001 based on the founder and pioneer of the India Film Industry. The then Chief Minister of Maharashtra Mr. Yashwantrao Chavan inaugurated the film city. And since then the Film City Mumbai has been one of the most interesting shoot locations. And at present it is also one of the most important tourist destinations as well.
Film City Mumbai Tour
Bollywood Dream Tour
The Dream Tour in Film City is basically a 2 hour guided tour. Here you will get a tour to see the live sets of shooting, gardens, temple, church, studios, jail, hill view, court house, Khandala Lake, Appu Pappu Maidan, outdoor jungle etc. Other than that what is interesting is you can also check out the backend works that goes behind the scenes. Furthermore the guide will take the visitors through some post production activities as well. It will be overall an insightful experience to get the ideas about the Know-Hows of film shooting and releasing. However this tour has a fixed time and you can only enjoy the tour for 2 hours. Within that strict timeline the guide will complete the tour with explanations on the history and evolution of Indian Cinema. The tour includes some snacks as well.
Mumbai Film City Tour
This is a kind of tour where you will be able to visit live shoots. You can however get a sneak peak of shootings going on at the film city. But also remember that you cannot click photographs during the live shoots. This is one of the great opportunities to spot your favourite actors. A lot of television shoots also take place here along with reality shows. The tourists can also get a chance to be a part of reality shows as a live audience on shows like The Kapil Sharma Show. This tour also includes some light snacks for the visitors.
Half Day Bollywood Tour
This is exclusively a Bollywood Tour in the Film City Mumbai. The tour is specially customized for the audiences to see the live shoots of films as well as shoots of dance shows as well. You can also get an insight about the post production activities that happen behind the scenes as well. This tour includes both snacks and lunch for the visitors.
Wrapping Up!
So that was all about the Film City and what you can find there. You can opt for Film City Mumbai online ticket booking for a hassle free experience. This would be an interesting visit for you if you are a person who loves getting deeper into things. Moreover you might also get a glimpse of your favourite actor or actress as well. So you must plan a visit to the Film City so that you don’t miss out on the fun. Let me know if this article is helpful for you in planning a trip to the Film City.
