This temple in Mumbai does not have a permanent idol

The temple is in the Filmcity

Credit: Special arrangement

Credit: Special arrangement

Credit: Special arrangement

Credit: Special arrangement

Most people, who watch Hindi movies or tele-serials, would surely have seen this. But perhaps they are not aware of finer details of this temple.

To have a ‘darshan’ of this temple, one would need to visit the Dadasaheb Phalke Chitranagari - popularly known as Filmcity - which is located in the Goregaon suburbs of Mumbai.

However, you need to sign up for guided tours.

Adjacent to the Sanjay Gandhi National Park, the temple is one of the facilities inside the Filmcity complex.

“We have 16 studios and umpteen filming locations including the helipad, lake, court, church, temple, reserve garden, forest, wildlife, water bodies, mountains, valleys, grounds and many others,” said Avinash Dhakane, the Managing Director of Maharashtra Film, State & Cultural Development Corporation Ltd, which runs the Filmcity.

For directors and producers, the Filmcity temple and the adjacent road and ground are some of the popular sites.

“We have seen this temple in several films and television serials. It is actually a temple structure. As per the needs of the content, the idols change to Hanuman, Ganesh, Shiva, Krishna, Ram-Laxman-Sita, Laxmi and so on. Production teams get these idols and once the shoot is over, they are removed. Sometimes the temple is painted accordingly,” says veteran writer and film analyst Navin Kumar.

The Filmcity is popular among film buffs, tourists and individual content creators.

“It's very popular among the tourists,” said Jay Mijgar, Managing Director, Bollywood Park, an initiative for tourists. “We run a guided tour which involves visiting famous locations like the temple, helipad, church, lake,” he said.

The three tours are - Bollywood Park Tour, Mumbai Filmcity Tour and a combo of both.

The Filmcity started in 1977, but the temple facility came into being in the nineties.

“Bollywood is the world’s second largest movie and music industry and India's largest. The incredible colours, music, dancing and action of the movies have captured the attention of the world and rapidly gained more fans worldwide. This tour gives you a chance to step into a magical, mesmerizing world of Bollywood right in the heart of Mumbai. You will hear about its famous names and your guide will give you priceless insight into the filmmaking process that has made India’s movies so unique against the rest of the global films," added Mijgar.