When Mannat was Villa Vienna: The story of SRK’s home and other heritage bungalows of Bandra Bandstand

Villa Vienna

There are various stories floating around on the Internet about Mannat. Debasish Chakraverty, a Mumbai-based history enthusiast who has been chronicling the past of Bandra and Santacruz, decided to dig deeper and penned down his findings in an essay titled ‘Mansion by the Sea: The History of Villa Vienna’ for the community newsletter Bandra Times in February 2024.

Clarifying that what he knows about Mannat comes from oral stories passed down over time, Chakraverty shared that the mansion was built in the late 1800s by Raja Bijai Sen, the Raja of Mandi (former princely state in present-day Himachal Pradesh), for one of his Ranis.

“Following Raja Bijai Sen’s death (in December 1902), the mansion was sold by the princely state to Perin Maneckji Batliwala of Girgaum in 1915. Perin Maneckji Batliwala named his newly acquired mansion “Villa Vienna” because of his fondness for Viennese music,” Chakraverty shared, adding that old-timers still prefer to call the building Villa Vienna.

Villa Vienna. The mansion to the left of it is Kekee Manzil. (Debasish Chakraverty’s Archives)

Akshay Chavan, a Bandra-based anthropologist and historian, seconded that the mansion was likely built by Raja Bijai Sen. “It has been recorded that Raja Bijai Sen of Mandi owned a bungalow in Bandra,” said Chavan, adding that considering that the Raja died in 1902, the mansion must have been built in the 1880s-90s. 

“A number of princely states like Patiala, Cambay, Mandi, Kutch and Gwalior had bungalows in Bandra, Juhu and Versova, primarily due to its proximity to the sea,” he said, adding, “It was common for old bungalows to be enlarged and renovated, once acquired by the new owners.”

For his essay, Chakraverty drew from conversations with long-time Bandra residents and the book ‘Bandra: Its Religious and Secular History’. “It was published in 1927, and is arguably the richest document of Bandra’s history, by renowned historian Braz Anthony Fernandes,” he said.

The house changed hands when Batliwala sold it to his sister Khurshedbai Sanjana and her husband, who were his business partners. As Khurshedbai had no children of her own, she willed the property to her sister Goolbanu. From Goolbanu, it passed to her son, Nariman Dubash.

“In the mid-1990s, Villa Vienna changed hands rapidly. It was apparently sold by Nariman Dubash to a builder, from whom businessman and film producer Bharat Shah bought it. As it lay in a state of disrepair in the late 1990s, it was finally acquired by its current owner and resident,” Chakraverty stated.

However, the Gandhy family, who live in Kekee Manzil, a heritage building adjacent to Mannat, tell a different tale. According to Adil Gandhy, Villa Vienna was, in fact, built by his father Kekoo Gandhy’s maternal grandfather, Maneckji Bottlewala — not Batliwala.

“Maneckji Bottlewala travelled to Europe in the 1920s and fell in love with Vienna. The neoclassical architectural revival in the late 18th and 19th centuries captured his imagination. Upon his return to Bombay, he purchased a plot of land next to the newly built Kekee Manzil, where his eldest daughter, Roshan (Kekoo’s mother), lived after her marriage. On this plot, he recreated his version of classical splendour, characterised by grandeur of scale, simplicity of geometric forms, and Doric columns on the façade, and named it Villa Vienna,” said Adil Gandhy, son of gallerist, collector, and art connoisseur Kekoo Gandhy, known for pioneering the promotion of Indian modern art.

The financial market crash of 1929 severely affected Bottlewala, as many of his assets were mortgaged to banks. By the 1930s, he was forced to sell Villa Vienna to his sister for an undisclosed sum. Upon her passing, it was bequeathed to her nephews, Nani and Maneck Dubash.

“Since both brothers lived in downtown Bombay, they rented it out to various families. Among the most notable tenants was film director Nitin Bose of Ganga Jumna fame,” shared Adil Gandhy, who vividly recalls playing in its lavish garden with Bose’s daughters, Reena and Neeta.

When Bose moved back to Calcutta, the house was rented by the Maharajah of Mandi, who occupied it in the mid-1960s. Adil Gandhy shared that his family recalls a grand wedding held at the mansion for the Maharajah’s daughter — an event that lasted a week and was considered one of the most extravagant of its time.

