MUMBAI: After the closure of the historic Oaks Theater on Solano Boulevard, its owner is in search of a new operator. The theatre, built in 1925, was being run by Merriment Media Works for nine months but ceased operations shortly before Christmas.

Property owner John Gordon said the group had plans to add food and drinks with foreign films on the screen, emphasizing Bollywood fare. "They owned a Bollywood theatre in the Fremont area and they said that they were going to convert the theatre to digital. They were also film importers and could download their films. They were going to show other foreign films on one screen and the second run on the other," Gordon said.

Gordon said that the group tried to bring in Bollywood stars for events but still couldn‘t draw. The previous operator, Metropolitan Theaters of Southern California, decided not to renew the lease early last year. Merriment Media Works then stepped in to take over the theatre.

Gordon said once some legal issues are taken care of, he will try to find a new operator. "Once we get control we‘re in a better position to start marketing it," he said.

Gordon would like the building to continue to be a theatre, either showing films live performances.

In 1973, the Oaks was split into two theaters. It was renovated in 1994 when Renaissance Rialto took it over. Allen Michaan, who runs the Grand Lake, operated the theatre until 2005, after which Metropolitan took over.