Tucked deep within Goregaon East is a lesser-known spot that offers you a view you are unlikely to see anywhere else in Mumbai. In the midst of several residential buildings, visitors can find the ‘Film City View Point’, as it is locally known, offering not just a view of the Film City but also of the surrounding hills in Aarey Colony. Situated at the dead end of the Nagari Niwara Parishad Road on the edge of a hill, on one side lies the shooting sets of the Film City and on the other lies the lush green hills of Aarey Colony. Looking down from the point one can see vehicles driving along the Film City Road and the view extends up to the tall buildings along the Western Express Highway. Small rocks double up as benches for visitors to relax on and take in the beauty. “Until a few years back we could see a large part of the city from the point and it was a sight to watch the city lit up in the night. There was also a short cut to a waterfall nearby. It might still be there but it is not accessible. It was a hangout spot for me and my friends during our college days,” said Francis Chettiar, a 23-year-old Goregaon resident, who has been frequenting the area since childhood. While the spot is largely deserted during the day it sees a lot of visitors during the early morning hours and in the evening. Many people choose to drive up to the spot and enjoy the view from their cars with food and drinks. “The spot has lost its purity over the years. It used to be a green area offering you a break from the monotony of the city. There are very few places in the city today where you can be with nature and this point was one such which allowed you to enjoy nature just as it is. But today many residential buildings have come up there and the connect with nature seems to have been broken. Also the area is now frequented more by youngsters to consume drugs or by lovers,” said Max D’Souza, another local resident who lives a stone’s throw away from the point. While the point has been marked on Google Maps as a scenic spot, there are no boards or signages that direct one to it. There is also a lack of security with insufficient lights, no security personnel and there are no barricades to prevent people from falling off the hill. Some locals suggested the government should take steps to brand it as a tourist spot. “I lived in the area for almost a year before I realised such a view existed. Other than people who live here nobody knows such a place exists. Right now it is just some rocks where people can sit and watch the sun go down. Some steps need to be taken to humanise the area. There is no lighting. In the evenings you will never find a woman alone there as it gets quite scary. There are only groups of men who are smoking or couples finding a cosy spot. The government can definitely improve the area,” said Sohamm Sanghani, a resident of Mantri Park, a building situated on the same road. D’Souza differs, saying, “It is because the government tried to develop the area that it has become what it is today. They have allowed the buildings and encroachments to come up in the green area. It is best they do not try to intervene or it will only further lose its charm.”
