Visit Bollywood Star Homes
Unfortunately, his house is on a street corner. Not that fans of the living legend really care. Much to the annoyance of motorists and the Mumbai Traffic Police, diehard fans of superstar Amitabh Bachchan have made this Bollywood actor’s house a traffic-stopper and a landmark.
Judging by the adulation of the superstar’s fans, nay ‘devotees’, ‘Jalsa’, located in upscale Juhu in Mumbai, is almost a temple to Bachchan. And fans, both young and old, regularly throng the heavily guarded, dark brown gate while others steal a glimpse from higher ground, on the traffic divider plum in the middle of the road.
But Sundays and festive occasions witness a virtual free-for-all at this Bolllywood actor’s house. Playing to the gallery, Bachchan is known to make a cameo appearance for hungry fans, waving to them from this verandah and sometimes handing out autographs at his gate. If you’re lucky, you might even get to touch the man who set the big screen on fire in the 1970s.
But why is Amitabh Bachchan’s house such a huge draw? The swashbuckling star, who started his film career in the late 1960s, ruled the box office for more than three decades. Owning a place in Indian cinematic history, he is remembered for his roles as ‘an angry young man’ and an action hero, which captured the imagination of almost every Indian. And when he’s not hosting TV shows, he’s still acting today!
Amitabh Bachchan’s house has thus acquired the superstar’s charisma and personality and you can almost hear his baritone resonating through the sloping roof of his bungalow. Even though the high walls don’t give away much, this star home enjoys top billing among Bollywood actors’ houses in Mumbai.
Next only to ‘Jalsa’ is Galaxy Apartments at Bandstand in Bandra, where Salman-crazy fans create a traffic bottleneck on weekends. Turning their backs on the glorious seaface, their eyes upturned, they fix their unwavering gaze on the first-floor balcony of Salman Khan’s house. The actor is only too happy to oblige, making a special appearance in the verandah every so often.
For many, waiting for hours outside this Bollywood actor’s house is worth it even if only for a fleeting glimpse at the tinted glass windows of his car as it pulls out of the driveway. The rest is imagination… an actor who’s delivered countless box-office hits; a lover with a temper and tumultuous love life; and a star who, drunk and speeding, ran over pavement dwellers in the dead of night killing one of them.
Not far from Galaxy Apartments is another Bollywood actor’s house which, like the actor himself, belongs to a very different genre than Bachchan. Shah Rukh Khan’s house, once a heritage villa, stands on a small incline, reflecting the morning, noon and evening sun as it bounces off the window panes.
The run-in with the local authorities over ‘altering’ a heritage structure has left no impact on SRK’s legion of fans; neither as the Khans’ run-in with priests from the neighbouring Retreat House when the actor’s under-construction basement parking lot disturbed the peace.
The bungalow is perched at the end of Bandstand, alongside the remains of the old Bandra fort, the classy Bandra-Worli Sealink and a luxury hotel. Its super prime location completes the tapestry for curious tourists anxious to look at how the ‘other half’ lives.
It is rumoured that the actor paid Rs 13 crore for the rambling house when he bought it in 2001, exactly half of what Shilpa ‘Poppadum’ Shetty’s fiancé is rumoured to have shelled out for a home in Juhu.
Shilpa Shetty’s house in Mumbai comprises the ground and first floor apartments in a sea-facing building, home and hearth when the actor is in Mumbai. That’s because Shetty, a Bollywood star remembered more for her faceoff with the late Jade Goody in the 2007 edition of the British reality show Big Boss, is an ‘international citizen’.
She’s bought a home in Weybridge in Surrey, southeast of
Yes, Bollywood stars have classically been partial to two addresses in Mumbai – Pali Hill in Bandra and Juhu and surrounding neighbourhoods in Andheri.
But it would have to be Pali Hill, Bandra, that wins hands-down on aura and ambience. This quiet, leafy neighbourhood is called the Beverly Hills of Mumbai, home to the rich and famous.
It’s a 2-kilometre undulating stretch and one of the most expensive real estate in Mumbai. Originally a thick forest atop a small hillock, Pali Hill began to develop in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, when a number of wealthy families settled here.
The shift took place when ‘old money’ turned its nose up at ‘new money’ in South Mumbai and the nouveau riche (read business families) couldn’t move in to places like Altamount Road, Pedder Road and Napean Sea Road. So they pitched tent at Bandra’s Pali Hill.
Today, Pali Hill is home to an overwhelming number of Bollywood actor’s houses. Lined with greenery and palatial bungalows that hide behind massive boundary walls, it became a Bollywood address only in the mid-20th century.
It was a trend many attribute to veteran actor Dilip Kumar, who bought an old Italian-style villa and moved in here, the first Bollywood star to sport this address. This started a tradition of sorts in the Hindi film industry, with every other actor then vying for a piece of this prime neighbourhood.
In true Bollywood style, the main curvy road that runs through Pali Hill has been named
But if real-estate developers have their way, Pali Hill residents may soon have to give up their exclusive, cloistered lifestyle. A crop of skyscrapers is about to be built, with flats measuring 1,300 to 2,000 sq mt each, massive by Mumbai’s standards. And the price tag? $1,900 per sq mt. That’s $380,000 for an apartment!
The towers are certain to change the landscape of Pal Hill, replete with Bollywood actors’ houses tucked behind tall walls that keep prying eyes out. When the new towers fill up, will it be curtains for the exclusivity of this once-classy neighbourhood?
Bollywood Tourism gives you a glimpse at what most fans would die for but don’t get to see: the inside story on our Star Homes. What’s more, BT takes you on a guided tour in a luxury coach plus we give you the lowdown on each star, making it personal and informative. Sign up for a once-in-a-lifetime experience with the only tour company that gives you the complete package.
