RK Studios: Why the Kapoors Sold Raj Kapoor's Chembur Lot

RK Studios in Chembur was the headquarters of Raj Kapoor's RK Films, and for decades one of the best-known addresses in Mumbai's film world. In May 2019 the family sold the land to Godrej Properties. The reports explain the fire, the costs and the family's reasoning, and they disagree on a few details.

What the studio was

The Indian Express says Raj Kapoor set up RK Studios in 1948 and that RK Films bankrolled Awaara (1951), Shree 420 (1955), Mera Naam Joker (1970) and Bobby (1973), among others. The Hindu likewise dates it to 1948, while [Rediff.com](http://Rediff.com) says it was set up in 1950, so the founding year differs by outlet. Rediff adds that films from Awara to Ram Teri Ganga Maili were shot there.

The Indian Express describes a Ganapati festival that Raj Kapoor started at the studio, which continued until the family's last celebration there in 2018.

The fire

The Hindu reports that a massive fire broke out on Sept. 16, 2017 on the sets of the television show Super Dancer Season Two, gutting the studio's Stage 1. It was brought under control after four hours and damaged electrical installations, shooting equipment, clothes, imitation jewellery, furniture and decoration equipment.

Rishi Kapoor tweeted that the fire caused the "loss of irreplaceable memorabilia and costumes of all RK Films". The Indian Express says the lost items included old posters, the puppets from Mera Naam Joker, the tramp shoes from Awara and several costumes.

The decision to sell

According to the Indian Express, Rishi Kapoor said in an August 2018 interview that the family had jointly decided to sell after the fire destroyed the memorabilia, adding that rebuilding the stage and maintaining the studio was too expensive while returns stayed minimal. Rediff says the announcement caused an uproar, with some people suggesting the government take over the site and build a national film museum.

Randhir Kapoor, the eldest son, who took over the studio when Raj Kapoor died in 1988 according to The Hindu, gave a further reason to The Quint, as quoted by the Indian Express: "With the state of the roads and traffic today, no actor comes to Chembur to shoot in this studio. They would rather go to Film City." He called it a decision made "with a very heavy heart".

The deal

Godrej Properties announced the purchase on a Friday in May 2019. The land covers 2.2 acres on Sion-Panvel Road, and the company planned a mixed-use project with about 33,000 square metres of saleable area, made up of apartments and luxury retail, according to its filing as quoted by The Hindu.

The price was not disclosed. The Hindu BusinessLine puts the market value at around Rs 200 crore, and Rediff calls close to Rs 200 crore the industry estimate. Both are estimates, not announced figures. Randhir Kapoor said in the company statement that the property had been of "tremendous significance" to his family and that they were excited to have chosen Godrej Properties "to script a new chapter".

Why it mattered to the city

Rediff describes the sale as the end of an era for Bollywood and one of the largest blocks of real estate to go under the hammer in the eastern suburbs.

Godrej's Pirojsha Godrej said the company would seek to celebrate "the remarkable legacy of this site". We did not find a published plan for a memorial or museum on the land.

What we could not confirm

We could not confirm the price, since neither side disclosed it. The founding year is reported as 1948 and 1950. We did not read any later report on the state of construction, and we do not know what now stands on the site. The family quotes come from statements and interviews reported by the outlets listed below.

Sources

*Cover photo: Amarjit Chandan, Wikimedia Commons, *[*https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Raj_Kapoor-Balraj_Sahni-Georgia_-_1954.png*](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Raj_Kapoor-Balraj_Sahni-Georgia_-_1954.png)* (CC BY 4.0).*