The photograph, believed to have been taken in 1939, was shared by Mumbai Heritage on X. Restored from damaged archival images, it captures a strikingly different Juhu Beach. The scene features no food stalls, vehicles, plastic litter, or the heavy crowds that now define the beach.

Sharing the image, Mumbai Heritage wrote, “Juhu Beach, Mumbai, 1939. Restored from damaged black-and-white photographs.”

Juhu Beach, Mumbai, 1939.
Restored from damaged black-and-white photographs#OldMumbai pic.twitter.com/Xw5EpevKCD

— Mumbai Heritage (@mumbaiheritage) July 17, 2026

An Instagram page, indiathatsbharat, also shared a vintage video believed to be around 50 years old. The video features calm waves washing over wide stretches of golden sand, with only a few visitors enjoying the coastline.

“Fifty years ago, Mumbai’s Juhu Beach looked like this. Calm waves, clean shores, and vast stretches of golden sand defined one of the city’s most iconic beaches,” the caption read.

Watch here:

The videos and photos have taken over social media platforms, prompting a deluge of reactions. “Then came plastic revolution … Severe single use plastic usage which is not recycled or doesn’t degenrate .. people started using and became completely dependent on plastic,” a user wrote.

“Now it’s over crowded and a place for plastic,” another user commented. “Lived in Juhu when it was like this. Goa beaches slowly but surely heading the Juhu beach way,” a third user reacted.

Earlier, a video of heavily polluted Juhu Beach grabbed eyeballs. The viral video showed industrial waste and other untreated garbage floating by the beach.