When you think of Mumbai and architecture, a few structures come to mind: there’s the Gateway of India, Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus and Rajabai Clock Tower. However, this list isn’t complete without the mention of Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan’s iconic bungalow, Mannat, which stands tall in Bandra, the suburbs of the city.Thousands of Shah Rukh Khan fans from India and across the world throng the
bungalow each day to catch a glimpse of the star, who often graces the crowds from his balcony, especially on occasions such as his birthday and on festivals like Eid.AdvertisementHowever, now Mannat and the superstar have attracted the wrong type of attention. The bungalow has now come under the National Green Tribunal’s (NGT) scanner after an activist has claimed that there are violations in the renovation plan.What’s going on? We explain.Mannat under NGT scannerEarlier this week, reports had come in that Shah Rukh and his family would be moving out of their iconic home as it had to undergo renovations. According to a report, at the behest of his wife, Gauri Khan, additional floors are being added to the annexe, which will expand the property’s total built-up area by at least 616.02 square metres.However, this plan has hit a roadblock after an activist alleged violations in the renovation plan, urging the National Green Tribunal (NGT) to step in and pause the work. A Bar and Bench report said that activist Santosh Daundkar approached the NGT, accusing the star and the Maharashtra Coastal Zone Management Authority (MCZMA) of violations in securing the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) clearance necessary for renovations at Mannat.Bollywood actor Shahrukh Khan acknowledges the greetings of his fans who had gathered outside his residence, Mannat, in Mumbai. The actor has grand plans to renovate the bungalow, but it has hit a roadblock. File image/PTIThe superstar’s bungalow has been adjudged as a Grade III heritage structure in Mumbai and hence, needs permission from authorities to make any structural changes.In his appeal, Daundkar has raised several concerns about violations, claiming that Khan’s actions are part of a history of CRZ violations. Elaborating on this, he filed in his papers that the actor had demolished two “heritage structures” without obtaining the required environmental clearance from the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.Editor’s Picks1Shah Rukh Khan rents two luxury duplex apartments in Mumbai for Rs 8.7 crore for three years from film producer Vashu Bhagnani2Shah Rukh Khan to get Rs 9 crore refund for his house Mannat from government; here’s what happenedHe further alleged that the actor constructed a “Ground plus six-storied building without mandatory permission from the MCZMA”.A Bar and Bench report also stated that Daundkar has raised concerns about the construction of a basement at Mannat, which is six metres below ground level. He contends that this involved the illegal extraction of “substantial minor minerals and groundwater,” both of which are prohibited activities under CRZ regulations.AdvertisementIn his appeal, he also pointed out that Khan had allegedly committed fraud by constructing “12 number of one-bedroom-hall-kitchen flats for mass housing” and later combined them into a luxury single-family residence. This, he argues, is a violation of provisions of the Urban Land (Ceiling and Regulation) Act, 1976.NGT steps inReacting to Daundkar’s allegations, the NGT has now asked the activist to provide evidence on the same within the next four weeks, with a hearing scheduled for April 23.The NGT in its order noted, “If any violation of the above procedure has been committed by the Project Proponent or the MCZMA, the same may be submitted by the appellant specifically along with the evidence in support of that, within four weeks, failing which we would be left with no option but to dismiss the present appeal for non-compliance of the order of this Tribunal, at the stage of admission itself,” a coram of Judicial Member Dinesh Kumar Singh and Expert Member Vijay Kulkarni said, as per the Bar and Bench.AdvertisementWhat this means is that Daundkar has a month’s time to prove his allegations or the case will be thrown out and Shah Rukh Khan would be permitted to go ahead with the renovations he wishes to carry out.History of MannatShah Rukh Khan purchased the iconic bungalow situated in Bandra in 2001 for reportedly Rs 13.01 crore. As of December 2024, Mannat’s estimated value was around Rs 200 crore.It is said that the actor fell in love with the house while shooting for the song Bas itna sa khwab hain in his movie Yes Boss in 1997. This prompted him to purchase it in 2001. In her coffee table book, My Life in Design, Gauri Khan pens the story of how they bought the house and the
initial struggles they had about it. Shah Rukh has also mentioned the financial struggle they faced when they bought the bungalow and tried to furnish it.AdvertisementShah Rukh Khan bought the bungalow, situated in Mumbai’s Bandra area in 2001 for reportedly Rs 13.01 crore. File image/News18However, there’s a storied history behind this structure that dates back as far as the late 1800s. As per Bharat Gothoskar, city chronicler and founder of Khaki Heritage Foundation and Mumbai-based history enthusiast Debasish Chakraverty, the bungalow was originally built by Raja Bijai Sen, the Raja of Mandi (former princely state in present-day Himachal Pradesh), for one of his ranis (queens).Chakraverty notes that following the demise of Raja Bijai Sen’s in December 1902, the bungalow was sold by the princely state to Perin Maneckji Batliwala of Girgaum in 1915. Perin Maneckji Batliwala named his newly acquired mansion “Villa Vienna” because of his fondness for Viennese music,” Chakraverty told Indian Express, adding that old-timers still prefer to call the building Villa Vienna.AdvertisementThe story goes further that Batliwala sold the bungalow to his sister Khurshedbai Sanjana and her husband. Since Khurshedbai Sanjana had no children of her own, she willed the property to her sister Goolbanu. It was then inherited by the latter’s son, Nariman Dubash.However, this isn’t the only tale. The Gandhy family, who lived in a building adjacent to Mannat, have an alternate history to share. They note that Villa Vienna was built by Kekoo Gandhy’s maternal grandfather, Maneckji Bottlewala — not Batliwala.“Maneckji Bottlewala travelled to Europe in the 1920s and fell in love with Vienna. The neoclassical architectural revival in the late 18th and 19th centuries captured his imagination. Upon his return to Bombay, he purchased a plot of land next to the newly built Kekee Manzil, where his eldest daughter, Roshan (Kekoo’s mother), lived after her marriage. On this plot, he recreated his version of classical splendour, characterised by grandeur of scale, simplicity of geometric forms, and Doric columns on the façade, and named it Villa Vienna,” Adil Gandhy, son of gallerist, collector, and art connoisseur Kekoo Gandhy, known for pioneering the promotion of Indian modern art, told Indian Express.However, by the 1930s he was forced to sell the house to his sister and it passed down to her nephews — Nani and Maneck Dubash.Eventually, the bungalow was sold to diamond merchant Bharat Shah. Shah Rukh Khan later purchased the property from him.With inputs from agenciesMore from Explainers
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Why Shah Khan’s grand plans to renovate his house Mannat might crumble
