16 January,2017 02:42 PM IST | | Mohar Basu and Sonil Dedhia
Santacruz's Lightbox proves unaffordable for Excel Productions; industry hopeful of its resurrection
Katrina Kaif, Farhan Akhtar
File photo of Katrina Kaif arriving for a film screening at Lightbox
On December 20, a star-studded premiere of 'Dangal' was held at Lightbox, which was attended by the Phogats - Mahavir and his wrestler daughters Geeta and Babita, as well as politico Raj Thackeray. Now, sources at the preview theatre, owned by Excel production partners Farhan Akhtar and Ritesh Sidhwani, say it was the last screening there.
Farhan Akhtar
"From January 1, the place remains non-functional. The staff has been paid well in advance and asked to look for alternate jobs. What the bosses plan to do with the place, we don't know. Nobody knows if it has been temporarily shut," a staff member present at Lightbox on Sunday informed.
In 2012, Farhan and Ritesh had launched the private theatre ahead of the release of their film, Talaash. The concept was to let it out to industry folk eager to host intimate gatherings. Before Lightbox, most previews were either held at suburban multiplexes or in Film City. The prime location (Santacruz) and quiet setting was a big attraction for industry insiders.
A source close to Farhan informs, "Ritesh had been nagging Farhan to shut down the place since last year. After some of their films didn't work at the box office, their year-end monetary review showed it was no longer feasible for them to run the theatre. Since the place holds sentimental value for several industry people, they have volunteered to get the place up and running again, but Farhan and Ritesh are yet to take the final call."
Among those keen to resurrect the theatre, Shah Rukh Khan tops the list. "He was planning to host the first screening of Raees (an Excel production) at Lightbox," said the source.
Despite repeated attempts, Farhan and Ritesh didn't respond to messages.
