Mumbai Film Fest to open at newly-restored Royal Opera House!

Image courtesy: PTI

Mumbai: The newly-restored Royal Opera House here will play host to the opening ceremony of Jio MAMI Film Festival on October 20 which will also mark the re-opening of the iconic building.

The royal family of Gondal, owners of the venue, have worked towards the revival and restoration of the building under conservation architect Abha Narain Lambah.

Maharaja of Gondal Vikramsinhji bought the Opera House in 1952 and his son Jyotendrasinhji Jadeja commissioned its restoration in 2009.

"It gives me immense pleasure to see The Royal Opera House being revived back to its original glory," Jyotendra said in a statement.

"We are honoured to have our opening ceremony at the Royal Opera House. We could not have asked for a better host- a host with a legacy that goes back over a hundred years," filmmaker Kiran Rao, who is the festival's chairperson, said.

The heritage building, inaugurated in 1911 by King George V, reflects the grandness of Baroque architecture.

One of the last standing Baroque buildings in Mumbai, the Opera House, with its long standing association with art, literature, theatre, music, has hosted operas and live performances of artists such as Bal Gandharva, Prithviraj Kapoor, Dinanath Mangeshkar and Lata Mangeshkar.