Part of Shah Rukh Khan's studio building razed

Mumbai: The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) demolished illegal constructions erected by Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan’s film production company, Red Chillies Entertainment, at its studio in Goregaon on Thursday.

According to civic officials, the production house has a visual effects studio known as Red Chillies VFX, which is located on the fourth floor of the DLH Park building on Swami Vivekanand Marg in Goregaon (west).

The company was found to be running an illegal cafeteria for its employees on the building’s terrace by enclosing it with illegal constructions.

In a demolition drive undertaken by the municipal corporation, these illegal constructions were razed by P-North ward officials. “The company had constructed an illegal cafeteria by encroaching on 2,000 square foot area of the terrace,” said Chanda Jadhav, assistant municipal commissioner, P-North ward.

Red Chillies VFX, which has 316 employees, is owned by Shah Rukh and his wife Gauri. It is used for post-production activities. The company moved into this office on January 2 this year. The civic body had deployed 25 labourers and officials for the demolition drive. Police officials assigned for the civic body’s encroachment removal works were also present on the occasion.

The demolition drive was part of the civic body’s ongoing action against encroachments and illegal constructions in the city.

The Red Chillies spokesperson told The Asian Age, “Red Chillies VFX is a tenant and not the owner of the property mentioned. The building has an open area outside with seating, which employees use for eating food that they get from home. It is not an operational canteen. However, due to a misunderstanding, the part which the BMC demolished is the energy saving solar panels which provided clean energy to the entire VFX division.”