Lokhandwala Complex

For other places with the same name, see Kandivali § Lokhandwala Township.
Lokhandwala
Neighbourhood
Lokhandwala
Coordinates: 19°07′51″N 72°49′45″E / 19.130815°N 72.82927°E / 19.130815; 72.82927Coordinates: 19°07′51″N 72°49′45″E / 19.130815°N 72.82927°E / 19.130815; 72.82927
Country India
State Maharashtra
Metro Mumbai
Time zone IST (UTC+5:30)
Vehicle registration MH-02

Lokhandwala Complex, Andheri, also known as Lokhandwala, is a large residential and commercial neighbourhood in Mumbai, India. It is approximately 5 km from Andheri station. The name Lokhandwala comes from the name of the developer with the construction firm being Lokhandwala Constructions Pvt. Ltd. It was the primary developer of the suburb of Versova, which was previously basically a marshland.

History

When Siraj Lokhandwala, proprietor of Lokhandwala Constructions, spotted the vast marshland in the area of Versova in 1978 he decided to purchase the area for development. He was discouraged by every broker in Mumbai from buying the land, simply because they felt that no one would wish to live at a comparative distance from the old centre of Mumbai. Today, however, Lokhandwala Complex is one of the most eagerly aspired to and most desirable suburbs of Mumbai.

A veritable who's who of Bollywood stars live in Lokhandwala, which has become home to many movie stars over the last twenty years. The list includes some of the finest actors, film directors, film writers,producers and most of the people who are working in Indian Film and Television Industry. Many of the NRIs Non-Resident Indians also have second homes here. Lokhandwala has many shopping malls, large cinemas, clubs, parks, fitness centres, small to very large luxurious apartments and it is well connected to the rest of the city with excellent public transport facilities. It is 10 km from airport, 5 km from Andheri Station. Trains from Andheri Station to Churchgate reach in 33 minutes.

Some of the famous residential landmarks of Lokhandwala include Golden Heights, Royal Accord, Green Acres, Oberoi Sky Gardens, Royal Resorts and Oberoi Sky Heights. There are several gardens in Lokhandwala which reserve a green patch in the middle. They also serve as venues for a yoga club, comedy club, senior citizens activities, sports meetings for children, etc. Developer Vikas Walavalkar has developed Walavalkar Park which is adjudged by him as as the best park of 5000 meters and more. This is very popular among health-conscious residents of area. There is a jogging track adjoining the Lokhandwala back road.

Lokhandwala Complex shootout

Lokhandwala Complex featured in the news headlines when on November 16, 1991, then Additional Commissioner of Police (ACP) Aftab Ahmed Khan, head of the ATS led a force of 100 police and ATS officers and engaged in a firefight with seven gangsters who were present in the Swati building within the complex. In the ensuing shootout which lasted four hours, 450 rounds were fired and seven gangsters were killed, including Maya Dolas, Dilip Buwa and Anil Pawar.

Vicinity

Nearby neighbourhoods include Shastri Nagar (0.5 km), the Versova Telephone Exchange (1 km) and the Andheri Link Road which has some of the finest commercial projects of Mumbai. Lokhandwala is one of the busiest places in the city of Mumbai, having a large number of residents as well as visitors every day. There are a large number of restaurants in and around this area. Some of these include:

  1. Restaurants
    1. Breadkraft
    2. McDonald's
    3. Pizza Hut
    4. Subway
    5. Monsoon - The Chaat Corner
    6. Sasural
    7. Food-Inn
    8. High Point Restaurant
    9. Domino's Pizza
    10. Oh! Calcutta
    11. Swenska
    12. Indigo Cafe
  2. Coffee shops and hangouts
    1. Cafe Coffee Day
    2. Barista Lavazza (India)
  3. Ice cream parlour
    1. Naturals
  4. Bakery and Pasteries
    1. Theobroma
    2. Eden
    3. Love and Cheesecake
    4. Hangout
    5. Warden Bakery
  5. Shopping
    1. Aadils
    2. Imagine
    3. Gattoos
  6. Co-working Space
    1. Geekout
  7. Daily Exhibitions and Retail Shopping Gallery
    1. Queens Art Gallery

This event was the basis for the 2007 Hindi film Shootout at Lokhandwala .[1] The movies was starring Sanjay Dutt as ACP Aftab Ahmed Khan, Vivek Oberoi as Maya Dolas, Tushar Kapoor as Dilip Buwa and Amrita Singh as Maya's mother Ratnaprabha Dolas. The movie also featured the real-life former ACP Aftab Ahmed Khan in a cameo role as his superior, the police commissioner S. Ramamurthy.[2]

References

  1. ↑ "'450 rounds were fired…like bullets were doing the talking'". Indian Express. May 20, 2007. Retrieved 2007-06-01.
  2. ↑ Vijay (14 April 2007). "Preview: Shootout At Lokhandwala". Archived from the original on 29 May 2007. Retrieved 24 May 2007..
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