Mumbai: The Royal Opera House

 It has not been a good time for lovers of Mumbai’s old landmarks. However, there’s some good news—The Royal Opera House, which was inaugurated in 1912 and closed doors in 1991, will reopen soon after being restored to its former glory. The Opera House, situated on Charni Road, near Girgaum Chowpatty beach, was once the pride of the city’s elite, and hosted, besides ballets, premieres of Bollywood movies, live shows by stars such as Prithviraj Kapoor, Bal Gandharva as well as shows by the French production house Pathé. Restoration work is scheduled to finish by the end of this year. To retain the original style of the building, minton tiles will be repaired and the marble statues, crystal chandeliers, gold ceiling and the side boxes will once again adorn the building to bring the Royal Opera House back to its original grandeur. There will be 26 rows of boxes, which had been replaced when it was converted to a cinema hall in the 1930s.