The Chief Minister's Office of Maharashtra on Wednesday, 3 June 2026 announced that Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has approved the formation of a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) jointly with Prasar Bharati to develop a world-class integrated film and television media hub on the broadcaster's land at Malad, Mumbai. The decision was taken at a meeting on the integrated development of the Film City site, held at the Chief Minister's official residence, Varsha, in Mumbai.

Context

The proposal envisages joint development of about 150 acres of the total 278-acre Prasar Bharati parcel at Malad, alongside the existing Film City footprint. The CMO post described the plan in Marathi as giving 'manoranjan kshetrala navi disha' (a new direction to the entertainment sector), with Mumbai set to host a global-grade media and Film City hub.

According to the post, an MoU has already been signed between Prasar Bharati, the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) and the Maharashtra Film, Stage and Cultural Development Corporation to anchor the joint development. Most Akashvani broadcasting is migrating to the FM platform, freeing the Malad land for media and entertainment use.

Policy backdrop

Maharashtra established its original Film City at Goregaon in the 1970s to anchor the state's film and television industry. The Malad proposal extends that legacy by consolidating surplus public-broadcasting land into a larger entertainment cluster, in line with the state's broader push to integrate IT, hospitality and training facilities within media zones.

The Chief Minister flagged a key regulatory hurdle: the Malad site is currently governed by No Development Zone (NDZ) and Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) rules, which permit only limited construction. Full development will require statutory clearances, rule changes and amendments to the Development Control Regulations. Fadnavis assured that the state government would extend all necessary cooperation to secure these approvals.

Stakeholders and impact

The proposed hub is to include state-of-the-art film studios, sound stages, hospitality facilities, IT and ITeS infrastructure, tourism-development components, and international-grade film and music training centres. Tie-ups with reputed foreign academic institutions are planned for the training arm.

For film producers, broadcasters and the wider media and entertainment industry, the project promises consolidated production infrastructure within Mumbai's municipal limits — a long-standing industry demand as content volumes expand across streaming, television and theatrical formats. Hospitality, tourism and IT services firms are also positioned to benefit from the integrated cluster design.

Also present at the meeting were Minister Adv. Ashish Shelar and senior officials from the state government and Prasar Bharati.

What's next

The Chief Minister directed that a consultancy be appointed to prepare a pre-feasibility study and action plan, and that a joint working committee of officials from both the state government and Prasar Bharati be constituted to fast-track the Detailed Project Report (DPR) and technical clearances. He further instructed that all project components and the development blueprint be finalised by the end of June.

Immediate milestones to watch include the appointment of the consultancy, the formal constitution of the joint steering committee, and any approach to the Union environment ministry for relaxations under the NDZ and CRZ frameworks. If executed on schedule, the Malad hub could reshape Mumbai's status as India's premier film and television production base, while testing the state's ability to navigate coastal and environmental regulations on a high-value urban parcel.