Origins of SRK's Mannat and Emergence of Fan Culture in Mumbai's Bandra!

Being an outsider, on her first trip to Mumbai from Haridwar, along with other plans, Yuvika Abrol had kept one entire day of her itinerary to just spend it around Mannat, Shah Rukh Khan's house. "After spending on travelling and hotels for my Mumbai visit, I still kept one day aside to just have a nice look at his house, not even the celebrity but just the house, such is the impact of Shah Rukh Khan on people," Abrol, now, a Navi Mumbai resident, recalls while talking to Local Samosa. Just like Abrol, the dream house of Khan might have attracted a number of tourists to Bandra's neighbourhood and it seems only justified by the rich history and legacy of one of the most expensive things owned by the star. 

A stroll through the Mannat, however, surely narrates the story of change. While the old board with ‘Mannat’ written on it got replaced with the new diamond-studded plaque displaying the same name with which this bungalow of SRK is famous, the street itself upholds the tales of changes, which was brought in by SRK himself when he started owing this bungalow.

From the anti-nazi links to space for art

Reportedly, Mannat, which is now as iconic as the star, Shah Rukh Khan has its roots going to the man who had escaped Nazi-occupied Austria. The origin of the history takes us to two houses; Villa Vienna, which is now a place of pilgrimage located on the Bandstand in Bandra, and the other, known as Kekee Manzil, located almost next to it. Both the houses were owned by one family back in time. But even before that, in the latter part of the 19th century, the 16th Raja of Mandi, Bijai Sen built a property for his wife on the Bandstand, named Villa Vienna. 

Unlike the current Bandstand, it would have had nothing similar but it was still a beauty. After Bijai Sen’s death, however, a Parsi gentleman Maneckji Batliwala bought the property. His grandson Kaikhushru Minochair Gandhy, fondly known as Kekoo Gandhy, later handled the property. Born in a Parsi family that ran a tobacco business, Kekoo studied at the Cathedral and John Connon School in Bombay and later also went to Cambridge University.

Around the same time, in 1938, Europe was witnessing tension, especially the Jewish community as they were being persecuted by the Nazis. The situations there made Walter Langhammer, a fine painter from Austria flee to Bombay as he upheld anti-Nazi feelings and his wife was also Jewish. His connections and knowledge of art also made him the Art director of the Times of India. It was then that Langhammer and Kekoo Gandhy met at art circle socials and got along. Kekoo could not help but be impressed by Langhammer’s knowledge and interest in Indian art. 

In the early 1940, Kekoo also met a fine gentleman from Belgium, Roger Van Damme whose father was a traditional frame maker. It was Roger’s idea that India would be a great market for selling frames and Kekoo liked it as much as to set up a company for manufacturing frames along with his brother in 1941. Initially, it was named Chemical Moulding Manufacturing Company, but later got the abbreviation, Chemould.

Just making business could not satisfy Kekoo as he wanted to provide space for the Indian artists who were relying on the wayside with no space or litter to sell their art for a living. He and Käthe Langhammer, Walter’s wife, would often also use the salon of the Bombay Art Society to host solo exhibitions for the young artists. Kekoo also worked as joint honorary secretary of the Society from 1948 to 1952. While he was crucial in forming the Jehangir Art Gallery, the National Gallery of Modern Art in Bombay, and also the Lalit Kala Academy, he would also open his own home Kekee Manzil, for the talented and young budding artists. 

Kekoo also made sure that his framing company had the latest artwork from these artists. As per reports, the Parsi and Jews who had also fled to India helped in this regard. Kekoo even claimed that Naval Tata, Ratan Tata’s father, had once bought 10-12 paintings. Kekoo’s business grew over time and also became the largest in Asia, as per reports with exports to other parts of the world. Back in 1963, Kekoo also established the Gallery Chemould in a small space on the first floor of the Jehangir Art Gallery.  While it was India’s first commercial art gallery, Kekoo worked to create such spaces.

Seeing the property of Villa Vienna, Kekoo's father also bought the plot next to it and constructed a huge sprawling mansion to name it after Kekoo, ‘Kekee Manzil’. It is said that the young Kekoo would visit both houses that stood next to each other. However, his maternal grandfather who owned Villa Vienna couldn’t keep it and it was passed down to his sister, who sold it to a promoter eventually. Meanwhile, there are reports that Villa Vienna kept appearing in the movies like 'Anari', 'Safar', 'Tezab', 'Angaar' and more spanning though various decades. 

A bungalow and the emergence of pop culture!

During the 1990s, reportedly, the real estate firm which purchased the property, first, offered the house to Salman Khan. However, as Khan was in the initial stages of his career, his father, Salim Khan advised that such a big was not needed at that stage. Parallelly, there is a scene in the song, 'Bas itna sa khwab hai' in the 1997 movie, 'Yes Boss', which was shot right outside Mannat. And, there are reports that suggest that SRK fell for the beauty of this property then and decided to buy it one day. 

His decision was soon going to transform this upmarket area of Bandra and it did. Shah Rukh Khan purchased Villa Vienna in 2001 and renamed it 'Mannat' in 2005. As Khan has been seen speaking in the interviews, he and his wife did not want to spend an exorbitant amount of money in hiring a designer and hence, Gauri Khan, also a designer took the lead to renovate the place. Currently, Mannat boasts a fine blend of classic as well as modern styles. 

Along with the star himself, this bungalow also grew to be another star that attracted many and continues to do so. The fans clicking pictures with the nameplate of the house has been a common sight here for almost more than a decade now. A fan from Ghatkopar recalls how she visited Mannat early in the morning with her friends in an impromptu move. "We wished for a glance of Shah Rukh. Though we could not see him, it felt something different. It was like bittersweet feeling of ticking off that bucket list item and that too with friends," says Richa Shah, a 28-year-old. 

Khan might or might not greet his fans on any usual day but thousands of fans wait for him on a special day like his birthday and the auspicious occasion of Eid when he surely comes out to his balcony, the one closest to the road to greet his fans. He comes to wave, blow kisses, and spread his arms for his signature pose for the fans. Such is the charm of the actor - whose popularity grew massively in the 90s - and his house that even the younger generation finds it a mandate to be around Mannat. A 24-year-old from Borivali, Pranjal Salian says, "Every time I pass by his home, it feels like I am a part of something magical. SRK’s journey inspires me to chase my own dreams, reminding me that anything is possible with passion and dedication." 

The popular culture in Mumbai to visit SRK's Mannat has also been well portrayed in the SRK-starrer, 'Zero' and giving a reference to that, another fan from Navi Mumbai, Aswini Jadhav, 26, recalls, "Visiting Mannat was a dream come true for me as an SRK fan. Standing outside his iconic home felt like stepping into a piece of Bollywood's history. That moment felt like a scene from 'Zero', where a fan’s heart beats in sync with the dreams of their idol, echoing the belief that ‘Picture abhi baaki hai, mere dost!’."