“After the Mandi family vacated, Villa Vienna was taken over by the Catholic Agnel Ashram for a period, and it even had a Christian cross attached to the apex,” he said, adding that the Dubash brothers retained ownership throughout. It was eventually sold to diamond merchant Bharat Shah. Shah Rukh Khan later acquired the property from him.

“It was a huge estate with tennis courts and garages at the back. Shah Rukh initially purchased only the front bungalow,” said Gandhy, adding that Shah later sold the rear portion to Khan, who then built an extension. While some believe the ‘M’ on Mannat’s glistening column stands for Mandi, Adil Gandhy said, “The monogram ‘M’ is for Maneckji, not Mandi or Mannat.”

When it comes to the architecture of the mansion, Chakraverty said Villa Vienna was based on a neo-classic structure named Villa La Rotonda, built just outside the town of Vicenza in northern Italy in the 1590s, and designed by the famous Italian architect Andrea Palladio. He said the identity of the designer, architect and builder (and even the exact year of construction) of Villa Vienna have proven difficult to trace.

Villa Vienna in the song ‘Bas Itna Sa Khwaab Hai‘, from SRK’s Yes Boss. (Photo: YouTube screengrab)

The mansion, he shared, has appeared on the big screen in many movies over the years, including Dev Anand-starrer Taxi Driver, and SRK-starrer Yess Boss.

History of Bandra Bandstand

Mannat is located on Bandra Bandstand, a nearly 2-km stretch that runs parallel to the Arabian Sea from St Andrew’s Church to Land’s End. Its official name is Byramjee Jeejeebhoy Road, after Sir Byramjee Jeejeebhoy, a 19th century philanthropist.

“It was Jeejeebhoy who then at his own expense constructed what we today call the Bandra Bandstand. The road’s official name is Byramjee Jeejeebhoy Road to this date,” Arvind Ganacharya, a former history professor at Mumbai University, told The Indian Express.

A private bungalow called Rockdale on HK Bhabha Road has been replaced by a new building of the same name (Photo: Debasish Chakraverty’s Archives)

Ganacharya added that once upon a time, the stretch was lined with bungalows owned mostly by Europeans and a few Parsis. “The Europeans were interested in the band culture and therefore, the evenings would see bands, including members from the European military and Goans who lived in the villages of Bandra, regularly playing music at a small-garden like place on this stretch. That is how the road got its popular name,” he said.

Heritage buildings of Bandra Bandstand

Not just Mannat, several heritage mansions lined Bandra Bandstand and the stretch beside it, HK Bhabha Road.

“Till late ‘70s and early ‘80s, there were a lot of mansions in this area, which have been lost over time,” Chakraverty told The Indian Express, adding that back then, people would refer to them as ‘mansions’ and not ‘bungalows’. “One of the grand ones was Bai Shirinbai Cama Convalescent Home. It was a beautiful Edwardian structure, over 120 years old, and was demolished right after the lockdown, in April 2022.”

Mary Lodge, a beautiful old mansion on HK Bhabha Road, was demolished and replaced with a row house called Basera. (Photo: Debasish Chakraverty’s Archives)

Up on the hill, on Mount Mary Road, stood Godiwala Bungalow, now replaced by a building named Raheja Bay.

“Marine Mansion on BJ Road has been replaced by a building of the same name. A private bungalow called Rockdale on HK Bhabha Road, owned by Anil Kapoor’s sister-in-law’s husband, has been replaced by a new private building of the same name. Woodleigh on HK Bhabha Road is the present site of Sea Kist and Sea Glimpse buildings. Mary Lodge, a beautiful old mansion on HK Bhabha Road, was demolished and replaced with a row house called Basera. Deputy Bungalow on the corner of BJ Road & Kane Road has been replaced by a new building named Berket,” Chakraverty reeled off.

Deputy Bungalow on the corner of BJ Road & Kane Road has been replaced by a building named Berket. (Photo: Debasish Chakraverty’s Archives)

When asked why these heritage buildings were being lost, Chakraverty said there were multiple factors. “First, all these houses are joint family property. Second, it is extremely expensive to maintain such houses. And, third, if a builder is going to offer you a sum of Rs 100 or 200 crore, anyone would take it, so I don’t blame anyone.”