National Museum of Indian Cinema Mumbai - Timings, Entry Fees, and Tips for first-time visitors
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| NMIC Entrance Gate |
Gulshan Mahal covers the early era of Indian cinema, the transition from silent to Talkie cinema, informative details on regional cinema, and how Indian Cinema evolved in the first half of the 20th Century. The Glass Galleries showcases cinema across India (4th floor), technological innovations in Indian Cinema (3rd floor), a Children's studio that includes activities for children (2nd floor), and a gallery dedicated to Gandhiji's influence on Indian Cinema (1st floor). More information on the individual galleries coming soon on my blog...
The Architecture and Landscape
Beyond the actual museum galleries, look around at the architectural splendour and greenery around. There's the architecture of Gulshan Mahal, both outside and inside, and check out the designs on the doors, tiles and stained glass windows.
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| Gulshan Mahal in the backdrop of superb green landscape |
Look down at the design of the flooring in the passage outside the glass building's galleries, and from the outside watch a flight of birds reflected in the glass. There are flowering blooms in and around the central lawn, and you can hear parrots high up in the magnificent trees. It is a calm green oasis to observe and absorb.
Museum Timings
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| Central space with Glass Gallery in the background |
The
museum is closed on Mondays and public holidays. It opens at 11 a.m. and closes
at 6 p.m., Tuesday to Saturday. Note that although on the ticket the closing
time is given as 6 p.m., at the entrance it is given as 5 p.m., likely because
they do not want visitors coming in late since it is a good three to four-hour
tour.
Timing your Visit: To make the most of a wonderful experience, be there at least four hours before the closing time of 5 p.m. I reached there at 11.30 a.m. and started the tour inside Gulshan Mahal ten minutes later. The ten minutes were taken up capturing the beautiful outdoors outside after purchasing the ticket! I stepped out from the bungalow around an hour later and then proceeded across to the glass building housing the four-gallery museum. This section is known as 'Modern Glass Galleries'. When I returned to the main foyer on the ground floor it was 2.30 p.m. Hence, accordingly, I would advise you to either arrive at the opening time of 11 a.m. or come later in the afternoon and arrive no later than 2 p.m.
Access and Facilities
The
Gulshan Mahal bungalow has two floors, but no lift. There are a few steps up,
and no ramps at the entrance. The other
galleries in the building across can be accessed by lifts, escalators, and
staircases.
Washrooms: There is a toilet block in the compound on the left side of Gulshan Mahal, including facilities for physically challenged visitors. The main building has a ramp and lifts, as well as washrooms and drinking water facilities on the upper floors. You can carry your own water bottle.
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| Washroom block in the compound |
Seats to Rest: In Gulshan Mahal, there is a bench in the passage. In the Modern Glass Galleries building, there is seating space outside the doors of each gallery and a bench inside in two of them.
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| Passage outside lift in Glass Gallery building |
Food and Beverages: There is no café or canteen, and no provisions for tea/coffee or snacks. Carry your own bottle of water, but it is advisable to drink outside the gallery doors so as not to spill anything inside. When I completed my tour, I was lucky to have a local chaiwalla coming inside the complex, so could enjoy a small paper cup of excellent masala chai!
Entry Fees
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| Ticket Counter |
For a guided tour the cost is Rs. 236/-. The guided tours are at fixed times of the day, so if you
are interested, contact the museum in advance to confirm the timings.
Entry Fee for foreign tourists- Foreign
citizens above 14 years have to pay an entry fee of INR 500/- and for foreign
citizens who are from three to 13 years of age the fee is INR 250/-. For a guided tour the
entry fee is INR 1180/-.
Payment options: You can pay in cash or Scan the QR code pasted on the ticket
counter's glass. You can pay with BHIM RuPay, VISA, and Mastercard.
Photography: You are allowed to take photos, but videos are strictly prohibited.
Additional
notes-
- There is a free parking facility within the Films Division complex.
- When you go to the Modern Glass Galleries, you are instructed by the staff in the foyer to start from the fourth floor and then come down to the next floor, but it is entirely up to you how you wish to proceed.
- There are a lot of interactive features. Kindly do not jab, bang or press too hard any of the tools that are put in for an interactive experience (a spool or a telephone for example) and return them to their place once used (e.g. headphones).
- There is an exhibit of Satyajit Ray's work in the foyer. Do look around it, too, and don't ignore it in your hurry to exit after touring the galleries upstairs.
Above all, do maintain proper decorum and keep the premises clean.
Contact Information
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| Scale model of NMIC |
24, Dr. G. Deshmukh Marg (Pedder Road), Cumballa Hill, Mumbai- 400026.
Ph: +91-022-23551377
Email: nmic@filmsdivision.org
/ nmicmumbai@nfdcindia.com
Website: https://nmicindia.com/
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