Built 150 years ago, the bungalow fulfilled Shah Rukh Khan's many 'wishes'

 It would not be wrong to say that the luxurious bungalow of the 'King ofBollywood,d' ShahrukhKhan,n inthe Bandraa area ofMumbaii is one of the most famous places in the city.

 

 

Shah Rukh frequently greets his thousands of fans from the balcony of this six-storey bungalow, 'Manat,' which spans over 27 thousand square feet. It now feels as though Shah Rukh Khan has always been associated with 'Mant'.

 

However, the truth is that about 150 years ago, Vijay Sen, the 16th Raja of Mandi state, built this bungalow for his wife.

 

He named this bungalow 'Villa Viana.' During that period, this bungalow was considered one of the most beautiful in the city.

 

Manakji Batliwala, a wealthy Parsi man, purchased the bungalow after Raja Vijay Sen passed away.

 

Some time after buying this place, the Batliwala family also bought the land adjacent to the bungalow and built another bungalow on it. He named this second bungalow 'Kiki Manzil' after his grandson, Kiku Gandhi.

 

Kiko Gandhi, a prominent figure in Bombay's art culture, first established a successful business manufacturing painting frames. Subsequently, he established the Bombay Art Society, the Jahangir Art Gallery, and the National Gallery of India. He also played an important role in establishing Modern Art and the Lalit Kala Academy.

 

During this period, those interested in painting and art, including famous artists like MF Hussain, Tayyab Mehta, and SH Raza, used to spend most of their time in these twin bungalows.

 

Over the coming years, Villa Ayana (Mant) kept changing owners, and finally Villa Viana, built by Raja Vijay Sen, became King Khan's dream home.

 

The Home of Bollywood Stars 

Even before Shah Rukh Khan bought this bungalow, this house has been the abode of many Bollywood stars—at least in film life.

 

Before Shahrukh Khan bought this bungalow, it was rented out for shooting, and many commercials, TV serials, and movies have been shot here.

 

In the background of the famous song 'Kisi ki Smrika Par Ho Nisar,' filmed on Raj Kapoor in the 1959 film 'Anari,' Bangla Mant is the only song seen in the background.

 

Actor Feroze Khan lived in this bungalow in the 1970 film Safar.

 

In the film Raja Rani, Rajesh Khanna, known as India's first superstar, portrayed a thief. One night in the film, the thief enters the same luxurious bungalow to steal.

 

In addition, it served as Madhuri Dixit's home in the renowned 1989 film 'Acid.' Anil Kapoor and his friends celebrated by dancing to the song 'Ek Do Three' on the lawn of the same bungalow.

 

Director Shashi Lal Nair also used this bungalow in his film 'Angar.' Kadir Khan portrayed the Godfather in this film, featuring numerous shots of this bungalow.

 

The most striking coincidence is that Shah Rukh also appeared in one of these bungalows. The 1997 film 'Yes Boss' features this bungalow as a backdrop in the song 'Bas Atna Sa Khabaam Hai'.

 

During the filming of this film, Shah Rukh fell in love with this bungalow, situated in front of the sea, as it seemed like a beautiful dream to him.

 

 

 

Shah Rukh Khan, who came to Bombay in 1991, did not have his own home in the early years. Sometimes they would stay at producer Vivek Vaswani's house, and sometimes they would camp at director Aziz Mirza's house.

 

Then, after achieving success in the movie 'Duniya' and becoming a star, he purchased a flat on the seventh floor of a multi-storied apartment building on Carter Road.

 

It was his first house in Mumbai, but as his fame grew, he desired a larger home. Almost five years later, their dream of buying a 'dream home' came true. The once-named 'Villa Vienna' by the sea has not only a new owner, but also a new name.

 

Shahrukh had previously named this house 'Jannat,' but subsequently changed it to 'Manat.'

 

Shahrukh Khan revealed this to the media last year during the launch of his wife's book, 'My Life in Design.'

 

"We bought it, but it was so dilapidated we had to rebuild it," he said. Consequently, we lacked the necessary funds to decorate it. I used to earn the amount the designer was asking for in a single month.

 

He further said that 'Then I said to my wife, Gori, Listen, why don't you become a home designer?" So basically, that's how the vow started: whatever money we made over the years, we bought little things for the house.'

 

In the years to come, Shah Rukh renovated the bungalow. People from the film industry who got a chance to visit this bungalow often mention its glory.

 

This Grade 3 heritage bungalow with vintage and contemporary design has 15 bedrooms, a gym, a swimming pool, a boxing ring, a library, and Shah Rukh Khan's office.

 

'Mumbai, where my beautiful home 

If we look at Shah Rukh's life, just one year before he shifted to the bungalow, Shah Rukh faced a major shock when his first film as a producer, 'Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani,' flopped badly.

 

They suffered huge losses. After that, 'Josh,' 'One Two Ka Four,' and 'Ashoka' also failed to achieve any significant success.

 

The media at the time reported that Shahrukh's career was on the decline. It is known in the film industry that after buying 'Manat,' Shah Rukh achieved unprecedented success in his life.

 

Successive blockbuster films like 'Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham,' 'Devdas,' 'Chalte Chalte,' 'Kal Ho Na Ho,' 'Main Hoon Na,' and 'Veer Zaara' made him the biggest star in the country. made

 

Each house probably brings with it new luck. Manat had fulfilled many of Shahrukh's vows.

 

During an interview in Delhi in the year 2016, I asked Shah Rukh a question about whether he still calls Delhi his home or Mumbai.

 

Shah Rukh responded, saying, "When I come to Delhi, all the memories come back and my eyes get wet, but now Mumbai is home, where I have a beautiful home."