Dharavi has occupied a unique place in Mumbai’s cinematic imagination for decades. Its dense neighbourhoods, narrow lanes, workshops, markets and tightly connected communities have provided filmmakers with a setting that is visually distinctive and closely associated with the everyday realities of the city.
Over the years, Dharavi has appeared in several Indian and international productions. Films such as Dharavi, Salaam Bombay, Nayakan, Kaala and Gully Boy have used Mumbai’s densely populated neighbourhoods to tell stories about ambition, survival, crime, identity and social change. The area has also gained international recognition through films such as Slumdog Millionaire.
However, Dharavi is now entering a period of major transformation. The large redevelopment project planned for the area is expected to bring significant changes to housing, infrastructure, commercial spaces and the wider urban environment. As the physical landscape changes, the way filmmakers view and use Dharavi could also change.
The redevelopment is not simply about replacing existing structures with new buildings. Developers and authorities have repeatedly highlighted the need to account for the existing community, businesses and social networks that make Dharavi a distinctive part of Mumbai.
In September 2026, Pranav Adani, director of Adani Enterprises, said Dharavi should not be viewed as a “blank canvas” for redevelopment. He said the project would take existing homes, workshops, markets and community networks into consideration while seeking to improve infrastructure and living conditions.
That approach could also have implications for cinema.
For decades, filmmakers have relied on Dharavi because its streets and built environment can provide an instantly recognisable Mumbai atmosphere without requiring large studio sets. The neighbourhood can represent the economic contrasts, crowded urban life and entrepreneurial energy that are often central to Mumbai-based stories.
As redevelopment progresses, filmmakers may increasingly have to adapt to a different visual environment. Some traditional locations could disappear, while new buildings, roads, commercial spaces and residential areas could provide different possibilities for storytelling.
This does not necessarily mean that Dharavi will stop being relevant to Bollywood. In fact, the opposite could happen. A neighbourhood undergoing such a dramatic transformation could become an important setting for stories about changing Mumbai, urban redevelopment, displacement, aspiration and the relationship between old and new city spaces.
The redevelopment project itself remains a major urban undertaking and is progressing through several stages. One of the challenges is preparing land that has been identified for rehabilitation housing. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation recently began trial work connected with clearing legacy waste from the Deonar dumping ground, where 124 acres have been earmarked for rehabilitation housing linked to the Dharavi redevelopment plan. The work has faced delays because of regulatory and environmental clearances.
The wider redevelopment process therefore remains ongoing, and the final appearance of the transformed area will take time to emerge.
For Bollywood, this creates an interesting situation. Dharavi has traditionally been used as a location that represents a particular side of Mumbai. Future filmmakers may instead use the area to capture a city in transition.
The change could also influence how filmmakers approach location shooting. If the existing streetscape becomes less accessible or changes significantly, production teams may increasingly rely on specially constructed sets, other Mumbai neighbourhoods or carefully selected sections of the redeveloped area. At the same time, new public spaces, commercial areas and modern residential structures could provide fresh visual opportunities.
There is also a cultural dimension to the transformation. Dharavi is not merely a film backdrop. It is home to a large population and a major network of small businesses and workshops. Its representation in cinema has often focused on poverty and difficult living conditions, but the area is also known for entrepreneurship, skilled work and strong community networks.
The next phase of cinema around Dharavi could therefore offer an opportunity for more varied storytelling. Instead of presenting the neighbourhood only as a symbol of deprivation, filmmakers could explore its businesses, workers, families, changing architecture and evolving social identity.
Mumbai itself is also moving toward a broader redevelopment strategy. The Maharashtra Slum Rehabilitation Authority has set an ambitious target of constructing more than five lakh rehabilitation homes across the Mumbai Metropolitan Region by December 2030. Dharavi is expected to remain an important part of this larger urban transformation.
For the film industry, the transformation of Dharavi represents both a challenge and an opportunity. The familiar visual language associated with the neighbourhood may gradually change, but that does not mean its cinematic relevance will disappear.
Instead, Dharavi could become a location that tells a different kind of Mumbai story. The old landscape may give way to a new urban environment, creating opportunities to document a city changing before the camera.
Ultimately, whether Dharavi becomes one of Bollywood’s next major filming locations will depend on accessibility, permissions, production requirements and how filmmakers respond to the changing neighbourhood. What is clear is that its role in Mumbai’s visual identity is likely to evolve alongside the redevelopment.
3 Line Content
Dharavi has been one of Mumbai’s most recognisable cinematic locations for decades.
Its ongoing redevelopment could change the neighbourhood’s visual identity while creating new opportunities for filmmakers.
The transformation may give Bollywood a new way to portray Mumbai, its people and a city undergoing rapid urban change.