Cine-files: The Regal, Mumbai

This week's Cine-files review is from Lorraine Simpson, who runs a monthly film discussion club in Edinburgh. Location: This building is a beacon in its own right, having towered over Mumbai's busy Colaba Causeway roundabout for almost 80 years. It is located directly opposite the Prince of Wales Museum and is a mere stone's throw from the subcontinent's most famous landing point, the Gateway of India monument. The building: Resplendent in yellow, the Regal lives up to its name; it is a striking original 1930s building. The exterior is in need of a paint job but inside you'll find a cinema packed with classic art deco designs and restored fittings. There's only one screen, and the auditorium is made from a series of huge curved balconies with velvet-lined seats. Mirrored corridors and heavy wooden doors lead to a wine bar on the upper levels, and there's a food hall in the entrance area. The cinema was opened in 1933 and is famed for being the first movie theatre in India to have air-conditioning and an underground car park. The clientele: Unusually for an Indian cinema, you won't find the Regal surrounded by queues of young men pushing and shoving to get tickets. Instead, it quietly attracts Mumbai's growing community of affluent middle-class professionals, students and artists. It's also popular with expats keen to view English-language films in opulent surroundings. The programme: Hollywood and Bollywood blockbusters dominate the cinema's listing schedule. Films have a short shelf-life here so you have to catch them while they're hot. With only one screen available you'll find Harry Potter alternating with popular Indian films such as Rowdy Rathore. Further comments: This cinema is a reason in itself to visit Mumbai. I think it's one of the great "ordinary" picture houses – a place that inspires loyalty and affection. Its mainstream programme won't appeal to film buffs but it's a beautiful spot for watching fun and popular movies. Aesthetics aside, it has played a part in history, offering shelter during the Mumbai terrorist attacks and, as the cinema closest to the Gateway of India, providing a first (or last) opportunity to have a cinematic experience in the country. Being both a travel and a film addict, I've watched movies in countless cinemas around the world; my visits to the Regal have been some of the most memorable. It's not just the building – it's the grumpy security guards, the scale of the screen, the large seats and the mid-point interval for cigarettes (irrespective of what is happening in the film). Most of all it's the feeling of being somewhere that has been enjoyed by movie lovers for decades. All in all, the Regal is a standout cinema worthy of recording for posterity and praise in the Cine-file vaults. The Twitter view ‏@ShibaniBathija Art deco, velvet curtains, a balcony and stall spells cinema royalty of faded splendor. @arjunbali Cinema watching as it was meant to be: a classic theatre with its magic intact. @gaurivij An art deco cinema hall in south Mumbai, Regal transports you to an older era where the tickets were cheaper. ‏@russellphoto If it hasn't changed, the Regal is the place for a great Indian movie experience; popcorn, chai, national anthem & Bollywood!